Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
But then she won't have a reason to visit him ?
The Shaving Cadre
Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun
Strop Dragging My Journal Around...
- Thread starter Strop Dragging
- Start date
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
That seems positively perverse to me, Eric... ?
That is such a lovely offer! I would happily take you up on it!
HAHAHA!
Excellent!
Shave #215
A lather disappointing shave...
Razor - Kikuboshi
Brush - Stirling boar
Soap - Stirling Barbershop
After - same
Well, with the soap mail call of a few days ago, I decided to do some thinking about my lathering. As with all aspects of this crazy practice of traditional shaving, lathering is always something that I have a hunch I am not really doing as well as I could be. I was watching some videos on youtube when I came across a really detailed one about specifically lathering Stirling soaps! It just felt like I was destined to find this one...
The guy in the video used the dry method (squeezing out his soaked boar brush) and proceeded to palm lather, explaining what was happening with the soap along the way - how the paste was becoming lather through slowly adding water and air... Now, he was taking his time, as he was being very descriptive as he went along...but he took about 20 minutes to create the lather he wanted! This seemed super long to me...but boy did that lather look good!
I was excited and determined to replicate it, albeit in my mug, and to have the perfect cushiony, slick lather. I reckon I built it for about half that time, trying to integrate little bits of water as I went along...
I ended up with some of the worst, thinnest, airiest lather I've ever had. ARGH!!!!!!
Why? Why?! Why?!!!?
Who knows. I screwed it up somehow, that's for sure.
I ended up just going back to the puck and essentially face lathering...which was fine, but not the perfection I was so excited to experience. Frustrating.
For this shave I stropped up a few razors, and did a HHT back to back with them, settling on the wonderful Kikuboshi. I love this piece of Swedish steel.
But the resulting shave was only so-so. I had really hoped it would be one of those shaves. Alas, my inconsistency remains consistent.
Oh, and in my stropping a few blades to check them, I also gave my Palmer a few water only laps on my JNAT. It is a synth honed edge, and I wanted to see if I can "mellow" it a tiny bit. I didn't shave with it this time, so I can't report on that...but I did crack a chunk off my JNAT while lapping it. Yep...one of those days.
Ah well... I smelled good, anyway.
Onward and shaveward....
A lather disappointing shave...
Razor - Kikuboshi
Brush - Stirling boar
Soap - Stirling Barbershop
After - same
Well, with the soap mail call of a few days ago, I decided to do some thinking about my lathering. As with all aspects of this crazy practice of traditional shaving, lathering is always something that I have a hunch I am not really doing as well as I could be. I was watching some videos on youtube when I came across a really detailed one about specifically lathering Stirling soaps! It just felt like I was destined to find this one...
The guy in the video used the dry method (squeezing out his soaked boar brush) and proceeded to palm lather, explaining what was happening with the soap along the way - how the paste was becoming lather through slowly adding water and air... Now, he was taking his time, as he was being very descriptive as he went along...but he took about 20 minutes to create the lather he wanted! This seemed super long to me...but boy did that lather look good!
I was excited and determined to replicate it, albeit in my mug, and to have the perfect cushiony, slick lather. I reckon I built it for about half that time, trying to integrate little bits of water as I went along...
I ended up with some of the worst, thinnest, airiest lather I've ever had. ARGH!!!!!!
Why? Why?! Why?!!!?
Who knows. I screwed it up somehow, that's for sure.
I ended up just going back to the puck and essentially face lathering...which was fine, but not the perfection I was so excited to experience. Frustrating.
For this shave I stropped up a few razors, and did a HHT back to back with them, settling on the wonderful Kikuboshi. I love this piece of Swedish steel.
But the resulting shave was only so-so. I had really hoped it would be one of those shaves. Alas, my inconsistency remains consistent.
Oh, and in my stropping a few blades to check them, I also gave my Palmer a few water only laps on my JNAT. It is a synth honed edge, and I wanted to see if I can "mellow" it a tiny bit. I didn't shave with it this time, so I can't report on that...but I did crack a chunk off my JNAT while lapping it. Yep...one of those days.
Ah well... I smelled good, anyway.
Onward and shaveward....
Thanks, Chris!
