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An Unexpected Journey: A Newbie's Walk In Wet Shaving

Saturday I had an important project to get done before I get my surgery so it was a quick shave morning. Now before you start thinking I grabbed for the cart or opted for a shower shave, think again, I wanted to see if I could beat the odds of having a truly crappy shave after a really super shave.

Today's Shave: Shave #138

Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle / Chinese knock-off of Feather Kamisori Style
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Eric's Lignum Vitae Hand Turned Brush Handle, 22 mm Boss Knot
Soap: Mystic Water Lavender Lime
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower . Rub raw soap on face from the puck.
Total Razor on Face Time: 7 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. WSP Black Vanille AS Balm to the face only. Splashed the mammoth hair with Master Bay Rum AS.

Believe it or not, this was my 6th shave with this blade! I wanted to see how quickly I could shave but not get a cut and not push the blade because of its high mileage. Ha! got a great shave in the DFS department at least. It truly felt great. Something clicked and boy am I glad. I'm leaving the razor set at 3.5 for all passes and that's really working out great. Maybe I've actually learned something!

On the personal side of things I bought a blacksmith tool called a swage (pronounced swedge) block (see picture below). This is a small one by swage block standards, but it's 11 inches x 11 inches and 2 inches thick of A36 steel. It's like the swiss army knives of blacksmiths, and antique ones / modern made ones start out at $300 and go up from there. Antique swage blocks start out at about $500 and go up from there. It's an investment I just couldn't swing until I found this guy on Etsy that makes them for about $100. So....this is a heavy piece of equipment and really needs a stand. The stand has to support it flat and sitting on its side. Hmmmm, not being an expert carpenter I looked at a few stands other guys built and didn't like any of them so I just got started and made it up as I went along. It's perhaps overbuilt, but turned out much better than I expected. So now I wait for the thing to arrive by mail and hope the heck it really is 11 x 11.
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Today's Shave: Shave #138

Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle / Chinese knock-off of Feather Kamisori Style
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Eric's Lignum Vitae Hand Turned Brush Handle, 22 mm Boss Knot
Soap: WSP Black Vanille
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower . Rub raw soap on face from the puck.
Total Razor on Face Time: 9 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. WSP Black Vanille AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth painting.

So, will the crappy shave hit me this morning? Well, I put a new blade in to ward off any plans it might have had of getting me. I did a 3 pass shave this morning with a clean-up pass. Man, another super great shave! BBS / BBS+ all over. Something has definitely clicked.
 
So are you doing some passes with the kamasori and finishing with the variant?
 
Spider said:
Funny looking Swiss Army Knife! What does it do?
Click to expand...

Great question KJ. The holes through the middle allow you to drift holes in hot metal for things like axe heads or similar needs. The shapes on the sides allow you to take a particular size stock and make it conform to that size. You may also use the different shapes to bend metal into that shape for a particular need on a project. Blacksmithing is all about forging that hot metal into whatever shape you need and these things really come in handy.

GearNoir said:
It’s an adult shape sorter!
/QUOTE]

😂😂

NurseDave said:
So are you doing some passes with the kamasori and finishing with the variant?
Click to expand...

I only use the kamasori on the top lip pretty much, the rest is done with the Variant.
Click to expand...
 
Today I had another pre-op appointment round, but I got in a great shave anyways.

Today's Shave: Shave #139

Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle / Chinese knock-off of Feather Kamisori Style
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Eric's Lignum Vitae Hand Turned Brush Handle, 22 mm Boss Knot
Soap: Mystic Water Lavender Lime
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower . Rub raw soap on face from the puck.
Total Razor on Face Time: 9 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Every Man Jack AS Balm to the face only. Splash of Master Bay Rum AS on the mammoth fur.

I'd say it's official, I'm really liking this routine for my morning shaves. All 3 passes were great. Another BBS shave that felt great. The Kamisori is still working great for the top lip, especially around the nose. One thing I'm doing more and more too is that I'm really working the lather into my face on passes 1 & 2. Perhaps this is helping coat the beard growth better and make for a smoother and slicker shave. Honestly, I've changed so much I'm not sure if it's one or two things are the whole combo. I'll keep it up for sure.

