SEPT 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Greetings fellow Denizens...

Pics and discussion for those doing a 30 DAY RULE or 30 DAY FOCUS in September 2015...here we go!

Please read the above provided link to @GDCarrington and his guidelines. He explains the concepts and such in detail. His suggestions early in my foray into DE greatly improved my shaves by focusing my efforts. This thread is completely inspired by his guidelines, ideas and methods. Thanks to Gary for all he contributes to TSD!

If you are new to TSD, Welcome Aboard! Thanks for hanging out with us. If you are joining in again, welcome back! Direct chatter and topic wandering is highly encouraged. You are also encouraged to quote posts when in discussion so that we can follow along. This thread is dedicated to getting the most out of your shaving experience. Wide latitude is practiced here with regard to actual discussion topics, and we do wander a bit at times. All skill/experience levels, razor types, and shaving ideas are welcome here. Pic a rule or a focus and join the discussion!


Special Message to New Shaving Converts: Welcome! You have landed in the right place. We love traditional shaving and we love people who love traditional shaving. Lots of good reference found >here<. If you are new to TSD, please go back and click that link...it will help you make sense of our acronyms and chatter. We are glad you joined the best shaving forum on Earth. TSD is participation driven...you should read SoS (SOTD-Shave of the Day) too! It is central to the goings-on at TSD. Feel free to jump in and post pics! It is probably the easiest way to get a feel for TSD and meet the regular posters. They love pics. Coming up with unique and/or interesting pics daily in September is an implied challenge. Good luck! Have something to ask? Please do! This thread is primarily about shaving technique, but discussion often touches upon just about any shaving topic out there. You are the reason this thread exists, and we welcome your participation, regardless of experience level.

The housekeeping-

These are the rules. Follow them.

Support your forum here. The Iced Subzero AS Splash is my favorite exclusive. What's yours?

Have fun, follow your plan...30 days of great shaves await! Thanks for being a part of this!

Warmest Regards,

Chris

 

My focus will be similar to that of the esteemed Rufus T's. I have only 2 injectors at the moment, a J1 and an M1. Very similar at first glance other than the obvious handle difference, but looking closely there are some subtle differences in head and bar design. Will that make a difference in performance? We will see. I plan to alternate shaves and compare results. All other variables with remain constant. I will pick a soap and bowl lather with my Stirling synthetic brush and follow my usual 3 pass plus touch up routine. I am on the Mongoose waiting list but I doubt I will receive it in time to do a good focus on it so that may be my October project. I also am on the list for the new Injector kickstarter project, not sure when it will arrive but of it does I'll work it into my trials. Lastly I have a Gem being re-plated and hope to try it out later with the different blades to see what works best. Whew.. I guess that's all. I look forward to spending the month with you guys and seeing our progress.
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Rufus T. and Bama Samurai like this.

 

I'm the first to reply! Haven't decided my focus other than it will involve meditation and straight shaving. As far as the hardware goes, I'll choose 4 straights and focus one per week. Since I just received my shipment of Stirling soaps and aftershaves, I'll be rotating between a free different scents daily. So I guess I just defined my focus:
* Weekly rotation on straights.
* Daily rotation on soaps.

Constants:
* @Drygulch strop
* Omega 48 brush
* Alum
* Ko shave mug.

Pic to follow tomorrow.

Cheers,
Eric

 

Thanks guys! Welcome back! Sorry about the screwed up poll earlier...

 

Thanks @Bama Samurai for putting this monthly Focus/Rule together. Labor day weekend will be my 1 year anniversary DE/SE shaving.

For my focus this month I will be alternating full weeks with my Wolfman OC and Mongoose. I will use Feather blades in the Wolfman for the focus. The Feather Pro will be used for the Mongoose during its first weekly rotation and then the Feather Super Pro for the remaining Mongoose shaves for the month. I hope by the end of the month to give a detailed review of the Wolfman as well as compare it to the Mongoose. Soaps, brushes and aftershaves will be wide open and depend on my mood at the time.

 

I am starting a little early, due to travel. I will better define the rest of my focus when I get back home. The first week and a half I will be dialing in my travel set up.

 

Thank you Chris for putting together such a fun and informative group/thread. My September focus will be the Mongoose SE razor.

 

I am starting early as well. In fact based of my focus I really started yesterday.

08/30/2015
Razor – Wolfman OC with Triad Helix SS
Blade – Feather (3)
Brush – Zenith Boar
Lather – TSD Yin Yang
Post - Witch Hazel & Fine L’Orange



A fantastic 3 pass shave this morning. With some minor touch ups on the chin, I ended up with a BBS shave. So far this razor is proving to be mild but very efficient. I am interested in how this set up compares to the Mongoose with Feather Pro blades. As usual, the TSD soaps were easy to lather and provided very good slick lather. Finished off with a splash of Fine L'Orange.

