I tend to still have occasional issues on the chin - in fact, I cut it right at the rounded transition the other day and nicked it again this morning. Nice job on realizing that you needed to dial back on the pressure and doing it and getting good results. Makes for a better postshave face feel with less irritation for sure.
macdad's Shave Journal
- Thread starter macdad
- Start date
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- #302
Great shave. Finding just the right pressure can be tough.
Great shave to start Fall! Great that irritation is less noticeable, remember it is a process and you are doing fabulously well!
Thanks for the support guys. I have noticed something as well. On the first pass, I have been using a shallower angle than I do on the second pass, at least for the upper lip and chin area. I have had a little better luck getting closer on my chin and lip with a steeper angle. If I use this steep angle on the first pass, it is not as comfortable. It is just fine on the second pass, though. It could all be in my head, I don't know...
I was also playing around with finishing wood with CA last night. I have a small piece of wood left over from the scales I am attempting to make. So, I went through a couple of the little tubes that you get in a pack. There is definitely a trick of how to apply it, and I don't really have that all figured out yet. I tried covering my fingertip with different things, but I didn't have a nitrile glove. Covering my finger was difficult to get a thin coat that would dry properly. Then, I tried a small piece of paper towel. That seemed to work better for me, but you have to move quick and not get the paper towel stuck in the glue.
At the end of my screwing around yesterday, I finally got decent results. I think it is somewhat wasteful, but I can probably get a bit better with practice. I sanded the piece of wood with sandpaper up to 1200 grit. It isn't super shiny, which is ok with me. I may try to polish it, though, just to see what it looks like. Overall, I like the concept. It should definitely seal the wood and makes a nice finish. I may try to do it on my first set of scales.
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- #303
Today's shave:
Razor: Ohio Farmer Straight and ATT M1 DE
Soap: Stirling Noir
Brush: Maggard 22mm synthetic
Blade: 7 O'Clock SS (4 Partial, 2 full)
Aftershave: Matching aftershave
I haven't used this scent for a while, so I gave it a shot this morning. It was nice. It has been 5 hours, and I can still get little wiffs of it. Not my most favorite scent, but it is still good. Stirling performance is great as always.
I gave the ohio farmer straight another round. I only did one pass. It was not very comfortable. It is cutting really well, but the blade feels harsh to me. I tried different angles and pressures. I am thinking about taking it back to a CrOx balsa strop to see if that makes a difference. There is a chance that I damaged the edge when stropping it at some point...
Since the first pass was not very comfortable, I did the second pass with the DE. The rest of the shave was nice and smooth. I attempted a XTG pass on my neck on with the DE again. Felt really good and have no irritation that I notice. I have a closer shave to show for it too!
I may work on my scales a little more this weekend too. For now though, I am going to kick back and enjoy this beautiful Saturday morning!
Razor: Ohio Farmer Straight and ATT M1 DE
Soap: Stirling Noir
Brush: Maggard 22mm synthetic
Blade: 7 O'Clock SS (4 Partial, 2 full)
Aftershave: Matching aftershave
I haven't used this scent for a while, so I gave it a shot this morning. It was nice. It has been 5 hours, and I can still get little wiffs of it. Not my most favorite scent, but it is still good. Stirling performance is great as always.
I gave the ohio farmer straight another round. I only did one pass. It was not very comfortable. It is cutting really well, but the blade feels harsh to me. I tried different angles and pressures. I am thinking about taking it back to a CrOx balsa strop to see if that makes a difference. There is a chance that I damaged the edge when stropping it at some point...
Since the first pass was not very comfortable, I did the second pass with the DE. The rest of the shave was nice and smooth. I attempted a XTG pass on my neck on with the DE again. Felt really good and have no irritation that I notice. I have a closer shave to show for it too!
I may work on my scales a little more this weekend too. For now though, I am going to kick back and enjoy this beautiful Saturday morning!
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- #304
Well, in a moment of weakness, I committed myself to a Wolf Whiskers brush. I just got on the list for one. It will be a while, since I am number 46, but I am not in a hurry. I already know the color and have it narrowed down to 2 or 3 different shapes. Now I just need to decide on a knot. I really like synthetic, so I will stick with that. I just don't know yet which one I want to go with. Good thing I have time to research.
