Hello and how do!

riverrun said:
That beauty doesn't need barbicide anymore. Only water bears can survive that treatment. It will be more aggressive than the Classic, but watch the angle, listen to it and use no pressure and you'll be alright. Maybe start with just one pass WTG with it and finish with your usual razor, if you're scared. Most of all - enjoy it. It deserves to be used.
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Good advice, I'll take it easy and see how the shave goes. Are you confident the razor will be ok without further sterilisation? Maybe I'm being too careful but coming from a background of homebrewing, I'm used to sanitising everything.

My blade pack might arrive tomorrow (I put off tonight's shave because I'm waiting for them to arrive :D) and if they do, then I'll be very tempted try the old Gillette with a 7'Oclock yellow or greens to see how I get on. It seems only right to awaken the old razor from its very long sleep with a good Gillette blade.
 
Beautiful cleanup, well done! If you want to sterilise it, to be on the safe side, go ahead. You could try Barbisol for no longer than 10-15 minutes, or a 9:1 solution of water to plain (uncoloured) vinegar - I've seen 3:1 recommended but that seems a bit strong. You don't want to risk tarnishing the silver plated finish.

Or you could just stick a blade in it and go mowing whiskers!

Regards.
Chris
 
chrisbd said:
Beautiful cleanup, well done! If you want to sterilise it, to be on the safe side, go ahead. You could try Barbisol for no longer than 10-15 minutes, or a 9:1 solution of water to plain (uncoloured) vinegar - I've seen 3:1 recommended but that seems a bit strong. You don't want to risk tarnishing the silver plated finish.

Or you could just stick a blade in it and go mowing whiskers!

Regards.
Chris
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Thanks Chris. I hadn't thought about using white vinegar, it's something I'll definitely look into.

In other news, my blade pack has arrived (ordered from @Lose the beard's thread in the BST section of the forum). 105 blades for £10 delivered, including 7'Oclock yellows & greens, Sputnik, Astra blue & green, Feather, Rapira, Permasharp, BiC, Supermax, Derby, Treet. I've never used any of them before so I'm looking forward to working my way through them and seeing what works best for me.

I was also lucky enough to stumble upon Matt's (@MPH) soap sample PIF thread on the night before he closed it for applicants, and even luckier to be the name drawn out of the hat! As a result, I have a number of soaps and creams heading my way absolutely free of charge. How generous is that, eh? I know, I can't believe it either - a fantastic gesture and one that I appreciate very much. Shopping for soaps online is a nightmare for a newbie like me who hasn't got a clue what anything smells like!

In a moment of madness I've also ordered myself a new brush. It's a Plissoft synthetic knot (which is supposed to be quite good apparently) in a basic barbershop style handle, for the princely sum of £16 delivered from Canada (it's this one). o_O It was heavily discounted so I've no idea what to expect, but it should be an improvement on my current brush (£3.50 Wilkinson Sword).

So, new blades (thanks to "@Lose the beard"), new soaps (thanks to @MPH), a new brush on the way (thanks to a thread in the Brushes section) and a shiny 1921 razor (thanks to the advice in this thread).

Looks like I'm all sorted. :cool:
 
Scratch,
Sorry, I meant Barbicide, not Barbisol. What a wally! I use Barbicide but made a mistake early on and left razors soaking in it overnight. I'm sure I can still see some staining on the nickel on a couple of them, even after cleaning and polishing! I also use white vinegar and warm water, with a little washing up liquid but don't leave the razor soaking too long. The vinegar smell does linger.

Lucky man with the soap samples, although it was a very generous gesture. They're a good bunch on this forum. It's the best way to try them without overcommitting. I've only got a few soaps yet, I'm more of a gear freak, trying to keep RAD in check! I recommend you try Palmolive Classic shaving cream though, available in most supermarkets, Superdrug, etc. A great lather and the price is a steal! Punches way above its weight and well reviewed on all shaving forums I've found.

Shaving brushes are another distraction. The Plissoft's a good price, I also hear the Body Shop synthetic's well regarded.

Razor, creams/soaps, brushes. Looks like you're on the way to complete addiction. You'll fit right in!

Let us know how the shaves go.

Regards,
Chris
 
Cheers Chris. I knew you meant Barbicide and thanks for the timing advice. When using water & vinegar at 9:1, how long would you leave the razor soaking?

Meanwhile, I think Santa has hit the gin already. My suribachi shaving scuttle has arrived early and of course I had to check it wasn't damaged in transit. :) I love it - it's a very handsome piece of hand made pottery and something I'll enjoy using for many years to come.

It's this one by the way, the large suribachi #2 blue. His website is worth a browse. He makes a selection of scuttles, bowls and mugs and the clearance section often has discounted seconds.

Unfortunately this has to go back in its box until Christmas Day. The next few weeks will be an interesting test of resistance!
 
Scratch,
I've only used the vinegar & water soak on nickel plated razors so far. It's a mild acid solution, so I tend to leave it for only 10-15 minutes. Some advise longer and I've seen some advise a 1:1 solution, which seems a tad strong. I woudn't care to risk it with vintage silver plate. To be honest, a good scrub with a toothbrush, hot water and washing up liquid works surprisingly well, although obviously doesn't sterilise.

The scuttle's a beautiful piece, I can see why you'll struggle to resist. It looks too big for the limited space I have available, sadly, but worth a look.

Regards,
Chris
 
That's good to know, cheers. Being acidic, like you say, I think I'll give the vinegar a miss in case it damages the silver plate.

Meanwhile, I had a lovely shave earlier and my first with a Gillette 7'Oclock green blade (details in the SOTD thread). The prep went without a hitch, the lather was spot-on and the blade was superb. It seems to cut better than the Wilkinson Sword blades I've been using up to now, meaning less work on each pass. I like it a lot and can't wait for my next shave.

sotd_29_11.jpg
 
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