February '16 - 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Shave School' started by Bama Samurai, Jan 31, 2016.

?

Which do you seek?

Poll closed Mar 1, 2016.
  1. The Purity of Perfection

    17 vote(s)
    37.0%
  2. The Perfection of Purity

    5 vote(s)
    10.9%
  3. Neither/Other

    6 vote(s)
    13.0%
  4. (cookies)

    18 vote(s)
    39.1%
  1. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Automatic!
     
  2. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    General Announcement:

    Sometime tonight, while my television is subverted from NBA to Academy Awards, I will write up the intro to the March Focus thread so people can lay out their respective March Foci. Hope everyone has a great Sunday!
     
  3. wristwatchb

    wristwatchb wristwatch "danger" b

    February 29

    Weber PH
    Feather (2)
    Kent BK4 silvertip badger
    Route 66 Lumberjack
    Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Fine Platinum

    Have a great week! :)

    SOTD_022916.JPG
     
  4. Douglas Carey

    Douglas Carey Wildman

    Thanks for the heads up. :)
     
    Drygulch, Bill_F, wristwatchb and 4 others like this.
  5. PLAla

    PLAla Bit Shy of a Full Puck

    SOTD February 28, 2016
    Focus day 28
    Break of focus to use Schick injector

    Shave Den Sunday!

    Prep: Warm shower
    Blade: Chinese Schick
    Razor: Schick G1 Injector (late 1940s, gracious gift from @clint64)
    Brush: Escali badger
    Lather: TSD Lanolin Bay Rum
    Post: Witch hazel splash, TSD Iced Bay Rum after shave, Nivea sensitive balm
    WTG, touch-up

    Nice shave this morning. The Schick injector is a really effective razor and the Chinese Schick blade is quite sharp! I had a hit and miss shave with it yesterday due to some parts of my face feeling very smooth but my neck being a little patchy. That could have been due to yesterday's lather (Arko) because today's shave was much better. You have to really use light, light pressure with the injector, lighter than a DE razor (in my experience at least).

    TSD's lanolin soap is really top-notch stuff. The post-shave feel is incredible, and the slickness and cushion and ease of lathering is second to none. The Iced Bay Rum splash stings a little bit and then cools off with the menthol kick.

    Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

    SOTD 2-28-16.JPG
     
  6. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Master that Schick and you can shave with anything! Bravo!
     
  7. PLAla

    PLAla Bit Shy of a Full Puck

    That's how I feel too! It's a neat little razor. It definitely cuts close. Chris, was it you who mentioned that straight razors and injectors were quite similar in the feel and closeness of a shave? Someone was mentioning that recently.
     
    wmbjr, Drygulch, Bill_F and 5 others like this.
  8. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Yes. The next step is to watch some straight razor videos, and practice the skin stretching techniques you see employed by straight shavers. Also work on making really wet Yoplait yogurt like lather.
     
    wmbjr, Drygulch, Bill_F and 7 others like this.
  9. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Day 59 - 90 Day Intro to SR
    Shave Den Sunday!!

    28 February 2016

    image.jpeg

    All products are TSD Iced SubZero
    www.theshavedenshop.com

    DFS!

    Catch you guys later with a new thread for a new month! I am off to prepare tacos al pastor, salsa cruda, arroz con frijoles y guacamole! Other than that...all,is quiet in Colorado.

    Have a pleasant Sunday Evening!
    :)
     
  10. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

     
    Drygulch, Bill_F, Norcalnewb and 4 others like this.
  11. DDuckyMark

    DDuckyMark Ducky Duck and the Hiding Bunch

    Gillette Super Speed
    Viking Sword (4)
    Semogue
    Pre de Provence
    Pinaud Citrus Musk

    I'm not fond of this soap. I cant fault its performance but I hate the smell. After a long soak the Semogue boar brush was almost too soft (I forgot I had set it to soak so it soaked for about 2 hours) After a 20sec load it still lathered like a champ but the smell, "gag". I knew right away that the wonderful shaves I had gotten used to with this blade were a thing of the pass. XTG pass first and it was a tuggy pulling mess. I checked and . . . hardly any reduction. I decided to put it with ATG and managed an even more uncomfortable pass with some weepers on M neck from the skin being pulled into the blade while it was not cutting. I thought about a 3rd pass to get to DFS but between the smell of the soap and the general discomfort from day 4 on this blade I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
    Tap water splash stung and burnt so I was smart enough to avoid the alum but the citrus musk felt like Hel was setting up a new home on my neck. After a few strings un words not allowed in family movies it settled and I bid a fond goodbye to the Viking sword as it tumbled into the blade disposal slot.
     
  12. Bill_F

    Bill_F Well-Known Member

    2/28/16

    Gillette Old Type
    Rapira Super Stainless (3)
    Vulfix Super Badger (660)
    C.O. Bigelow cream
    Georgetown G12 Scuttle
    Pinaud Clubman Original

    IMG_2748.JPG

    A nice comfortable BBS this morning from the Rapira Super Stainless in the Old Type.
    Went back to C.O. Bigelow today. Did my typical 2 passes followed by a light touch up with some of the soap on my face. Then a cool water rinse and an average mount touch up brought home the baby. The Clubman was surprisingly mild today.

    This will be my last shave with the Old Type for the month. Tomorrow, I will have my 3rd shave on a Rapira Super Stainless that has been in my New LC since December 31.

    I hope everyone had a great Lords Day.
     
