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First shave with 1920 Single Ring

I got my 1920 Single Ring in the mail yesterday and couldn't wait to give it a wash, drop in a crystal and shave with it. I learned that my technique is not up to snuff for shaving with this particular razor. Quite possibly the worst shave I have had since starting DE shaving. I think I'm going to put this back in it's case for a couple of months and work on my technique some more.
I do have one question though. This razor had one of the brown colored gillette blades in it, which I believe are from the mid to late 30's. The razor was not tarnished the way you would expect a razor that hasn't seen use in 60 years to be. Were the single rings plated with nickel in 1920 instead of silver?
The razor came in a nickel plated case with the 2 blade cases so it was a 406b set. It has a k955xxx serial number wich would place it fairly rearly in 1920 If I understand correctly.
 
I have a single ring too and I have to be honest it isn't my favourite razor. My favourite is still my Fatboy made 30-40 years later. The single ring is nice to have but I think I only use mine about once every 3 months. The rest of the time it sits on my dresser along with my other 15 DE and SE razors.
 
I have four Single Rings and they are all silver plated. I find the Old Types to be very easy to use but some blades work better than others.

Of all the Old Types, I prefer the ball-end/Brownie type because the base plate and cap are thicker and the curvature of the cap is higher, which makes getting a nice, close shave somewhat easier. In addition to this, the thinner base plate and teeth on the Single Ring mean that they are more susceptible to sustaining damage if dropped. I'm also inclined to believe that the thicker teeth on the ball-end type do a better job of pushing the lather around.

It's worth persevering with the Single Ring as they are fantastic razors. When I get a razor that I find is harder to use, I will use it exclusively until I have learned its nuances. One of the razors I was most disappointed with due to the very poor shaves I was getting became one of my best razors through persevering in this way. Each razor has an optimal angle that must be discovered through use before it yields the best results.

On that note, I think I need to line up my Goodwill for the next blade change...
 
"Quite possibly the worst shave I have had since starting DE shaving. I think I'm going to put this back in it's case for a couple of months and work on my technique some more."

Keep using it, don't put it away. Using a challeging razor is the best, fastest way to improve your technique.

DD
 
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