OCT 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Think of f it as using a scraper to get a sticker off a nice piece of furniture. You want the smallest angle possible to avoid scratching the surface, and as Ducky just said no pressure. Let the weight of the razor do the work.

 

Also, shut off the water while you shave. You can hear the whiskers being cut when the blade angle is correct.

 

Happy Birthday to Neal! Another original!

 

OCtober - Trick or TREET
October 7
Birthday Shave - Part 2

Razor - Gillette Aristocrat
Blade - (1)
Brush - BoS Omega 10066
Soap - TSD Lanolin Bay Rum
Post - Cold water, Alum, The Veg

Shall we continue? Sorry for the delay but a bit of a late night and for some reason the Mrs. seemed to think I should sit down and enjoy the dinner she made for my birthday. Who am I to say no to that? A warning....this will probably get a bit long so grab an adult beverage and get comfortable.

When last we left off a mysterious Gillette vintage razor case was in view in the bottom of the box from @Rufus T. That is exactly what I suspected I would find, and he knew I would suspect that too. All's good. Upon opening the box, I also found what it has held since it was made. A 1946-57 Gillette Aristocrat. Here, see for yourself.

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You last saw this razor in a number of pictures by Vince during his vacation off the Canadian coastline. I had sold it to him earlier this year. This is the second vintage razor I ever bought, following my '47 Super Speed, and my favorite razor in the collection. I used it in the original 30 day group in January as part of my rule to get my technique down. My setup was this razor, Voskhod (surprise, surprise), the Omega Pro 48 and Proraso Green in a tub. I did that for 30 days and that's what led to my fanaticism about technique. I have always said the 'Crat and Voskhod are the perfect pair. The "detente" setup. America meets Russia and not only keep the peace but deliver the best shaves I've ever gotten.

So why, you ask, would I ever sell it? I sell other razors but why give up my favorite? Well, let's just say living on commission isn't always a secure thing. And, when I changed to selling cars I had a disastrous month. And, I was already having issues from the previous job when the market under it collapsed. Perfect storm of not getting a paycheck for a bit. To the point that we were hours away, and I'm not exaggerating, from starting to lose a few essential services. So, among a few other items, I put the razor on the bay and also listed it here. Within about 5 minutes Vince popped up, offered to buy it, sent the money and off went the razor to its new home. Now, I was thrilled he would have it because he and I seemed to have an easy time making friends with each other here and I really enjoyed his posts and his entire personality and attitude. A great razor to a relative newbie who would appreciate it and give it a good home. The only hitch in my plan was.....Vince had correctly read my intentions for selling. From day one he insisted he would ship it back whenever I was ready. We never discussed details of my situation, he just knew. And, I told him several times I appreciated the gesture, but the razor was his so enjoy it. I could always find another when I recovered.

Well, I recovered as I knew I would and Vince took the razor on a wonderful vacation and I began to think about his offer to get it back but, I'm a salesman, I sold it, it's his. I loved the photos he posted with it and really enjoyed his posts with it, but then it's easy to enjoy what he posts. We're far too similar in many ways. And then, the box showed up unexpectedly. I recognized the address and knew it was from him and immediately suspected something was up. And then I hit the note in the top. Do not open til October 7th. He was making a birthday present of the razor. His way of returning it to where he believed it belonged without asking anything in return. And, this morning (at 12:04 am) I confirmed my suspicion. And had a conversation with him soon after, and he agreed to let me share as much as I thought appropriate here. And here is why I share it. Call it over the top emotional girly talk if you want, but here it is.

When we have our fun and discuss our love of shaving here we "meet" a lot of people. And, some of those people we talk to more than others, and I believe we also bond with some even though we may be continents apart. Part of what makes this particular place special above all the rest I've joined is that we actually have found COMMUNITY here. Sometimes we don't acknowledge it, but it's here. And it's people like Vince who make it happen and make it real. He and I have never met, have never even talked on the phone, but on a dark day in my life he picked up on a problem I couldn't solve and stepped in where he could to lend a hand. And, as if that wasn't enough, he then did something as classy and selfless as I've experienced in a long time in returning it as a gift. Oh I know it's just a razor. But the act and the motive were as fine as they come. And I am proud to count Vince as a friend. People say that online friendship isn't real. Well I strongly disagree. Here's to all of the friendships that have been forged in this place and to all of the good times we have together. And here's to a simple act by one of us (yes that's you @Rufus T. ) that defines what being a member of a true community means. Thank you, sir, for your friendship, your humor and all that you do across this entire website to help make it the place that it is. And now, without further ado......the shave report. It's a lot shorter. (I know, whew, right?)

