Thread: ...and the angels were made of steel.

Hi gents,
Please allow me to introduce myself in a few words. I am Steel Angel; I live in Paris, France, and work as an IT consultant for insurance companies. I enjoy reading, especially historical essays, and listening to music. I am fond of Heavy Metal (particularly from the 80's) and Opera (mostly the almighty Richard Wagner). Among other thing, I like Cuban cigars and Belgian beers. I also practice Tang Lang Kung Fu, also known as the Shaolin Mantis variant, but I think next year I will move to Israeli Krav Maga. From a survivalist perspective, I guess this martial art is more fitted to the harsh life in French urban jungle.

I already know a few of you, from Badger & Blade and Coupe-Chou Club (my user name is Hirsutz in both fora). For instance, I have recognized badboris, Karakoup1, Joelski78, Ockham, gugi, Kees, CJBianco, etc. I warmly thank Leon who persuaded me into contributing here.

About shaving issues, I still regard myself as being a newbie. Until recently I was wearing a wild beard. With my dark long hair, I physically look like -in less brawny- Rugby player Sébastien Chabal. I have not achieved a complete close shave yet. I cope with difficulties while shaving against the grain because I do not succeed in holding correctly the straight razor (with the grain is relatively OK). However I am not comfortable when shaving some areas of my face (mustache, chin) but I guess this is a recurring matter for many beginners. As of today, I must finish my shaves with a safety razor but I do not despair and still am confident in improving myself.

Here are some pictures of my straight razors (sorry for the poor quality):





From right to left: Wapienica 5/8, Unknown, Heljestrand 5/8 and Falkenberg 8/8.
(I have a fifth straight razor -my very first- a Dovo Astrale 5/8 which is held somewhere in Alsace)

I bought the Wapienica 5/8 from Karakoup1:



This nice Heljestrand 5/8 with ivory scales was sold to me by gugi:



This is my monster, the mighty Falkenberg 8/8:



And this is an anonymous straight razor, I know nothing about it (no brand, no name... any information is welcome). I like his strange shape. It was badly restored by a friend of mine. The blade is drab compared to my other ones:





A preview of my shaving gear:

• a Delong shaving brush (Chinese generic silvertip)
• an Old Spice mug
• my favourite shaving creams (including but not limited to): JM Fraser's, ToOBS Rose, Godrej Rich Foam, Wars, Arko Commando, Proraso, Vicco Tumeric, etc.
• my #1 aftershave balm (not pictured): 444! Thanks Leon! I look forward to try it mixed with a splash (Alt-Innsbruck is expected to be the one).

I greatly appreciate Portuguese shaving stuff (444 rules) and that is a pity I have not yet be able to give any Musgo Real product a go!!!

To conclude my introduction thread, you should be aware of these facts:

• (trivia) my user name has nothing to do with the manga/anime Steel Angel Kurumi. It comes from an obscure French Heavy Metal act;
  
• SWMBO is registered here, my dear Meeme. She shall introduce herself next week.

Thank you very much for your attention.
Kind regards,

Hello Steel Angel, and welcome to SRP.

We have indeed already met on B&B and CCC. It is nice to have you here; this place is full of nice - and crazy - people, you'll find tons of informations... it is a good place to hang around.

You get yourself some nice razors - RAD is coming in hard as I can see. Keep up the good work...

BTW I can see that you get Gugi's Heljestrand... I get his DD

See you around!

Welcome to SRP!!!
Glad you decided to join us.
While you are in the early learning stages, I would recommend that you forego the against-the grain-passes. Many find that they can do an extra across-the-grain pass and never use the against the grain strokes.
You have a nice set of razors to start your str8 shaving adventure.
Welcome again and let us know if you have any questions. It's a great forum.

Originally Posted by Steel Angel

I warmly thank Leon who persuaded me into contributing here.

Welcome Philippe! It's good to have you here!

Nice Falkenberg you have!

Enjoy!

Welcome aboard the straight train may your ride be long and smooth !!!!!

Nice set up already, looks like your off to the right start!!!!!

Many thanks for the warm welcome!

Originally Posted by Ockham

You get yourself some nice razors - RAD is coming in hard as I can see. Keep up the good work...

Actually I think I only miss a vintage French blade, a Thiers-Issard or a Le Grelot for tight beards.

One more little pic:

Welcome aboard my friend I think you will enjoy this forum as all the members are friendly, helpful & In my own experience a real joy to deal with.
This is THE forum to get all the help & Knowledge you require to help the learning curve to be nice & easy.Paul
Ps you have a nice RAD starting there ,It will get bigger, Really!

Welcome to Straight Razor Place.

I like the white flag you've displayed your razors on.

In fact it is a barber towel I have arranged with art as I am Steel Angel's SWMBO.

Ohhh? A barber's towel? I thought it was French military issue.

I jest! As they say, "Ego trado!" Hope I said it properly.

And welcome. You're a week ahead of your promised arrival, though.