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- #305
I have been working on these Bubinga scales all weekend. I was applying CA with a folded piece of paper to spread it and let it dry. I was getting a lot of pooling. I went to the flying field and flew some RC Heli's, went to lunch with my wife and kids, then we went to Menard's. I bought a pack of nitrile gloves and another couple packs of super glue.
When I got home, I did a trial with the nitrile glove with the back of a scale. It went really well, so I sanded the whole thing down to probably about 2 layers of CA and started over. I put about 8 more layers on the outside of the scales. I sanded it down with 500, then wet sanded with 1200. Buffed it with a dry cloth. Below is the result:
They actually have a nice satin finish. I think I could get more gloss with some polishing compound, but I don't know if I will go that far.
This week, I will redrill the holes, and try my hand an pinning this to one of my gold dollar razors.
Overall, it has been a great learning experience. I am not real happy with the shape and craftsmanship, but I think I could improve on a second set.
When I got home, I did a trial with the nitrile glove with the back of a scale. It went really well, so I sanded the whole thing down to probably about 2 layers of CA and started over. I put about 8 more layers on the outside of the scales. I sanded it down with 500, then wet sanded with 1200. Buffed it with a dry cloth. Below is the result:
They actually have a nice satin finish. I think I could get more gloss with some polishing compound, but I don't know if I will go that far.
This week, I will redrill the holes, and try my hand an pinning this to one of my gold dollar razors.
Overall, it has been a great learning experience. I am not real happy with the shape and craftsmanship, but I think I could improve on a second set.
You did a very nice job on those scales. Looking forward to seeing the pinned razor with those scales.
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Wow!!! I'm jealous of both the scales and the future ww brush!!
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- #308
Thanks Pete. I am pretty hard on myself. I wouldn't pay for scales that were shaped like this, but I didn't really
I enjoy learning, and this has provided plenty of opportunity for that!Thanks Brent. For a while, I was looking at the Wolf Whiskers waitlist ever day. Waiting for it to open. He changed the format, then I thought that I really didn't want to spend the money on one. My Maggard brush works just fine. My materialistic side finally got the better of me.
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- #309
Today's shave:
Razor: GD#3 and ATT M1 DE
Soap: Maggard's London Barbershop
Brush: Maggard 22mm synthetic
Blade: 7 O'Clock SS (5 Partial, 2 full)
Aftershave: Matching aftershave
I forgot to post on the last post that I actually shaved today! Pretty good 2 pass shave today with the straight. No nicks or drama.
I feel like my neck is coming along. I am finally getting more comfortable with the left hand on my neck. My upper lip feels pretty good. I still have a little dip under my chin that I don't shave very close yet. This is part of my cleanup with the DE. I have only nailed this area once with a straight. I think I need to put some extra focus on it for the next shave.
There was a little bit of burn on my upper lip and a small area on my neck. Nothing extreme or out of the ordinary for me! Happy Monday, everyone!
Razor: GD#3 and ATT M1 DE
Soap: Maggard's London Barbershop
Brush: Maggard 22mm synthetic
Blade: 7 O'Clock SS (5 Partial, 2 full)
Aftershave: Matching aftershave
I forgot to post on the last post that I actually shaved today!
Pretty good 2 pass shave today with the straight. No nicks or drama. I feel like my neck is coming along. I am finally getting more comfortable with the left hand on my neck. My upper lip feels pretty good. I still have a little dip under my chin that I don't shave very close yet. This is part of my cleanup with the DE. I have only nailed this area once with a straight. I think I need to put some extra focus on it for the next shave.
There was a little bit of burn on my upper lip and a small area on my neck. Nothing extreme or out of the ordinary for me! Happy Monday, everyone!
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- #310
I am really looking forward to the brush. He does beautiful work! You have a nice week too!
I took my razor scales and assembled them to my GD#3 razor. More learning was had here... I had the head of my pin mushroomed, then it started to split around the edges. I think I cut them too long and was trying to flatten them too much, or I just wasn't doing a good enough job moving material out from the center, if that is possible. I had to redo the hinge pin.
My pin on the wedge end was not close enough to the end, and I probably sanded too much of an angle into the wedge. There is a gap at the end of the scales. I don't like this...
