OCtober 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

SOTD October 9, 2016

Blade: Chinese Schick
Razor: Schick L1 injector
Brush: Semogue 1520 boar
Lather: Stirling Barbershop
Post: Witch hazel splash, Stirling Barbershop aftershave, Nivea sensitive balm
WTG

Quick and easy one pass shave this afternoon. I was actually not going to shave but then realized we had a family dinner tonight and I didn't want to look scruffy. So a quick one pass would suffice. The L1 continues as a great little razor. Put in a new Chick blade before this shave after getting six shaves from the previous blade. I probably could've gotten a seventh shave but went ahead and changed it.

Good shave, and I hope you all have a great rest of your Sunday!

 

Thank you Jim. I need to use the MdC more often.

 

Awesome! I hope you had a wonderful day with your Dad!

 

What are we going to do with Paul and his "drive-by" shenanigans?

 

Hey, I talk about shaving too, y'know )

 

I'm just pulling your leg, Paul. This is a non-hijackable thread...and the only reason I haven't been kicked out! I hope you're having a great Sunday waaaaaay up there in Massachusetts.

 

Oh I knew that-I must say I do like to throw in a funny comment or two. Been raining here all day(we need it). Now to listen to your thing on town pronunciations . (By the way, I don't have the odd dialect).

 

That was FUNNY. We do have some tricky names here. I might have added Reading, which is not pronounced like it looks( as in "reading a book"). It's pronounced "Red-ing".

 

I think we can all approve this message. This should be our pre-party song, you know, getting ourselves ready for adventures like Cinco de Julio.

But I think this one wins for a theme song.

 

Shave 5

Tonights shave went pretty good. I did get one tiny nick on my chin. I put the blade down on myself. It only takes an instant and you have blood with these things. I hope to get the hang of these before I scar my face too much

I am working on trying to get my upper neck better. Tonight I went N-S then S-N then back to N-S. As the N-S is as close to ATG i can get at this point.

This is a world of difference from regular razors. I will master them. When, I have not a clue.

Tom


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October 9

Gillette New LC finished in Gun-Kote Bronze by Delta Echo Razor Works
Feather blade (2)
Kent BK4 brush
Tabac shave stick
Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Fine Platinum aftershave

Yesterday was a no-shave day, so this was my first shave in OCtober with two days of growth. It was the best shave I've had this month.

Tabac is one of the best overall soaps I've ever used. It excels in cushioning and provides good slickness. Reports on the scent are mixed, but I like it.

My first pass consisted of short, slightly overlapping WTG strokes on my face and careful ATG strokes beginning at the jaw line and extending down my neck. My trouble spots are my upper lip (prone to nicks and irritation), chin and jaw line (beard grows in different directions), and lower neck (prone to nicks, weepers, and irritation). Good skin stretching obviously helps. My second pass consisted of ATG strokes on my face, except my upper lip where I shave XTG. I performed a combination of XTG and ATG strokes on my neck.

The end result was a near-BBS shave. I describe many of my shaves in this way, as I have to really work my trouble spots to get a true BBS. For me, it's not worth the potential for the irritation. I'm still reasonably smooth 12 hours later, and I'd be happy with this shave any day of the week.

I hope everyone had a blessed Sunday.

 

I see the wisdom in what you are saying. And by seeing wisdom in anything involved in this, well, you know. But I like it!

 

OCtober-een!

October 9

Grand Blade Trials

Razor - 1962 (H1) Gillette Slim (9)
Blade - (3)
Soap - Arko
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Post - Alum, The Veg

You may notice that I'm posting this in the evening. Of course, I shaved this morning and just now finished the day to post. You'll also notice, perhaps, I live in St. Louis (ok, well suburb) and yes, the two candidates are debating less than 30 miles from me. You'll also notice I'm doing this and not watching. Sometimes it's better just to do what you love and ignore the noise, know what I mean? I'll also say it's good to live upwind of Wash U tonight. No chance of any foul odors drifting my way. And with that quick message I'll pivot to the shave.

Final day for the Tomy this morning and I was hoping that it didn't turn into a deadly object at a wide open 9 on the Slim. Yesterday's two pass BBS was a surprise and an awesome one, totally unexpected. If 6 is the setting that delivered that, 9 may be the one that removes skin layers. The first pass was still very smooth if a bit edgy. I think with the 9 I can do enough angle movement that it creates the potential for some harshness. But, I held it close to the cap and maintained that throughout the pass. And again through the second pass. And at that point I needed two very small touch ups on the neckline to again get the baby. Two days in a row. Baby in two. With an obscure blade that I wouldn't have heard of without doing the Grand Blade Trial. Well, heard of it, wouldn't have touched it. I think we have a winner in the Israeli pool of blades.

