I spent forever trying to get my 1912 Dammie to give me a good shave...I tried making my lather more wet to allow for more glide, tried palm stropping my GEM SS blades, and, perhaps most importantly, experimented heavily with my razor angle.
Everyone maintains that you hold it nearly flat to your face, keeping the curve (if you have a curved-cap model) touching your cheek.
This week, I had a breakthrough shave that gave me near BBS with 2 passes, and it's been consistent every day. I've never, in a short 2 years of wetshaving and many more using cartridge razors, been able to shave on back to back days. Not once. Too much irritation, fear of aggressing my razor burn, and just general discomfort all prevented me from attempting it more than a few (unsuccessful) times. No longer.
I like my creams more than soaps, but I've been diggin my AoS sandlewood soap because I now add glycerine to all of my lathers (just two drops). It's made a massive difference in creating a truly beautiful lather.
Now for razor angle advice: focus NOT on the razor head angle, but on the blade itself. Imagine that you're holding a SE blade with no razor and shaving with that. Use an angle similar to a straight razor. Now, while holding your razor, picture how the blade is sitting in it. Maintain that "straight razor" angle, regardless of how the razor itself looks when it's shaving. The key is to imagine how the BLADE is positioned with relation to your face, not the razor. Voila. A perfect shave.
I really don't think I'll need another razor ever again, aside from the joy of collecting them. This razor, which is from 1913 or 1914, has lasted 100+ years and easily has another 100 to go. Exciting stuff.
Everyone maintains that you hold it nearly flat to your face, keeping the curve (if you have a curved-cap model) touching your cheek.
This week, I had a breakthrough shave that gave me near BBS with 2 passes, and it's been consistent every day. I've never, in a short 2 years of wetshaving and many more using cartridge razors, been able to shave on back to back days. Not once. Too much irritation, fear of aggressing my razor burn, and just general discomfort all prevented me from attempting it more than a few (unsuccessful) times. No longer.
I like my creams more than soaps, but I've been diggin my AoS sandlewood soap because I now add glycerine to all of my lathers (just two drops). It's made a massive difference in creating a truly beautiful lather.
Now for razor angle advice: focus NOT on the razor head angle, but on the blade itself. Imagine that you're holding a SE blade with no razor and shaving with that. Use an angle similar to a straight razor. Now, while holding your razor, picture how the blade is sitting in it. Maintain that "straight razor" angle, regardless of how the razor itself looks when it's shaving. The key is to imagine how the BLADE is positioned with relation to your face, not the razor. Voila. A perfect shave.
I really don't think I'll need another razor ever again, aside from the joy of collecting them. This razor, which is from 1913 or 1914, has lasted 100+ years and easily has another 100 to go. Exciting stuff.