 

I think... I think... Nope still not sure on my focus. All of August while I followed the thread I really worked on just getting everything constant with my shave. Got a Tech early in the month and then a refinished tech from Delta Echo and used those two the entire month. Soap, brush, and bowl were all constant. Maybe I'll work on my lather. Maybe the neck so I can get DFS there like the on my face. Maybe I'll get another soap to compare with.

 

Thanks for doing this again Chris! I’ve learned a lot through the previous 30 day Rule/Focus threads and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot this month too.
Originally, I had planned to use September to sample all of my razors. After considering how I could keep with the spirit of this and still have it fit into my plan for discerning what blades work best for me, I’ve decided that I will continue with the Fat Boy focus until September 4. This will allow me to try two additional blades. After that, instead of going to the Old Type as I originally intended, I will focus on my Gillette Techs the balance of September. I have two of them made only 6 months apart. I will use them to review the 7 or 8 blades I’m considering stocking up on. While I’m going to stick with the rest of my setup most of the time, I’m likely to try a new soap or two, a different after shave, and perhaps dig out my untouched VDH boar brush for a little variety.

The Old Type will get his chance in October, which I hope will be OC month for me. If all goes well, by that time I’ll have another OC razor he can tag team with, otherwise he’ll go it alone.

 

I have a bit of a dilemma - I really enjoyed 30 August and would love to be part of 30 day Sept.

Only problem is I don't know what to choose!

 

Oh and then I thought "hey maybe I'll focus on the R41 I got for Christmas last year" so I broke that out yesterday to see if sticking to one thing and just working to improve all of last month had helped me improve. Well that will not be my focus. My skills have improved but that razor is just a beast. It's also thirsty. Stayed very light and steady and it still gave me a little kiss. Back in the drawer with you r41!

 

My focus this month will be SE September. I am starting with an Injector Type G I got off of eBay a few weeks ago. I paid a hefty $5 shipped for it, but I new it was meant to be as someone had engraved my name on it already. Well, engraved may be a little nice, scratched is probably more correct. Anyway my wife couldn't argue with the price.


I will also include these two I just picked up from the local antique store. I am pretty excited about these as well.



This should be a great month for me as I have not used SE razors before. I am very excited to get know these three razors.

 

That third razor is cool looking. The handle makes me think LOTR

 

Looks like you also started Shave Den Sunday.
I'll post mine this afternoon. Shave Den Sunday is under the"General", thread.

 

Great looking razors. I haven't used SE razors much my self either.

 

I've always wanted to try an R41. PM me if you have a wish list for a trade.

 

September Focus

Being such a relative newbie, any month can be a “specialty” month because all I’ve ever used until August was a Gillette Tech. So whether the broad category, like SEs, or a more narrow one like adjustable DEs - it won’t matter. I may perhaps think differently when I get more particular about my preferences, but right now I’m still learning about the hobby so I’m game for anything.

So if it’s SEs, I just happened to have had a bit of the RAD bite me of late and I could do either injectors or GEM-type. I’d like to do both, but at least as the month begins, my intent is to do injectors.

My Injector Inventory:


from left to right:
1950s Era Pal Adjustable Injector
1937 Schick Made in Canada Type E2 (Butterscotch handle)
1946-53 Schick Eversharp Type G1(White handle)
1955-58 Schick Eversharp Type I2 (Black handle)
1958-64 Schick Eversharp Type J3 (Golden 500)

I will start with a Schick Type J3 (aka, the Golden 500) followed closely behind by a Schick Type I2.
I have been told by some of our TSD brothers on the Injector/SE Party thread that these are very similar razors, with their ‘hydro-magic’ cleaning handle in the head making their shave angle very similar and termed as mild, smooth razors. I figure they are good razors to learn how to use an injector - which I’ve never done.

Next up would be a Schick Type G1, a version that they say is a step up on the aggressiveness scale.

If I make it past those three, I begin to wonder what comes next…as I have a Schick E2 and a PAL adjustable that I could try, though I’m told they are more on the aggressive side. I may want to make sure my injector skills are sound first.

I also have a few GEMS that I’m itching to try as a further introduction to SEs.

No doubt I will need at least two months or more to get to them all. But I’m never going back to carts, so I’ll just get to all of these in good time.

Cheers!
RT

 

So sorry you changed your avatar Eric!
Your previous one was such a shining example of how great wetshaving, and perhaps using straights, can be so great for one's face /complexion!
Yours was an absolute transformation.

Keep it up!

 

Ah... He has summoned forth the holy hand grenade.
The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
A Reading from the Book of Armaments, Chapter 4, Verses 16 to 20:

Then did he raise on high the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, saying, "Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy." And the people did rejoice and did feast upon the lambs and toads and tree-sloths and fruit-bats and orangutans and breakfast cereals ... Now did the Lord say, "First thou pullest the Holy Pin. Then thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the number of the counting, be reached, then lobbest thou the Holy Hand Grenade in the direction of thine foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it."