Having said that I'll be putting some notes together on the Israeli grouping to go along with the past couple of weeks. My quick review is.......very fine steel and blade production across the entire group. Crystal/Qball and the Tomy would be the best of the best. But there were no bad blades.

The holiday is three weeks from tomorrow. Looks like this Russian family has their costumes figured out.

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Oh. Sorry. That's Ivan's family portrait when he was a young boy. Before the Russian Army ran the pounds off. My bad.

 

We had a great day. Stopped at Walmart on the Bayou to renew fishing licenses. I'm not kidding about the name, that's what they call the location. Grabbed a 6 pack of catfish hooks, but skipped the bait shrimp. On to Prien Park to check out a new fishing jetty the Police Jury had built. Too windy, no one was catching there. On to Calcasieu Point where the bait shrimp were fresh and cheap - $2.50/lb.

Set up on the pier, baited and cast, baited and cast. Switched to smaller hooks, baited and cast... Switched to even smaller hooks. I caught one of the bait stealers. A perch right sized for a saltine cracker. And a single blue crab. If I'm going to do crabs I want two dozen, about a five gallon bucket full. Packed up and moved further south to near the intracoastal waterway. No bites. A poor day fishing beats sitting home watching reruns. Headed towards the house with a detour passed a farm tractor supply house. Going to visit there tomorrow seeking a starter for dad's Ford Jubilee.
Mom's concerned about her hubby. Doesn't "do things" like he used too. He's 75, had a quad bypass, knee replacement, shoulder surgery. I think he deserves to still be in his bath robe at noon any day of the week! No signs of dementia. He did the driving today with nary a slip or faux pas. We should all be so lucky.

 

Those are the days to remember. We are very fortunate to still have our fathers. I am so glad my dad is still around and in good health. He is 79. Had a heart attack 2 weeks after he retired(62). Him and my mom have been taking serious care of themselves since then.


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Thanks for sharing about the time you had with your Dad today. I'm glad you both had a great time. My Dad passed a few years ago, but he loved to go fishing more than anything else. Days like you had today are ones to remember.

Today is my Mom's 90th birthday. I'm out of town, so I had to wish her a Happy Birthday on the phone. The family is planning an evening out with her to celebrate when I get home.

 

Hello TSD

Shave #7 of my October focus:



- Mystic Water "Marrakesh"
- The Tuxedo
- Feather Artist Club SS
- Feather Pro Guard/Feather Professional
- Via Barberia "Fructi" AS Serum

Yes - Pain stick shaves without any blood ARE possible. Repeatedly!

Back to Mystic Water soaps today - Marrakesh is a very nice scent. Funny though - now that I've figured out how much water I have to use for the Reef Point soaps, I'm not so sure any more that the Mystic Water is slicker... Whatever - both are top performers.

First pass WTG, very light touch, focus on skin stretching. Then I decided to switch blades again for the second pass X/ATG. That was the right thing to do. The Professional blade IS sharper and I might have to be even more careful, but at the same time shaving against the grain feels quite a bit smoother. Accident-free second pass, a DFS, finished with a cold water rinse and some of Omega's "Via Barberia" Aftershave. Though I have to say the "Fructi" is the only one of the series I'm really not fond of ... smells like moldy grapefruit. "Aquae" and "Herbae" are much better in my opinion.

Oh - and I am still excited about the Tuxedo Superb brush.

Have a great day!

 

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful day with your Dad.

 

October 10, 2016
Wolfman WR-01 OC + Ti with Triad Ti
7 O’clock Blue (1)
BSB2 with Vie Long 2 Band Fan
Route 66 Twisted Tweed
Witch Hazel
Floid Blue

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I decided to mix things up a little today. @Rufus T. has sent me some 7 O'clock Blue Blades last year. I have used them sparingly since they would be difficult to replace. So I decided to start the week by giving them a go in the Wolfman +. I find the blades to be exceptionally smooth and not quite as sharp as my normal Feather. The resulting shave was very smooth and near perfect. Overall a fantastic way to start the week. I finished off the shave with a splash of Floid Blue. I hope everyone has a fantastic Monday.

 

SOTD October 10, 2016

Blade: Chinese Schick
Razor: Schick L1 injector
Brush: Artisan badger
Lather: Stirling Barbershop
Post: Witch hazel splash, Stirling Barbershop aftershave, Nivea sensitive balm
WTG

Efficient and easy one-pass shave this morning. Yesterday's shave was less than 24 hours prior to this one and therefore the one pass was sufficient. This combination works really well. Get used to it as you'll see it a lot this month (and already have)! Have a great day!