March 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Good shave, gooder pic. That's a G8.

 

Jared - thank you, and thank you, again. I will update my files!

 

I hand load all my repeaters after jamming one. I use a pair of small needle nose pliers .

 

We're just over a week away from the Ides of March and my new razor for the day has arrived!!! Some assembly required.

 

- Henckels 13/16 FH
- Flashy FinWrks/TGN Finest
-Jeeves of Hudson St
-Stirling Gentleman

I took a little more care with stropping today, and there was a difference in the smoothness. (Perceived anyway) I also paid very close attention to the angle I was maintaining with the razor. With the Feathers, little shifts don't seem as critical. This one cuts noticeably differently with minimal shift in angle. To you vets out there, does this seem correct? Does it seem to change also in the difference between a FH and a NW? I also went back to a XTG instead of two WTG passes. I know the razor is plenty sharp, because if it wasn't, the ATG pass on my neck would leave weepers. Every time.

Anyway, I had a very productive day today, and rewarded myself by taking some extra time getting a good shave. I am very very nearly BBS. I missed the tiniest spot on the corner of my jaw, under my ear. Both sides. This is not a normal trouble spot, just my getting used to a different style of blade. An absolute Krylon shave: No runs, No drips, no errors.

 

Yes, I've found that angle makes a huge difference. With practice it starts to come naturally. I'm glad you are making such quick progress.

 

Point deduction for new hardware. Mine will come out of the coffee can in the garage

 

I couldn't locate any in the basement but I suspect SWMBO has been moving stuff around during her Spring cleaning episodes. If it helps I can throw them outside and let them sit in the dirt for awhile.

 

Thank you. I didn't really think of or plan all the shaves with the Kai and IBC razors as some sort of lead up to straight shaving, but it certainly helps when you don't have to think about how you are holding the razor, or worried about cutting yourself. Hopefully I got all my major bloodletting out of the way in January.

 

That will erase the deduction

 

Razor: AlumiGoose V1
Blade: Kai Titan Mild (9)
Brush: H.L. Thater Funf TSN LE Butterscotch Beehive 2 Band 5th Anniversary
Soap: Captain's Choice Bay Rum
Aftershave: Captain's Choice Bay Rum

Excellent 3 pass shave with this combination of equipment. I might get one more shave from this blade.

 

The angle is also important to me. You are progressing quickly, must be the hard training you did with pain sticks.

 

Another great pic Doug. How far to travel to take your outdoor pics?

 

Great outdoor shot, Doug!

 

Sometimes not that far, other time far, but it is usually in course of my travels.. I live in the country so it is country far not city far.

 

Thanks Jim.

 

March 7 (Tuesday) -
Gillette Fatboy on 3 / Gillette Platinum Plus (4)
Kent woodhandled boar brush
The Eternal Tub of TOBS Avocado Cream ( croap )
Castle Forbes Lavender balm

Did a fast shave today - about 5 minutes for the whole thing. Slapped on a thin but adequate lather and whisked it off with diagonal crisscross passes. Held the Fatboy in my normal grip but used very light pressure similar to that obtained by a finger tip hold. The result was something between CCS and DFS - good enough to go to work with. There were no obvious weepers or irritation, so I skipped the alum and just put on a bit of the CF balm mainly for the scent.

Nice to confirm that if I have to I can wetshave as quickly as I could electric shave without getting nicked or cut and while still achieving a cleaner result than with the electric.

 

Last of the 2 bands:



This is a brush that just caught my eye while browsing around Etsy on one of those rainy, bourbon filled afternoons. So a quick E mail with Aaron the shop owner about the knot, and it was on its way. I absolutely love this kind of handle stock. The swirls inside look like the middle of marbles we used to play with when we were kids; suspended throughout. The handle is very well crafted, detailed nicely, and well polished. It doesn't quite fir my hand just right. It is a little too short to palm, and the narrow part at the bottom doesn't quite line up with my middle finger to grip it. So it kind of ends up being held around the thin edge of the base. It is a cool brush to look at, but it feels a bit weird.

The knot is a 24mm TGN Finest. TGN's are fairly inexpensive knots but are good performers, and very common choices for both hobbyists and professional brushmakers. I have several of them, and have been happy with each. This one seems to have a bit more scritch than the others I have. It isn't uncomfortable, but it is a noticeable amount. The relatively low lofted set makes it pretty stiff. Overall, I would have to say this is the scrubbiest badger brush I own. That isn't a knock, I love a good hard scrub now and then. The low loft also keeps the brush pulled tightly together. This stiffens the splay up a bit, but also lends a feeling of density. It still has good flowthrough though. Tonight's shave was basically four passes, and a bunch of dabbing at places for cleanup. It held enough lather, and handed it over, but it sure looked empty and defeated when I was done.

Tonight's card came out to:

 

Been there and done that. Welcome to the club. As has been stated here before, blood has been shed to steel. Your membership is now complete. Until next time, that is.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

Good point, I do not measure in distance but in time, which can change dramatically depending upon the time of day. When someone asks me how far away a place is I answer in time depending upon mode of travel.