December 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

The old type with a fresh blade was up today. Managed a single pass DFS, smoothness-wise. Shave was not comfortable though. A little rough on the neck, and still irritation 10 hours later. Soap and aftershave were great. I am quite convinced I could keep only this brush and be happy with it for many years.

 

Considering you can get the vintage razors at a low value like a raw material, enjoy applying your labor to spiff em up, and have the potential of selling them at fair market value as shave ready - any money you've invested ought to rate a decent return. Unsold inventory is variable depending on the market. If she needs another pair of boots and I'm guessing she buys new ones and takes the retail hit, put up fliers and sell off a few? Just keep your inventory rotating.

 

Friday, December 30, 2019

Envy Shave 'Eight Ball' Envy White Two-Band
Savonniere du Moulon Donkey Milk
Blackland Blackbird Stork Aristocrat 2
Polsilver Super Iridium #3
Fine L'Orange Noir
Terre d Hermes EDT




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That lip on the SS is a bit of a learning curve. That is one difference between the CJB's and the Feather SS that may work in CJB's favor. No lip, just a solid angle to the blade. I hadn't thought of using the Super Pro blade to overcome that. Probably because adding even more sharpness seems like a semi-suicidal thought. I'll be watching.

 

Decadent December!!

December 29

Razor - Soviet Consul
Blade - (1)
Soap - Arko
Brush - Omega Pro 48
Post - Alum

Final three days of 2016 and the final three levels of the Consul. Let me tell you....every click on this thing now creates a pucker factor. Just looking at the gap is getting a bit worrisome. At 7, this thing is every bit of a Gillette adjustable at 9 and growing. With two more levels to go this is going to be interesting. I will say, though, that the one surprise so far is that the shaves have remained smooth even through today. No drag, although with this much gap and exposure I can't imagine creating any. The only problem was a slight reopening of the cut from a few days back. No biggie. Just a slight hint of blood and it was done. What is more concerning is the level of irritation with the alum. As hot as last night but really no hotter which creates another pucker factor.....what if the irritation grows exponentially in the next two settings? This could be interesting!

Two days until New Year's Eve! The boys are getting ready!

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Decadent December 2016 - Day 29



Just like that. Super busy day... But a great shave! Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a fantastic Friday!
☺

 

Did you say the blade is warped or bowed up in the middle? So conversely it's down on the corners? If the blade gap is a curve rather than a straight line by taking careful measurements to find the deviation the pucker factor is quantifiable!

 

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Thanks very much Adam.

 

Beautiful setup of excellent gear Mark.

 

Thanks for the shave soap idea Adam. I wasn't sure what to use today and tomorrow before I start my January Route 66 shave soap tour.

 

Great setup Chris. Hope you have a great Friday as well.

 

December 30, 2016
Cobra Classic
Feather Pro (7)
Brothers Bristles Tuxedo​

MdC Fougere
Witch Hazel​

Fine Lavender​

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Another great shave this morning, The Brothers Bristles made short work lathering the MdC. Two passes and touch ups ended in a near perfect BBS only thwarted by that one spot on my lower right neck. I finished the shave with a splash of Fine Lavender. I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday,

 

I have the same razor. Your shave will continue to improve. I keep the spine of the blade holder one spine width from my face. Stretch, take short strokes, go slow and easy. Dude will mow.

 

December 30 - all-vintage decadence

Gillette FatBoy E1 (1959) on setting 3
Gillette Platinum-Plus blade (1970s) (2)
Canadian Rubberset model 100V boar brush - near NOS 1930ish
Kaloderma camomile shaving cream (tube ca. 2005)
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Original (since 1847 - bottle since 2010)

A famous restaurant critic (I believe it was Craig Claiborne of the NY Times) once killed a fine-dining restaurant with a one sentence review: "We ate; we did not dine."

That pretty much sums up today's shave experiment. In particular, the Rubberset brush let me down.
I had originally planned to reknot the brush with a synthetic knot I picked up from Maggards, but when I cleaned the brush using Dawn and then vinegar, it responded so well and seemed in such good shape that I decided to keep it all original. Today was its trial voyage, and in its honour, I went with vintage products for everything else as well.

Unfortunately, while the bristles on the Rubberset brush look almost pristine, they are clearly long past their prime. They seemed to soften up nicely with a hot water soaking and they produced a good lather once I got the mix adjusted right. But the face feel ... Ah the face feel as I gently painted that lovely thick yogurty lather onto my stubbly cheeks. Well, let's just say I'll use a hank of coarse grade steel wool next time and enjoy some downy softness...

Back to Plan A. Next time I use my vintage Rubberset, I will caress my cheeks with a nice plissoft knot instead of scouring them with a potscrubber...

 

Well it was worth giving it a try before you decided to reknot brush. At least you will not have doubts about replacing the knot.

 

Yeah, it's all good. See post #1898.

 

☕️

 

Thank you Jared. I must admit, I have truly enjoyed this month.

 

Okay, the final shave with the 7 o'clock Greens. Trumper's Limes Shave Cream and Canoe AS. Kept the SA-109 dialed in at "7" for both passes and "6" for some minor jawline touch up. Love the smell of the Limes. My new Lenox bowl is really whipping up nice lather. It's about an inch wider at the mouth and overall wider than my Dollar Tree glass bowl. Next up Voskhods. Be interested to see what the boys from Moscow can do.