The razor is unevenly ground on the tang, and is way too thick. It narrows up back at the hinge point. This causes the scales to bow out when I push the razor down into the scales. The uneven grind pushes the razor to one side...
Overall, from the side view it looks nice. If you take a hold of it and look at it, it definitely looks like a hack job. Not bad for my first try, but I only see the imperfections. I believe I have come to the conclusion that, if I want a really good looking razor, I will buy one from a professional!
I may try my hand at another set of scales with the Wenge wood. After that, I think I will leave it to the pros. Hat's off to those that can take one of these and make them look pretty!Here is a pic:
It is hard took look at your own work and not see the flaws, but it looks very good from the pic in your post. It is your first attempt and you learned from it - which will help you in any future attempts. The first flyrod, flies, brush, honing job did not turn out great, but I took things from it, modified some things and the next was better.
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Oh man, that looks wonderful! Keep at it!
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- #313
Thanks! I didn't show the bad areas in the photo. That is why there is only one photo
I do believe a second one would be much better.I started thinking more last night. If I used a better quality blade, I believe some of the issues I had would not be there. I think this is good practice for restoring old razors.
Thank you!
As I was sitting around last night, I was wishing I had more razors to sharpen... I have 3 gold dollars that I need a bevel set and sharpened. I was going to try to modify some of them, but I don't really want to now. I will probably just sharpen them up and use them. I would still like to give one to my brother-in-law to see what he thinks of it.
The scales look great for a first attempt! You should see my first try at scales. I never put them on a razor lol.
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- #315
Thanks Eric! I actually thought about abandoning these a couple times, but they turned out ok. I will probably still make some out of the Wenge that I have. Hopefully they will go a bit better.
Today's shave:
Razor: ATT M1 DE
Soap: Mama Bear's Aromatic Pipe
Brush: Maggard 22mm synthetic
Blade: 7 O'Clock SS (5 Partial, 3 full)
Aftershave: Thayer's unscented WH
It was a quickie shave today. The twins had to get up early for band practice at school, so I couldn't spend much time in the bathroom. Add to that the fact that I really didn't want to get out of bed. The nights have been cool, which has given me some good sleeping nights!
I did my normal 2 pass with a cleanup on my chin. Since I was in a bit of a hurry, it isn't quite as thorough as I would normally do. There are a couple spots that could be closer, but, overall, it is a nice DFS shave.
The next couple days will be pretty busy at work
Can't wait for the weekend.- Thread starter
- #316
Today's shave:
Razor: GD #3 and ATT M1 DE
Soap: BW Davy Jones
Brush: Maggard 22mm synthetic
Blade: 7 O'Clock SS (6 Partial, 3 full)
Aftershave: Thayer's unscented WH
Today's shave was not as comfortable... Either the blade needs a little touch-up, or my lather was insufficient. I really believe it was my lather. After I face lathered, I swiped a finger on my face and it felt a little dry. I thought it would be OK, so I proceeded. I think that was a mistake. The razor just felt harsh on my face.
Aside from the harshness, it all went pretty well. I did 2 passes. There was one little superficial slice on my upper lip. Other than that, no blood was drawn! After inspection, there was very little cleanup needed.
I will give the razor one more go before I take it back to the stones, just to make sure it wasn't my lather.
Happy Friday!
Razor: GD #3 and ATT M1 DE
Soap: BW Davy Jones
Brush: Maggard 22mm synthetic
Blade: 7 O'Clock SS (6 Partial, 3 full)
Aftershave: Thayer's unscented WH
Today's shave was not as comfortable... Either the blade needs a little touch-up, or my lather was insufficient. I really believe it was my lather. After I face lathered, I swiped a finger on my face and it felt a little dry. I thought it would be OK, so I proceeded. I think that was a mistake. The razor just felt harsh on my face.
Aside from the harshness, it all went pretty well. I did 2 passes. There was one little superficial slice on my upper lip. Other than that, no blood was drawn! After inspection, there was very little cleanup needed.
I will give the razor one more go before I take it back to the stones, just to make sure it wasn't my lather. Happy Friday!
I've had the same thing happen with lather that is on the dry side. Lack of slickness is bad news for a straight razor shave lol.
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- #318
Well, I didn't give it another go... I got to thinking about things. I am sure I bumped the blade a bit when I was putting the scales on it. I figured there was some damage done, even if it was minor. In reality, I was really itching to hone a blade again.