I think you might be right, Dave...I was feeling a fear that I would add too much water...but I think I didn't stick with it to get it to that next step...
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
I hate days like that but fortunately they're followed by better days. The Kikuboshi is a good looking shaver
Shave #216
Stirling shadow shave....
Razor - ERN Crown & Sword
Brush - Stirling boar
Soap - Stirling Bay Rum
After - Stirling Bay Rum balm
Well, 216 followed in the footsteps of 215... in that I could NOT get a good lather from the Stirling - this time the Bay Rum.
Heeding the advice of wise Cadre members, I made my best attempt to continue adding water (slowly, taking my time to integrate it before adding more....), feeding the thirsty beast. I recon I built lather that way for almost 15 minutes. All it felt like was I adding AIR to it, and again I hit the point where it felt like a lost cause - fluffy and airy and neither slick nor cushiony.
Also, as you can see, filled with little bubbles. Bubbles, to my understanding, indicate that there is too much water...so what gives?! How can there be too much and not enough at the same time? Did I pass the "perfect" mark and not know it? It did seem in a better place probably at the 5 minute mark, but I pushed on, thinking I could get it somewhere super.
As you can see, totally useless - thin and airy. In the end, I just went back to the puck and essentially face lathered, and it is not an exaggeration to say it was exponentially better than the lather I had made in my mug. The mystery continues.
All that moaning out of the way... this was a pretty stellar shave! I love the ERN razor, one of my good honing jobs that gives me a consistently good result! I love the round tip...and what a thin grind it is. Such a singer!
After 3 passes I was left with a very smooth face... although I did pay for a less than ideal lather (I think) with a few weepers. I wasn't so bothered by that, left as I was with such a successful shave and...interesting scent. The jury is out for me on my first real Bay Rum shave - I like it while I'm shaving, but I'm not so sure about it lingering. (Although, the balm doesn't stick around that long, so maybe that's moot for now...)
So, more to learn, as ever, about lathering. And a nice reminder of a well (self) honed blade. Thank you, 216.
Onward and shaveward...
Stirling shadow shave....
Razor - ERN Crown & Sword
Brush - Stirling boar
Soap - Stirling Bay Rum
After - Stirling Bay Rum balm
Well, 216 followed in the footsteps of 215... in that I could NOT get a good lather from the Stirling - this time the Bay Rum.
Heeding the advice of wise Cadre members, I made my best attempt to continue adding water (slowly, taking my time to integrate it before adding more....), feeding the thirsty beast. I recon I built lather that way for almost 15 minutes. All it felt like was I adding AIR to it, and again I hit the point where it felt like a lost cause - fluffy and airy and neither slick nor cushiony.
Also, as you can see, filled with little bubbles. Bubbles, to my understanding, indicate that there is too much water...so what gives?! How can there be too much and not enough at the same time? Did I pass the "perfect" mark and not know it? It did seem in a better place probably at the 5 minute mark, but I pushed on, thinking I could get it somewhere super.
As you can see, totally useless - thin and airy. In the end, I just went back to the puck and essentially face lathered, and it is not an exaggeration to say it was exponentially better than the lather I had made in my mug. The mystery continues.
All that moaning out of the way... this was a pretty stellar shave! I love the ERN razor, one of my good honing jobs that gives me a consistently good result! I love the round tip...and what a thin grind it is. Such a singer!
After 3 passes I was left with a very smooth face... although I did pay for a less than ideal lather (I think) with a few weepers. I wasn't so bothered by that, left as I was with such a successful shave and...interesting scent. The jury is out for me on my first real Bay Rum shave - I like it while I'm shaving, but I'm not so sure about it lingering. (Although, the balm doesn't stick around that long, so maybe that's moot for now...)
So, more to learn, as ever, about lathering. And a nice reminder of a well (self) honed blade. Thank you, 216.
Onward and shaveward...
Mystery, intrigue, drama...all in one shave! Sorry about the lather. I'm not a big fan of Stirling myself. It's good, but not as good as I think everyone makes it out to be. That being said, I think it is a better soap than you experienced.
I use the SV method as well but I can’t get Stirling to lather worth squat with a boar brush. It seems that the boar adds water way differently than synthetic or badger brushes.