  13. ob1page

    ob1page Frozen in Phoenix

    Fourth DE shave today and again it went great.
    PSO- Peppermint homemade
    Razor- Atomic Razor
    Blade- Astra SP (4)
    Brush- Omega synthetic
    Soap- Arko shave stick
    ASB- Nivea men cooling
    Day 4 and the blade still cut great, absolutely no pulling. I went WTG, WTG and XTG. I had a DFS after the second pass,I just used the XTG to clean up a few areas. I can't stress enough the difference the pso makes. No irritation, no nicks, even a few spots BBS. I've decided for next month I'm going to experiment between hot and cold water to learn the differences.
    [​IMG]
     
  14. Bill_F

    Bill_F Well-Known Member

    Went back to the Asian farmers market in Smyrna and picked up a tuck of Wilkinson Sword blades. No price tag, which is why I didn't get it a few months ago when I saw it. Turned out to be $1.79 for 5 blades. A pretty good price for over the counter. :happy005:

    Edit: Actually, the price was $1.69. An even better price. :happy036:
     
    Last edited: Feb 29, 2016
    wmbjr, Drygulch, RaZorBurn123 and 5 others like this.
  15. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

  16. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    February Focus - German blades DONE! Best of the Best to the Finish!

    February 28

    Razor - '47 Gillette Super Speed
    Blade - [​IMG] (2)
    Brush - BoS - Omega 10066
    Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
    Post - Cold rinse, Alum, Nivea, The Veg

    Day two on the Feather with the '47 Super Speed. And, using BoSFat for the lather pretty much sets this up as one of the best shaves I can have. Now, normally when I set that expectation up I fail miserably. However, today was the exception to that rule. Two pass shave with a bit of ATG touch up at the end to the second baby in a row on this setup. Great way to start the day, especially with a follow up of the Veg. And, it worked its charm as I had another fine day at work.

    Tomorrow, finishing the month with the Detente shave, the '46-'47 Aristocrat and Voskhod. Going out with the best. In the meantime, one more view of our friends in Japan.

    meanwhile-in-japan-goldfish-in-a-bag-around-a-womans-head.jpg
     
    wmbjr, Drygulch, wristwatchb and 8 others like this.
  17. Keithmax

    Keithmax Breeds Pet Rocks

    Feb 29 Focus Shave last focus shave of Feb and 1st focus shave of March

    Today's razor is a Jerry Stark 5/8 second shave after a refresh on J Nat.

    Very smooth edge today and felt reasonable sharp. Four passes without any blood or discomfort. Apply the alum and zero reaction, just missed BBS.

    Irritation A+ Closeness A- Smoothness A+ Keenness A-

    This is a tough decision, keep or sell this razor. It looks fantastic, (the red/black micarta scales do not show up in the picture) takes a wonderful edge but I prefer bigger razors. I think I will part with this beauty and if I get the chance to acquire a larger Jerry Stark with jimps I will jump on it.

    QCS Vetiver
    Simpson Polo 8 super badger
    Woodhead scuttle
    Jerry Stark 5/8
    Harold Russian leather strop
    Speick AS
    L'Occitane ASB
    The Different Company Rose Poivrée
    max - 1.jpg
     
    wmbjr, Drygulch, wristwatchb and 8 others like this.
  18. Bill_F

    Bill_F Well-Known Member

    Welcome aboard the 30 day crew! You have a very nice looking Fat Boy, and the brush looks really interesting. What kind is it? Seems like the handle would provide a nice grip.
     
    wmbjr, Bama Samurai, Drygulch and 5 others like this.
  19. clint64

    clint64 Blind Squirrel

    02/29/2016
    Wolfman OC with Triad SS
    Feather (2)
    Shavemac Silvertip D01
    Catie’s Bubbles Santal Sensuelle
    Witch Hazel
    Captain’s Choice Sandalwood
    Whipped Shea Butter

    [​IMG]
    My shooting buddy, Clark, is thinking about getting a Mongoose. I am lending him both the AlumiGoose and Mongoose along with an assortment of blades for a month long test drive. So I am staring the March DE Focus a day early with the Wolfman OC. I went with a traditional 3 pass shave with minor touch ups and ended with a great near BBS shave. It would be hard to expect more on a work morning. I finished with a splash of CC Sandalwood with menthol added. All in all a great start to the week. I hope everyone has a great Monday.
     
    wmbjr, Bama Samurai, Drygulch and 7 others like this.
  20. clint64

    clint64 Blind Squirrel

    February 2016 Focus Recap

    [​IMG]

    My Single Edge focus for February centered on comparing and contrasting the AlumiGoose and Mongoose for week day shaves. Comparing the two razors side by side, it would appear that the shaves would be nearing identical. However, that proved not to be the case. Between these two examples, the AlumiGoose is the more aggressive and efficient razor. The shaves with the AlumiGoose/Feather Pro combo are almost indistinguishable from the Mongoose using the more aggressive Feather Pro Super blade. This could be me using more pressure with the lighter AlumiGoose but I am not convinced that is the case. I now know that I prefer the AlumiGoose with a Feather Pro and the Mongoose with a Feather Pro Super. Both razors make the the cut for quick, efficient and drama free work morning shaves.

    I also used the Cobra Classic for most of the weekend shaves. I hoped to become more comfortable with the stylized handle and move it into week day rotation. I am pleased that I am just about there and might it fact use if for an upcoming focus.

    Again thank your to Chris, @Bama Samurai , for hosting another 30 day thread. These exercises have improved my technique greatly. I enjoyed following along as many of the members started the journey of master SR shaving. It was also very nice to watch some of the newer members master the techniques and begin getting consistently good to great shaves. I look forward to participating in next month's 30 day focus.
     
    wmbjr, Bama Samurai, Drygulch and 9 others like this.

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