I busted out the stones and got to work. I planned on honing both the GD#3 and the Ohio Farmer Straight that was rough.
For the GD#3, I was planning on going back to the DMT 8k. I set the stone up and did a half dozen passes. It was about then that I realized I was working on the DMT 1200. Doh!
Well, I guess I was going to reset the bevel Since it was pretty good already, I didn't have that many passes on the 1200. It felt pretty good to the touch using the TPT. It was cutting hairs on my leg, so I went through the rest of the stones. I worked it through the DMT 8k, 12k Chinese stone, and the CrOx balsa strop. I hit it on the linen and the leather strop. After that, I waved it over the hairs on my shin. I got a little closer than planned and had a big clump of hair to show for it. There was absolutely no tugging. Based on this, I believe this to be my sharpest job yet.I was a little more careful with the Ohio Farmer straight. I put a piece of tape on the spine and worked it for a while on the Chinese 12k. I then worked it on the CrOx Balsa and linen/leather strop. Tested on my leg hairs, not as sharp as the gold dollar, but much better than it was.
If I keep this up, my legs will be as smooth as my wife's!
Today's shave:
Razor: GD #3 and Ohio Farmer
Soap: Stirling Spice
Brush: Maggard 22mm synthetic
Blade: 7 O'Clock SS (6 Partial, 3 full)
Aftershave: Matching Aftershave
Since I honed up both of these razors yesterday, I really wanted to try both of them today. I started off with the Ohio Farmer on the RH side of my face. It was much more comfortable and seemed to cut pretty well. I don't think it is as sharp as it could be, but much better than it was. It provided a nice comfortable 1st pass on the right side.
I picked up the GD for the LH side of my face. Based on my trial on my leg hair, it should have been quite a bit sharper than the Ohio Farmer. It did not disappoint! I used almost zero pressure, and it shaved cleanly and comfortably. It is shaving very well.
I used the GD#3 exclusively on the second pass. The little slice on my top lip from the previous shave was a little sensitive, but it was an otherwise comfortable second pass. I had a pretty close and thorough shave on my neck. There was a little cleanup needed on my chin and one small spot near the right corner of my mouth. I did the cleanup with the straight. No DE today.
All in all, DFS shave all over except the corners of my mustache area and a couple rounded spots on the front of my chin. These areas continually give me issue. It took me a while to get them with the DE, so I expect the same challenge with the straight.
I am very happy with my progress in both shaving and honing. I can honestly say it is more than luck now. I am confident that I can get a good edge on a razor.
One other observation... I really enjoy using a heavier straight. The Ohio Farmer straight is very light. It works well, but I feel better with the weight of the Gold Dollar in my hand. Maybe it is just what I am used to using, I don't know. I just know that it feels better.
- Thread starter
- #319
Nice job honing, you'll never have another dull shave!
It is funny how our preference form. I prefer small and light because they feel better in my arthritic hand than a bigger and heaver blade. Isn't it about time you signed up for the Razor Box Passaround?
Thanks Dan! Perhaps it is time to sign up for the Passaround. I will check it out!
Today's shave:
Razor: GD #3 and ATT M1 for cleanup
Soap: CF Ghost Town Barber
Brush: Maggard 22mm synthetic
Blade: 7 O'Clock SS (7 Partial, 3 full)
Aftershave: Matching Aftershave
I had a pretty good 2 pass shave this morning. The gold dollar is still cutting well. The first pass was very comfortable. On my neck, I paid special attention to the blade angle. I laid the blade flat and lifted the spine accordingly. It felt very comfortable. After 2 WTG passes on my neck, it is a close shave.
I still struggle with my chin, hence the cleanup with the DE. On my next straight razor shave, I am going to go be very methodical in this area. I have a couple spots that are just driving me crazy!
A little buffing with the DE takes care of it though I had 2 little weepers that closed up after the first pass. One on the edge of my bottom lip and the other on my neck.
All in all, a pretty good shave and a solid DFS by my standards. Oh, and I smell really good!
Off to work for another fun filled day!
Great shaves and reads, and excellent work on the honing! I'm keeping my goatee area clean shaven for the first time in years as well, and after the first bad irritation day, have been doing the final clean up there with a Gillette Tech that was PIFed to me.
