My Old-Timey Shaving Odyssey

[Gin&Tonics]

So recently I got sick and tired of the horrendously crappy shaves my Phillips electric shaver gives. I basically started using it because I had mediocre experiences with the crappy edge shave gels and modern multi-blade razors, and because at the time I first got it, I was heavily involved in the army reserve and shaving in the field is far simpler and faster with an electric razor. I saw a post on ArtofManliness.com touting the merits of shaving like grandpa using an old fashioned safety razor, shave soap and a brush.

Well this post got me thinking; I had my grandfather's old safety razor tucked away in the cedar chest! I decided now was the time to revolutionize my shaving experience. Encouraged by ArtofManliness, I picked up a copy of The Art of Shaving from the library and read through it. Even more stoked than before, I dug out grandpa's old razor today. Here is what I found:

This is the lid of the case it comes in. I believe it's made of brass judging by the horrendous degree of tarnishing evident on the outside, but then who knows, maybe under all that grime it's really sterling silver!

This is the underside of the case. It shows patent information from various countries, including a mention that this model was patented in Canada in 1905! This is a legit old school shave.

Ewwwwwww. Kinda gross huh? Well, considering this thing has been tucked away for at least 50 years and may not have been cleaned properly before it was put away for the last time, it's to be expected. It's some kind of stiff velvety material. If anyone knows how to clean this without destroying it, please let me know!

The inside of the razor. It's actually not quite as bad as this photo makes it look. The handle is relatively pristine, as are the upper sides of these pieces; all the filth and corruption is underneath here and it looks like a little cleaner and elbow grease will get rid of it fairly easily.

Finally the whole shebang. Following the advice gleaned from Art of Shaving as well as a local barber, I've assembled everything I should need for a vintage shave. For now, for the sake of economy and speed I've purhcased an inexpensive boar brush and basically the only shaving soap available in my town, but if this whole thing works out for me, I'll invest in a really nice badger brush later on and try different soaps.

And so the adventure begins. Watch this thread for updates on my foray into the vintage shaving world!

 

[DeaconKC]

GT, great find on your Grandfather's razor. That is a Gillette tech, a wonderful smooth shaver. A boar brush is a good way to start, but you will want to try to find some better soap [I personally hate Williams].

 

[tealseal]

So, how'd it go??
Like so many products, what works best for others might not work for you and vice-versa. I had always heard that a badger brush was the way to have a proper shave, but in practice, the thickness of my stubble requires the stiffness of the boar brush, so I invested in a quality boar bristle brush instead.
Now that you're doing a proper wet shave, you'll quickly learn that it's can be as much a money pit as hats are
You're going to want to try different soaps, creams, razors (I love my Merkur adjustable) and especially ESPECIALLY different blades to find the best combination for your skin/beard. Not to mention varying your pre- and post-shave routines! For blades, I can't recommend enough those "sample" packs you can find online from places like classicshaving.com. This gives you 25-100 blades for you to try out: different manufacturers, etc., to really nail it down. Remember, though, that the behaviour of the blade changes based on everything else you do for the shave!
One thing you're missing that I strongly recommend is an alum block. The styptic pen is good for quickly sealing/disinfecting localized cuts, and is essential. However, I use an alum block as an all-over disinfectant/astringent. It helps seal off all the microscopic cuts that your shave caused to your face that don't have blood evidence. Use it on your wet face after a cold-water rinse, wait a short time, then rinse again with cold water; dab-dry, moisturize, and voila! The stinging will tell you where your technique was a bit sloppy too
Your starting kit is exactly the same as mine was. Shave oil is absolutely brilliant.

Welcome aboard.

 

[Feraud]

Once a man tries a real razor I doubt he'd ever go back to those pathetic multi-blade con jobs.
There is so much information available regarding blades, soaps, aftershaves, etc.
It might take a shave or two for you to get used to the new shaver. Let us know how it goes.

 

[DesertDan]

Good for you G&T, nothing beats a classic wet shave!

 

[Shangas]

Hey GT,

I meant to post here ages ago...

Congratulations with the razor and the box. Once they've been cleaned up (especially the razor!), they'll be wonderful to use. Take it slow and easy and post lots of questions.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Hey thanks for all the words of encouragement, gentlemen I worked on de-scumming the razor today. Here's how it looks after several baths in baking soda and boiling water from the kettle, as well as a vigorous polish with an electric toothbrush and some toothpaste:

Will post more as I progress.