In honor of my birthday I took the day off from Treet and loaded the Aristocrat with a brand new Voskhod. The detente setup lives. I used the BoS and grabbed the TSD Lanolin Bay Rum. I'm not going to shave on this birthday without something from the Den in the setup. Three of the smoothest passes I've felt in quite a while led to the baby settling in for the day. This is the setup that finds the baby with the least effort for me, and today was no different. Some cold water, alum that was quiet and tame, and of course, The Mighty Veg to top off a magnificent start to a great birthday. Yeah, baby, that's how you shave!

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday today. I hope I responded to everyone or at least "liked" your post. If not it was just because of so many. Now, raise a toast to the Den, if you have any of that beverage left, because this place deserves it!

Oh, and @Rufus T. ......NOW you're off the hook with the cartel. But it doesn't mean I'm not watching you.

 

Day 6 - 30 Days with the Fat Boy


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Day 6 went off without a hitch, a great shave before dinner. It's probably time to change out the blade and bump the dial to 7. Fat Boy...I get it now!

Have a triumphant Thursday!
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Happy Birthday, Neal! Well said. As a widowed father I miss being able to sit and have an adult conversation on a daily basis. Sure I have lots of friends, but they have lives and work and kids to deal with and we don't get together nearly as much as we would like, so the time I spend here with the members of the Den, and especially this thread is precious to me. I too feel like I have friends all over the Country, and the generosity and concern expressed by you guys is overwhelming. I feel another group hug coming on.

Oh and by the way. Since I don't get to have those adult conversations, the shenanigans we get into here will have to do.

 

Just wow. Good stuff.

 

Here's my update @cmorris357

SOTD

PRESHAVE: Warm rag, Warm rag, face lotion, warm rag.
RAZOR: Gillette SS BT
BLADE: Derby
SOAP: Proraso Red
BRUSH: Classic Brand Best Badger
AS: WH & Dove balm

Focused a ton on blade angle, and this is the smoothest, cleanest shave I've had. The blade angle on this Gillette is much shallower than I thought. The derby blade started tugging on the 2nd pass, so these may be a 2 and out for me. The soap lathered fantastically offering great protection, I needed to use more water than I have been. I went WTG/XTG/ATG then I final touch up here and there. My chin could be smoother but I wanted a comfortable shave tonight with a huge ruck march in the morning. Irritation A-.

For some reason the Dove aftershave balm burns my skin. I think I need a new balm, just don't have the money until next pay period. All in all, good shave, but more than ready for the next blade. It may be great in an aggressive razor, but this SS seems to be too mild for a derby. It will be Crystal, Personna Blue, or Shark super chrome next. This may be my last shave until Monday or so, I want to skip tomorrow, and try a straight razor Saturday.
Just because I'm not shaving doesn't mean I won't spend every free second I have here at the Den though!

 

Pheww...the things a guy has to go through to stay on Ivan's good side!

 

Incredible story! I hope I can be as fond with my SS.

 

Nice work! You could place a wet towel in the freezer while you shave... Very soothing, and free!

 

You are correct in assuming the Derby would be better in an aggressive razor. Well done grasshopper. Love the progress you're making. Try the Crystal or Personna next...I assume the Crystal will be sharper than the Derby since it's from the same place as the Israeli Red Personnas, which is basically the same as the Blue on the American side. Good luck with the march in the morning!

 

Thanks! I feel like I'm catching on a lot quicker than I thought! I may try the crystal since I've already tried a personna. And also on the tryablade, I couldn't decide so I will wait until next pay period and probably just get the 32$ deal where you get one of each, or just get the massive Gillette pack.

 

So now you're trying to corner the market?!!

 

I'm very intrigued. I have one spot that has stayed irritated and today before applying balm, I kept wetting a face towel and applying it to the irritated spot and it did wonders! Definitely will try the freezer method.

 

I got the massive tryablade sampler. it shoulld take me a year or 3 to try them all.

 

I like where you're head's at. LOL You sound far too much like me.

 

He's getting in at the @Darkbulb level. Keep an eye on this one.

 

Life's short, why not enjoy all you can? Including over 100 different types of blades. i mean, that's all there is too life right? Wet shaving?