WetShaving
This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.
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July 6, 2023: A French Shave
First shave with the Thiers Issard straight I bought on ebay. This is by far the best straight razor I have - there's copious auditory feedback, and my face feels great. The one thing I 'm not enthusiastic about is the rather short thingy to put the fingers on befond the scales. Size matters.
Since rioting in the streets has officially ended, I decided to pair the razor with a French soap. I have no French brush, and the aftershave is also of doubtful provenance, but this is the most Frenchest shave I could possibly manage given my permanently expanding den.
Have a good evening!
Blade anatomy - this seems the most complete and correct image I can find of it. Point is also called the tip, tang is also called tail, sometimes people confuse the tang and shank. Some razors are shoulderless (makes sharpening easier), and a shoulder is different from a stabilizer though they're often mixed up because they're next to each other. This image actually calls the stabilizer the shoulder - the shoulder is the boundary line between shank and stabilizer or blade, the stabilizer is the space between that second line above the heel and the shoulder. Often razors have no stabilizer, occasionally they're shoulderless too, you can't have a stabilizer without a shoulder though.
https://images.app.goo.gl/deR5RZJmfYoakpZu8
I think you're referring to the shank.
Thanks for the explanation!
In fact, the shank is perfectly ok; I was trying to tell you that the tang was kind of diminutive. Maybe this is because I'm too used to the Tedalus Essence - in the beginning I found the size and shape of its tang ridiculous, but actually, it's very useful when manoeuvering around your face.
That makes sense, there are old pre-1850s usually straight razors with extra short tails, called monkey tails, but since 1850 the tail has actually become quite standard shape and size, with occasional outliers for decoration. The tedalus definitely has a strangely long tail, but sounds like you found it useful
I started out with shavettes, and I still find them more manoeuvrable around the face than straights - but I'm getting the hang of it.
Absolutely. I've not used a shavette, but I have some shorter straights and a 9/16 I love, I definitely recognize the maneuverability of a smaller blade. I bounce between so many different blades, I can make any of them work but the variety does make clear how they really do act differently.
Which shorter straight do you have? I've been eyeing Dovo Barbarossas, but Dovo doesn't have the best reputation, so I'm rather hesitant on this one.
I bet they'd be fine, it seems like it was mainly the Dovo "best quality" that's the worst. And even then it'd usually be salvageable, just more challenging to hone and not really worth the premium you'd pay over vintage. And there are vintage "mustache razors" of various makes that are shorter, TI has a "Petit Francais" (actually, they might still...) and Double Duck has the "Dwarf" for example.
Or... have you ever considered a Japanese kamisori? They're shorter blades by default and an interesting change. Japanese western razors also tend to have some shorter models available with 2.5" being not uncommon.
But you might just use the opportunity to appreciate a razor that has fallen on hard times and been irreparably damaged toward the front---that bit can be cut off with a Dremel or similar leaving a "shorty" razor. And you don't have to do it yourself, they're common enough eg: https://www.ebay.com/itm/385718663015
If you do happen to be handy with power tools (or know someone who is) I do happen to have a really nice razor that I probably won't get around to modifying for a few years yet that I might be willing to part with: https://imgur.com/a/S10sa7W
You can't really see it but the blade is cracked about half an inch in, near that blemish. So at some point someone will have to cut that off (carefully so as not to overheat the metal and lose the temper). Until then I'll endeavour to keep it safe from rust as it's otherwise a pristine blade from the famous Erik Anton Berg (also famous for tools) and the scales are some of the most beautiful I've seen in person.
Thanks for the kind offer, but I'm really not competent with power tools (and I fear that trying to shorten a razor may well shorten a finger π).
I honestly have never thought about a real kamisori, though I own a Feather kamisori shavette - which I rather like).
But I guess, the way is to get used to a long blade, and wrap the face around it!
Pretty sure those are "stub tails", monkey tails are long like that Tedalus and, most famously, the De Pew "Perfect Razor". Some French razors were even made with no tail at all.
Yep. I'm a dope, remembered it wrong