On the personal side, my swage block arrived today and I was anxious to see if my block stand fit correctly. Normally, you'd build the stand to the thing it's holding but I had the specs for it and the free time on Saturday so I took a gamble. It paid off, and the stand fits perfectly. I plan on painting all the 2x4 pieces ultra flat black and then using amber shellac on the the 2 x 6 pieces to give it a good look. I'll probably age the pieces I'll shellac so the stand looks like it could be older. All the lumber I used was scrap lumber I got for free. Two of the pieces I picked up on the side of the highway. I only have $10 invested in the screws. I also made a special order pot for a customer. Here's some pictures because I know you all like to see pictures.

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Well, I would still have no clue how to use that thing, but glad it all worked out.
 
CBLindsay said:
Cool stuff. That hunk of steel looks heavy, I’ll bet the mailman loved delivering that one.
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My mail man doesn't like us for sure. I'm always having flint and heavy stuff delivered along with constant packages of internet orders and such. Luckily, it was not him yesterday but the substitute. I'd say it weights about 60 lbs.

NurseDave said:
Well, I would still have no clue how to use that thing, but glad it all worked out.
Click to expand...

When you make an axe, you can either fold the piece of steel back onto its self creating an eye or you can slit and punch a hole in in thicker piece of steel. Either way you'd need to enlarge the hole where the axe handle goes and we'd use a long steel tool called a drift that is in the shape of the axe handle to make it the shape you need. The holes in the swage block allow you to use larger drifts to do that work. There's a million other uses for it, but that's a great one and worth having the block for.
 
Great morning for a shave eh? I imagine that's what they say in Canada 😁

Today's Shave: Shave #140

Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle / Chinese knock-off of Feather Kamisori Style
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Eric's Lignum Vitae Hand Turned Brush Handle, 22 mm Boss Knot
Soap: Aces & Eights
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower . Rub raw soap on face from the puck.
Total Razor on Face Time: 10 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Every Man Jack AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting.

Another great 3 pass shave this morning. I've kept everything the same including the 3.5 razor setting. I cut my clean-up short because I could feel a few areas wanting to get irritated but not quite there so keeping the clean-up minimal saved the shave.

I'd like to take a moment to summarize the changes I've made recently that have made a huge break-through for me for the sake of new wet shavers that might benefit:

Attitude: I've settled into a calmness while shaving. Up until that point it always seemed like a stressful performance based activity that either brought joy from a good shave or disappointment after a bad shave. Now I just relax and let the shave flow accepting the end results before even starting the shave. I hate to use the word zen, but there is almost a state of complete peace that I look for now when shaving. When relaxed, I get a better shave for some reason.

Pre-Shave: I now take whatever soap I'm shaving with and wet my fingers and apply a little of the raw soap to my face before lathering up. My face is all nice and slick to start with. This is not something new as others do this with William's mug soap and soap sticks, etc.

Shave Passes: I now smoothly pass the razor in the direction of that particular pass and don't do any clean-up along the way. I accept what beard removal happens on that pass knowing that wet shaving is a reduction process. Each pass removes a little more to get you smoother. I used to believe that each pass had to get me as close as possible thinking that if on pass one it felt pretty smooth that by pass three I'd be super smooth. I know believe this was wrong thinking and causing most of my irritation. Because I was trying so hard, I'm sure I was applying more pressure and going over areas multiple times within the same pass. Doing this probably meant some areas were receiving blade contact 5 or 6 times in one shaving session.

Variable Razor: Purchasing the Parker Variant really moved me into another level. I can now control the agressiveness of the razor depending on my needs and ability. I do believe a true master at wet shaving can use any razor & blade and get a great shave, but for those of us beginning, it's a great help to have that adjustment ability. Starting out, a 1.5 or 2.0 setting is equivalent to a cartridge as far as closeness (or at least that's my experience).

Razor Setting: Considering the above, I discovered for me that a constant setting throughout the shave passes works better. I used to shift the setting up and down most often down as the passes increased in number. I think this was causing irritation. Perhaps to cut "better" I was applying more pressure with the lower setting in hopes of a closer shave. Now, I realize the reduction process detailed above and let the razor do the work on the same setting.

Brush Exfoliation: This is a new one for me. Brushes always felt like they were irritating my face when I tried to really work in the lathers like I see guys doing here. In part, the brushes were irritating the damage I had done shaving the day before by the other mistakes I was making. With those mistakes corrected mostly, it now feels great to work in the lather. I only do this on pass one and two, but I think it does do something good that has helped my shaves tremendously. I've read that this process can release lubricating oils from your hair follicles and this may be what is happening, but I think there may be more. One other possibility is that I'm finishing my lather on my face and getting a better lather (face lathering). The other possibility is that I'm actually really coating my beard growth and face more completely with the slick soap therefore limiting previous blade to skin contact which can cause the irritation and uncomfortable post shave feeling.