 

[Shangas]

Hey thanks for all the words of encouragement, gentlemen I worked on de-scumming the razor today. Here's how it looks after several baths in baking soda and boiling water from the kettle, as well as a vigorous polish with an electric toothbrush and some toothpaste:

Will post more as I progress.

I'd say that it's a significant improvement!

 

[Gin&Tonics]

I would definitely say so I'm thinking I'm going to try a bit of metal polish to try and get the last few bits of stubborn grime/corrosion off there, and then I'll probably take it to the jewelers and have them clean it in the ultrasonic cleaner. It should be bright and shiny by the time it's all done.

 

[Feraud]

The razor is shaping up nicely. Check out Badger & Blade for more than enough shaving discussion.

 

[DesertDan]

B&B is a great site.
I would suggest you go ahead and start with the soap and brush. Even using a typical disposable razor you should notice an improved shave. Before I began purchasing quality shavesoap I used Pears facial soap and had good success with that.

 

[William Stratford]

Rather nice find there G&T! I too recently took up grown-up shaving after years of 15 blade sonic ultra extreme (or whatever they are called now) and the difference is phenomenal! I now would not be parted from my Merkur.

 

[H.Herdick]

It is a good razor, sir. Some European thinks, I do too, it is a 'soft' razor. But nevertheless a great razor. B&B is a good site. In Germany, Gut rasiert forum, there are a lot of people who like the Mach3 or so.

Vintage means for me: at that age they found the optimum for shaving for instance. I shave myself with a straight razor, but started with a DE razor, that I still use and admire. This plastic stuff is not suiteble for my skin. I like a hat, because it is very practical against the sun and the rain and it looks good as well. Shavingsoap and shavingcream is the optimum, like in the old days.

Enjoy your shaving (I like it a lot and it wakes me up in the morning) and find out, what is the best for you. Oh well, and this really different kind of smells of soap and after-shave. It is really a wide erea to explore.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Had my first vintage shave today; overall, it was a success.

I was surprised to find that the blade didn't stick out as far as I imagined it would. I can see why they called it the "safety razor" in comparison to an old straight razor. I used the Wilkinson Sword blade first. I found that the overall experience was very enjoyable, and it really didn't take a huge amount of time despite my inexperience.

I began with a hot towel application to the face, followed by a vigorous rubbing with 7 drops of pre-shaving oil. I lathered up the Williams soap in my mug and found the lather wasn't quite as billowy as I expected. It may be my cheapy boar brush, or maybe bad technique, or maybe my mug is too small, I donno. It was good enough though, so I swirled it on with the brush and went to work.

I started by shaving with the grain as advised by Art of Shaving and got a couple of little minor nicks. I chalk this up to my inexperience with the razor and my slightly jittery fingers due to excitement and the two cups of coffee I had this morning. I'm glad I bought that styptic pencil! After finishing with the grain, I wanted a closer shave so I re-lathered and shaved against the grain. The razor made a satisfying sound as it chopped all those little stubby hairs, and I don't think I added any new nicks to my total. I finished off by washed the excess lather off and applying styptic to the little nicks, then a splash of cold water to finish the shave.

All in all it seemed to do a fine job and gave a much closer shave than my crappy electric. Plus it was a real treat to shave with my grandfather's old razor after bringing it back from the dead so to speak. We'll see what the missus thinks of it when she wakes up!

 

[Shangas]

When you're proficient with that, you can graduate to this:

 

[DeaconKC]

Don't expect great lather with William's soap. Congrats on starting out so well. Walmart here in the US carries some soap called Van der Hagen that has given me much better lather. Also, if you can find some Proraso shave cream in the tube, it is excellent stuff. Also, a boar brush can really give a very nice face lather as well. My first decent brush was an Omega boar brush and still is in use as my travel brush.

 

[Kirk H.]

I second the Van der Hagen. I get a real close shave with that.

 

[Feraud]

I began with a hot towel application to the face, followed by a vigorous rubbing with 7 drops of pre-shaving oil. I lathered up the Williams soap in my mug and found the lather wasn't quite as billowy as I expected. It may be my cheapy boar brush, or maybe bad technique, or maybe my mug is too small, I donno. It was good enough though, so I swirled it on with the brush and went to work.

Your lack of lather could be from any of the reasons you noted. Some experimenting will yield different lather results.
I recently started lathering the brush in the palm of my hand with great results.

I second the Proraso. It is a quality cream that I enjoy using during the warm months.

 

[Shangas]

Proraso is a good soap & cream. I'd suggest using that. It smells a bit weird, and not very 'soap-like', but it does a great job.

 

[Feraud]

Yes, it has a particular scent. I think it is eucalyptus oil?