December 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Beautiful picture. Razor and soap dish complement each other very well

 

What's more decadent than a nice Tallow Soap, a soft Badger Brush and a beautiful Straight Razor?

So this is today's decadent shave:



- Jeeves of Hudson Street "Eucalyptus & Spearmint"
- Thäter 26mm 2-band silvertip
- unknown french 7/8'' Lady in red
- Thayer's Witch hazel


Really nice shave. This blade is not as sharp and smooth as my new Japanese or the Mastro Livi, but still good. Very nice sound - pretty loud blade. Two passes (WTG and XTG), zero irritation, DFS. This Razor's tip looks dangerous though. I did not cut myself this time, but I bet I will someday

 

Thank you.

 

Gents, lovely set ups and photos for your Sunday shaves.

Clint, take it easy today and give your back some rest.

 

Thank you Charlie. I am well on the way to rest and relaxation with a cup of coffee and the gas logs in the fireplace. Just enjoying the quite time while all the ladies sleep.

 

Focus Shave December 18, 2016

Pre-Shave: VDH Shave Butter w/hot towel
Shaving Soap: Col. Conk's Bay Rum
Brush: VDH Boar
Blade: Feather Black
Razor: Gillette Super Adjustable 109, circa 1971
Post-Shave: Hot/Cold rinse, alum block and Dominello Vitali Calming Post Shave Moisturizer
After Shave: Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum
Background: Miles Davis, "The Complete Birth of the Cool"
Song of the Day: "S'il Vous Plait"

Start of the audition for the Feather Black. Dialed up "8" for the WTG. Kept it there for the XTG on the cheeks and chin and ATG on the neck. "7" for the slight touch up along the jawline.
Since the weather yesterday was so winter I decided to dial up the decadence by again going to the islands. I also broke out my only shaving soap. Prep time is an issue during the week so it does not come out too often. Since this is a "me-time" shave I popped Miles into the CD Player/AM-FM and it was a great accompaniment to the shave.
Since the Feather Blade rep has preceded it, I very carefully rode the cap(h/t Bama Samurai). It was a great shave. BANZAI!!!
Have a great Sunday Gents!

 

I may have attributed this to the wrong Shaver. Was that you Jared @PickledNorthern with the new shavette? Either way, trying for full face length passes was my memory of straight shaves. For anyone who has used both, a shavette is not a straight. Taking shorter passes means more set downs and that allows for adjustment of blade angle. Muting the tips of disposable blades can happen but it didn't here.

 

Topaz dies first, PolSilver dies last. That's my prediction, for what it's worth.

 

It seems to be working on my neck, where there are so many angles. Like you said, with so many set downs, it is a slow process though. At least right now when I haven't even figured out the best way to hold the thing for those strokes, let alone develop any muscle memory.

I haven't used a DE blade in it yet. I did find my old Parker shavette, and I bought one of those Cool Cuts that PlanofMan has. I'm not going to use them for a while until I get this one dialed in.

 

For longest lasting, the 1970s era Gillette Platinum Plus might be the joker in the pack. It's a weird blade, btw -- it only has a slot for a TTO bar holder with none of the extra holes for 3-post caps, etc. Rather oddly limited the number and types of razors it could be used in, so I can use it in my Fatboy but not in my Tech or my new Rockwell 6s, for example.

 

December 18 - brushless products

Supply Provision Single Edge injector (Mild plate) / Schick Chromium (1)
Burt's Bees Natural Shave Cream
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Lavender

I found the Burt's Bees Natural Shave Cream in a local drugstore and bought it, thinking it would be a nice all-natural brush-and-lather product to try. Then I got it home and read the directions on the back of the tube with a magnifying glass: "Smooth cream on face before shaving." The wretched stuff was a brushless non-lathering gel masquerading as a proper shaving cream. Rats!

Apparently I am not the only one it has fooled, judging by the internet reviews complaining about how poorly it lathers. Personally I think Burt's Bees needs to improve this product's packaging and marketing.

Anyway, since it was non-returnable, it got slung into the cupboard until it finally made it into this week's lineup of brushless wonders.

The Supply Provision injector gave its usual solid shave with the new Schick Chromium blade feeling crisply sharp.

