First attempt at a SR shave today

[Seveneighth]

I’m at the point where I can get through my first WTG pass very nicely and finish with DE. My cheeks are amazingly smooth.

My big issue is getting my jaw line which grows horizontally from chin to ears. An XTG with a straight is kind of scary until I figure it out. It is necessary to get my jaws, I believe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Forgive me off I've have already responded to this I think I drafted something very never hit send.... Its been a long week.

I have the same hair growth.

1) Two handed shave :
Pass 1: from top of cheek down and sweep round along jaw WTG Pulling skin upwards from above the blade. This pulls the jawline skin above the jawline.
Pass 2: Stroke 1 : Ear to mouth across cheek pulling from behind razor.
Stroke 2: collar bone to over jaw.
Pull bottom off neck downwards, shave upwards hallway up neck, then, as you proceed upwards switch your skin stretching to above the jaw from the cheek. This is the golden trick - you pull the skin really tight over the jaw so the lathered skin pulls all the way over. If the skin is tight enough the razor should just glide over.

1) One handed shave (Right hand).
Left side : Rock the heal to toe along the jaw from below. On the downwards pass from the check you kind of reshave from above with the lather you push down from the cheek.
Right side : top of jaw using the ball from a mouth to ear cheek pass, doubling up with an almost ATG pass diagonally across the neck.

Reverse this off you are left handed.

In all of this your mileage definitely will vary!! But I hope there is something of use.

 

[Seveneighth]

Is this because the blade is less likely to hang up or skip when the shave is already faurlf close?

Yes exactly. I think it's a great practice solution and no harm in it.

When I was younger and shaved exclusively one handed, and didn't know about ATG / XTG Etc, I basically just shaved XTG. If I had heavy growth sometimes I would take two identical passes - didn't know any better. First pass I would lather well and take easy. The second pass was always easier and that was when I was more scrupulous about cleaning all the hair away.

I think the principle is the same.

 

[ScottChapin]

Forgive me off I've have already responded to this I think I drafted something very never hit send.... Its been a long week.

I have the same hair growth.

1) Two handed shave :
Pass 1: from top of cheek down and sweep round along jaw WTG Pulling skin upwards from above the blade. This pulls the jawline skin above the jawline.
Pass 2: Stroke 1 : Ear to mouth across cheek pulling from behind razor.
Stroke 2: collar bone to over jaw.
Pull bottom off neck downwards, shave upwards hallway up neck, then, as you proceed upwards switch your skin stretching to above the jaw from the cheek. This is the golden trick - you pull the skin really tight over the jaw so the lathered skin pulls all the way over. If the skin is tight enough the razor should just glide over.

1) One handed shave (Right hand).
Left side : Rock the heal to toe along the jaw from below. On the downwards pass from the check you kind of reshave from above with the lather you push down from the cheek.
Right side : top of jaw using the ball from a mouth to ear cheek pass, doubling up with an almost ATG pass diagonally across the neck.

Reverse this off you are left handed.

In all of this your mileage definitely will vary!! But I hope there is something of use.

Not sure what rock the heel means. With the two handed shave, I presume you mean left face with right hand and visa versa?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Seveneighth]

Not sure what rock the heel means. With the two handed shave, I presume you mean lady face with right hand and visa versa?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

By two handed I mean ambidextrous shave:
When shaving up to down:
right hand to right side, left hand to left side.
Going down to up, right hand to left side and left hand to right.

By one handed shave I mean just your dominant hand for your whole face.

I'm really sorry if I'm messing up the terminology.

 

[Seveneighth]

Not sure what rock the heel means. With the two handed shave, I presume you mean left face with right hand and visa versa?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Rock the heal is a dumb way of describing it. As I bring the razor up i start by leading with the heal onto the jaw, then I continue by leading with the toe. The effect is to cut across the hairs diagonally. This makes it easier to tackle the jaw because I am only using half the blade at any one time.

 

[ScottChapin]

By be two handed I mean ambidextrous shave:
When shaving up to down:
right hand to right side, left hand to left side.
Going down to up, right hand to left side and left hand to right.

By one handed shave I mean just your dominant hand for your whole face.

I'm really sorry if I'm messing up the terminology.

No. I get the ambidextrous part and I shave with both hands. Left on left, generally, and right on right. But XTG is a different story for me.

I think it’s safer to pull a razor as opposed to pushing it. Therefore my XTG attempts are to reach across my left jaw with my right hand and pull the blade from ear to chin and visa versa.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ouch]

By two handed I mean ambidextrous shave:
When shaving up to down:
right hand to right side, left hand to left side.
Going down to up, right hand to left side and left hand to right.

