Finally tried the #3

[Aquanin]

Picked up a sample of #3 Red from Charles last week and I have had the opportunity to try it twice now. This stuff is in a different league than his other pastes. It absorbs so much water that you can hardly keep the brush wet. He told me to try applying it straight to my face instead of loading it in the brush, so this is how I did it:

- Hot slag prep
- Prime brush with shaving round
- Rub #3 all over wet face
- Lather face with primed brush

Now the #3 will soak up TONS of water and will almost make the brush slow down on your face and will kind of gum up the slag. I don't think this will work without a Shavemaster brush or a very large brush. So now here is what you do:

- Add a bit of water to the brush and hit the primer again with brush
- Add more water if needed
- Add a bit more of #3 to face (just a little to the cheeks)
- Lather with brush again

Now cut form 1 (or WTG) twice relathering with the brush between passes.

Now I add a couple of shots of cutting balm to the mix for form 2 (XTG)

Then shave form 3

Then wet face, apply finishing balm and finish up with off-form pass.

I actually shaved last night (I usually shave in the morning) and I still have BBS all over 16 hours later except for my lower neck, but I never go for BBS there. I haven't experimented with mixing the #3 with other pastes yet but this stuff is great by itself although I think it will take a bit more practice to get it just right. Anyone else have any experiences/tips with this stuff?

[msandoval858]

I've always tried to avoid telling people you have to have a Shavemaster to Method Shave. You can adapt many brushes if you know what you're doing. However with this red #3 stuff, sorry but you have to have a Shavemaster.

I use the V200 which seems to be the only brush that can keep this stuff hydrated properly. My routine is basicly just prime off the cube as normal, using a few shots of Activator prior to hitting the cube. This makes it load quickly and keep the brush very well hydrated. Then add the paste to the breech, throw some water back on top and prime the cube again. Once the mix kicks in, you can really see it. The color of the red pastes give you a great visual indicator of the mixing progress. It's kind of hard to describe without showing you, but hopefully I'll get the opportunity to do so at the May 17 meet :D

Keeping the mix hydrated throughout the shave is the second challenge. Between every pass of the shave, I always close the breech before setting the brush back down. A light squeeze at the base of the knot to reform the brush shape keeps keeps the mix in place. This really helps keep the water in the brush and prevent the mix from drying too quickly, and believe me the way this #3 red works, it will. Once you get the hang of it though, the stuff is slo slick I can finish the whole shave without needing cutting or finishing balm at all. You can simply splash a bit more water on top to thin the mix it out and it will close cut like a dream.

Really good stuff!!

[Aquanin]

Can't wait to see the demo at the meetup. I am using an S100 and the #3 pushes it to the limit. I will try loading the breech with it on tomorrow morning's shave and see how that goes. I just feel like it required a bit of extra mixing/priming/more water but the results are worth it.

[jls1963]

The #3 Red is fantastic stuff. Per Mike's post, you definitely want to close the breech during passes. I'm using a S100 as well with great results following this process:

1. Hot slag prep
2. prime with round
3. Dab of #3 red on top of breech
4. Dab of unscented low velocity paste (with some extra buffer that Charles added) on top of breech
5. Shot of finishing balm on top of breech
6. Prime with the round (briefly--the mix comes together almost immediately)
7. Complete the mix in palm of hand.
8. Form 1
9. Apply more mix
10. Form 2
11. Sometimes I'll need to add a splash of hot water in the bucket at this point
12. Apply cutting serum made with slag, dab of #3 red, and shot of finishing balm
13. Apply mix from brush
14. Form 3
15. Apply mix
16. Off-form cleanup
17. Hot water rinse
18. Finishing balm
19. Wait a few mins
20. Cold water rinse
21. Tonic & AS

I've found this mix to stay well-hydrated throughout the shave--I just hate to see the remaining mix in the brush go to waste :)

The resulting shave is incredibly close and smooth. Like you, my face remains BBS for hours and hours after using this paste.

[Aquanin]

I treid your way with the round and a little #3 and some 3T Composite. I did not add the finishing balm to the brush itself. I added it later for finsihing. It was a very nice creamy mix that held up very well throughout the shave. Got very close as well.

I think my key lately is the prep (hot slag) and the 1st form. Both have become very important or I really chew up my jawline/chin. I am still pretty new (2 months) to wetshaving so my technique is probably not honed in yet and if I don't get enough reduction in Form 1 or enought softening of the beard then the blade can tug a little on my jawline and cause burn. Any pointers on more effective reduction on the 1st form?

[jls1963]

Sounds like you're doing great for two months in. You might try repeating Form 1 before going on to 2. Also, I've found that for some reason, this particular mix works better with Derbys than with Feathers. I think it's because of the abundance of emollient.
Cheers,
j