I don't want this post to come off like I know it all or have figured out the wet shaving universe, because I don't feel I know that much or have it all figured out. I think I've just passed through a check point in wet shaving and bumped up a level which I think might be a benefit to those struggling with the kinds of shaves and experiences I was. If one thing I mentioned helps someone, I'll be happy.
 
Nice! It's very satisfying when you notice the improvements you're making. Makes all the struggles and persistence worthwhile.
 
NurseDave said:
Nice! It's very satisfying when you notice the improvements you're making. Makes all the struggles and persistence worthwhile.
Click to expand...

It sure does. I wonder how many guys quit the whole wet shaving thing because of how hard it can be to get a handle on it? I've been at it only 7 months, but I think it takes a good year to learn the ropes. I doubt I'd be here now without TSC!

GearNoir said:
Good summary of lesson learned Mike!
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Thanks Chris!
 
Sounds like you’re really figuring out what works for you Mike. I’ve been traditional wet shaving for a little over a year now, by no means an expert and very much still learning myself, and it took me a very long time to get to where you’re at. I probably suffered through about 10-11 months of 5 bad shaves out of every 7 lol. Glad you were able to get there too, and I agree, I couldn't have done it without The Cadre either!
 
SteveChuckFrank said:
Sounds like you’re really figuring out what works for you Mike. I’ve been traditional wet shaving for a little over a year now, by no means an expert and very much still learning myself, and it took me a very long time to get to where you’re at. I probably suffered through about 10-11 months of 5 bad shaves out of every 7 lol. Glad you were able to get there too, and I agree, I couldn't have done it without The Cadre either!
Click to expand...

At one point the thought crossed my mind to just give up the whole thing, but Shawn had PIF'd me so much good stuff I really wanted to see it through and not give up on it. I then saw it as a new challenge and you can see that reflected in my journal. I've tried a lot of different methods and things to finally settle here where I'm getting great shaves. It's funny because now I note irritation and it's nothing like what I was getting early on. I'd come to work looking like I have windburn or something. It seems to me the overreaching principle is to not quit and be determined to master wet shaving or die a red-faced having given it a full effort :)
 
If was a balmy 13 degrees at my house this morning. Great morning to shave outside if you are a cold water shaver :LOL: I had another really good quality shave this morning and that gets my day off to a great start.

Today's Shave: Shave #141

Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle / Chinese knock-off of Feather Kamisori Style (Top Lip Only)
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Eric's Lignum Vitae Hand Turned Brush Handle, 22 mm Boss Knot
Soap: WSP Black Vanille
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower . Rub raw soap on face from the puck.
Total Razor on Face Time: 8 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Every Man Jack AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting.

I must say that it was nice to get back into the Black Vanille. It's a really great quality soap when compared to the Aces & Eights I used yesterday. I could tell the Black Vanille was a notch up in performance. I got a great lather, but had to dip in for more product which isn't a bad thing. I had a great 3 pass shave again this morning. I had a little irritation on the right cheek for some reason so I went easy over there. I had the Variant on 3.5 for all 3 passes. I did try to do some clean-up on 3.5 just to see if it worked well, but it felt a little too aggressive for blade buffing so I shifted it back down to 1.8 or so. My thought was that blade buffing on the higher setting would get things closer but I didn't see that happening with the exception of my neck. I think at some point it would become a 4th pass and I really don't want to do that.

On the personal side of things, just over a week until the hip replacement. My doc tells me I will be able to wet shave the morning of the surgery which surprised me. I didn't explain mammoth painting, but safe to say I won't be doing that the day of the surgery. I'm actually thinking about shaving the night before and then maybe a quick 1 pass shave in the morning to touch it up. I'm sure it will be 3 days or more until I can get a good shave in and I'm sure shaving will be the last thing on my mind after waking up from the hip replacement. One this is for sure, I've been poked, prodded and all that is left is an EKG which I'm doing tomorrow. I'm told I'm about the 2nd or 3rd that morning and will be into surgery by 9 am and in recovery before 10 am. I should be in my room by 11 am. I'm just trying to knock-out any man related stuff around the house before I go. I'm debating changing the winter tires to the summer ones, but it's always a risk this time of year here in NY. I hate to pay someone to remove lug nuts and put tires on.
 
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