This.

Of course, when shaving from down to up the blade is flipped so the edge faces upwards. I hold the blade between the pads of my thumb and forefinger close to the heel. I actually find it easier to shave the neck down to up than up to down.

 

[ScottChapin]

This.

Of course, when shaving from down to up the blade is flipped so the edge faces upwards. I hold the blade between the pads of my thumb and forefinger close to the heel. I actually find it easier to shave the neck down to up than up to down.

+1 although, for some reason, I have no problem going all the way down from cheek top to chest. I can easily go down to up on the neck until I reach the submandibular triangle. Making that radius and coming forward to the chin is life threatening...LOL.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ouch]

Those decreasing radius curves can be daunting.

Occasionally I will shave with two straight razors simultaneously. I'll shave the left side of my face north to south with my left hand while shaving south to north with my right hand, then flip the blades and shave the right side of my face in a similar manner. I'll know when to stop the strokes when I hear a klang.

 

[ScottChapin]

Those decreasing radius curves can be daunting.

Occasionally I will shave with two straight razors simultaneously. I'll shave the left side of my face north to south with my left hand while shaving south to north with my right hand, then flip the blades and shave the right side of my face in a similar manner. I'll know when to stop the strokes when I hear a klang.

That’s why you call yourself ouch? That doesn’t wreak havoc on the edges?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ouch]

That’s why you call yourself ouch? That doesn’t wreak havoc on the edges?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No. I use a specially selected razor for just that purpose.

Spoiler

A Prima Klang.

 

[ScottChapin]

No. I use a specially selected razor for just that purpose.

Spoiler

A Prima Klang.

Wow. I would have thought they would be more susceptible to damage if rough handled.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[steveclarkus]

Those decreasing radius curves can be daunting.

Occasionally I will shave with two straight razors simultaneously. I'll shave the left side of my face north to south with my left hand while shaving south to north with my right hand, then flip the blades and shave the right side of my face in a similar manner. I'll know when to stop the strokes when I hear a klang.

If I tried that, I would fall over.

 

[psfred]

Spent the evening honing razors. Had to drop back to a diamond hone for a couple of them to get an actual edge, very blunt. Ended up with three that have edges, a Theo Brooks Marcella, a Torrey (which appears to be completely unused) and a Gold Dollar. Had another GD that needs to visit the bench grinder again, stabilizer is still too high on both sides and it's bent enough I'm having trouble getting a bevel on the toe, may need to make a minor modification with the belt grinder too.

Took some work to get an edge on the GD, that steel is very hard!

Will try another shave tomorrow, it's Sunday, and if that goes well will work on the razors some more and try again on Labor Day.

 

[psfred]

Slightly better results today, but the razors are going back on the hones this evening, still not sharp enough. Sigh.

A couple small weepers on my cheeks and at the trouble spot on my chin I've been opening up for the last week or so, but nothing major.

 

[psfred]

No SR shave today, I gave up on getting one ready last night about 1230 am. Probably need to pick a couple and work on them and not six or seven....

It can take a long time to set a bevel on a GD 66, they are quite hard and both of mine are not particularly straight. Backed down to a Beston 500 and ground away, will eventually get a bevel set.

Also glued my synthetic aoto (again) -- I failed to keep it wet, was permasoaking it, and it cracked when it dried. Will cover the sides with epoxy when I get it all fixed up and glued to a base, it's a great stone, much faster than my naniwa SS 3k, but fairly fragile.

Higher grits are taking a while to polish too, may need to do some more flattening, I think my sandpaper is dull in the middle and causing a slight crown to the stones.

 

[psfred]

Got a couple razors out tonight and stropped them on ferric oxide on cottonwood, linen, and leather and tried a fast shave on one cheek, just for fun. They were sharp enough to shave, although rather poorly, ATG. Rather rough -- way too much pressure to start with, and I still need to work on the edges some more, but the shave was as good as a quick two-pass DE shave. Pretty irritating, but I think that will go away too with some practice.

 

[steveclarkus]

Got a couple razors out tonight and stropped them on ferric oxide on cottonwood, linen, and leather and tried a fast shave on one cheek, just for fun. They were sharp enough to shave, although rather poorly, ATG. Rather rough -- way too much pressure to start with, and I still need to work on the edges some more, but the shave was as good as a quick two-pass DE shave. Pretty irritating, but I think that will go away too with some practice.

Are you using the burr method to set the bevel? Sounds like you may not getting the bevel completely set. Just a guess.