As for the shave cream, the scent is a mixture of fir, cypress, a couple citrus oils and patchouli. The result is sort of a pungent piney orange grove. Not bad but I've smelled better. The cream spreads easily on a wet face and a little goes a long way. It provided decent cushion and glide for my injector. On the other hand, the alum was unusually warm on my throat today, indicating a certain amount of razor burn there. That may have been because I didn't use quite enough product there; a few days use would probably get the amount better calibrated.

The Thayers Witch Hazel took care of the irritation quickly, leaving me with an okay shave overall.

I'm not going to throw the Burt's Bees cream in the garbage (at least not yet), but I doubt it will ever rank very high in my rotation, and I certainly wouldn't replace it if and when I ever use up this tube. I like some of Burt's Bees other products and am frankly rather disappointed in their shave cream.

 

Derby blades never worked for me. I use a merkur 34 c razor which is very similar in terms of aggressiveness as your razor. I use astra ss and TOBS and a alum block after shave. Finally I touch up with an aftershave balm. I would suggest stick with the astra blades and try to work on the pressure you apply. Use the weight of the razor. If you feel that you need to apply more pressure then the blade you are using is not for you. Practice for a month without changing anything. One razor, one blade, one soap and one aftershave. Also you may want to stop going ATG, it's not everyone's cup of tea. By that I mean your skin just cannot handle it.

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

 

December 18 SOTD:

Omega Boar Brush
TSD Lavender and Rose Wheat SC
Gillette Fatboy
Stirling Unscented PSB
The Veg

Shave two with the Feather and Fatboy combo, and once again it was very smooth. These two shaves have probably been the smoothest I have had with the Feather. I was very near a BBS after two passes this morning. I really like the TSD Wheat SC, but I am close to the end. I does give some nice lather with a great scent. A little Veg is a good wrap up to this shave and has me ready for a great day. I hope everyone has a great day!

 

Thanks for the advice. A few folks have mentioned using an Alum block... is the main point of the alum to calm irritation, or is it to stop bleeding? or both? I seem to see both ideas on these forums.

 

Decadent December 2016 - Day 17 late post



Weather was very cold yesterday, so was my shave. Another nice two pass from the @jimjo1031 Personna sample, and the Magic did its thing. Alum was good, and the Osage was a chilly finish...though, fortunately, I didn't get nuts with it. There has been some discussion on shavette versus straight of late, and I since I am probably TSD 's most regular Shavette user, here is my take. It's not a matter of better versus worse. They are not the same tool. With experience and mastery, a DE blade shavette delivers identical results to a straight. The margin for error in both angle and pressure is far less with a shavette than traditional straight. For this reason, straights are the safer choice for learning open blade shaving. At the risk of flames, when you read of poor shavette shaves, you are reading about poor techniques. All razors are the same, just a different grip on a blade, to be dragged over the skin at a low angle of attack, with enough pressure to cut at skin level. Now, time to figure out Sunday's decadence and put more wood on the fire. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a great Sunday afternoon!

 

Alum is an astringent/conditioner, coagulant (stops mild bleeeding), and mild antimicrobal agent.

The alum will definitely soothe irritation, as well as seal up weepers. The real advantage of alum is that it is an objective measure of technique. If the alum burns, angle and/or pressure were incorrect. If the alum feels like a cool stone on your face, with little sensation, and the skin is BBS---near optimal technique has been achieved. Alum is mostly advocated here as a learning tool, but I am am everyday user for it's skin tightening qualities and antimicrobal properties. If you have a tendency toward dry facial skin, alum will need to be rinsed off after use; but if your face is normal to oily, it can be a great tool.

 

My use of alum is almost exclusively to gauge irritation. It doesn't calm it, really, which is why I use a balm if it's too bad. It does help stop bleeding, but doesn't take the place of styptic when we leave blood on the steel. (Like how I worked that in there guys?)

 

It's mostly used to stop the bleeding and for its anti microbial properties. Also it helps tighten your skin so it makes shaving easier.

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A lovely photo Jim.

 

Thank you, Clint. Your picture today was outstanding! Have a great day!