March 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Go split some wood and carry water. You'll feel, well, maybe better.

 

Wrung out Kung fu on six? Three minutes flat y'all.

Woooooooooooooooooo!

 

Awesome brush! I love his 400's and am seriously thinking of making one of them my next brush. Great artistry and function!

 

Cake....

The Parker really has some heft. It actually requires a bit of concentration when switching from the light Magic. Verdict still out. The Magic is so fun. The slide mount gives a rock solid stiff edge in a wedge profile for the almost real SR experience. Hmmm.

 

Glen made your blade perfect. Great scales! Really cool. And I've used his edge before...they're so nice! All newbies should try a @gssixgun (or any true honing expert) edge in order to know what it's supposed to be like.

 

March 8 (Wednesday ) - Gem-style SE focus

Gem 1912 / Gem PTFE ( 2)
Kent woodhandled boar brush
The Eternal Tub of TOBS Avocado Cream ( croap )
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Original

After working on light fingertip-held shaves for the last two weeks, I moved on to my actual March foci today - shaving with my Gem-style SEs while finishing off The Eternal Tub.

The Kent brush whipped up a good load of lather tonight. After a couple false starts, I think it is finally getting properly broken in. After tonight's shave, I loaded it with the last of the lather and left it to dry soapy to help the process along. The Eternal Tub is now down to about its last half dozen shaves.

I bought several new types of soap last week but today realized that when The Eternal Tub finally empties I won't have any more TOBS. Considering how well it worked for me, that's just stupid. So I went to my faithful Canadian dealer (Fendrihan) and bought tubs of Avocado, Sandalwood and Lavender. Then, being back on a soap buying kick, I went to Connaught Shaving in the UK to pick up some Italian soaps that Fendrihan didn't carry: Vitos and Valobra soft soaps and creams and a new offering from Pannacrema Nuavia called Pure 2O that comes in plastic tubs and costs about a quarter of the price of those Blu, Rossi, and Verde ceramic pots. Has anybody here tried it?

I used the old brass Gem 1912 today in a normal grip but with light pressure. I like the way the blade sings as it cuts the stubble, I like the neat lather-catching design of the razorhead, and I like how easy it is to "ride the cap". I don’t like how big and clumsy the razor feels compared to a DE or injector.

I did my usual diagonal passes on the cheeks and neck and XTG on the chin and upper lip. Then I relathered and went for an ATG pass everywhere. That may have been a mistake. Up until then, I had a DFS. After that, I had a true BBS even on my normal trouble spots.

Best shave any razor has given me to date! Yaay!!

Then I did the alum rub and it stung a bit everywhere. So instead of my now-normal Thayers Witch Hazel Aftershave (with 20% alcohol and no glycerin), I backed all the way down to the ultra-mild alcohol-free Thayers Witch Hazel Original. That seemed to calm everything down.

However, when I looked in the mirror after I was done all the postshave, I found I had two still-bleeding weepers, one right under my chin and one below the middle of my lower lip! Hiss! Booo!! And an hour later, my chin and neck were feeling a bit raw and I had to break out the Nivea Sensitive balm.

Overall, I am still very much undecided about these SE razors. I expect the best thing to do will be simply to shave with them for the rest of the month without expectations and then sit down and assess how I like them after that.

 

March 9, 2017​

Mongoose B2 with Triad Ti​

Feather Pro Super (5)​

Chubby 2 Synthetic​

Route 66 Lumberjack​

Floid Blue​

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I am glad that the work week is coming to an end. After a one day break, I am back to the Chubby 2 Synthetic for the remainder of the week. I just lover this little lather monster. The CH2 whipped up a mountain of lather and I just love the scent of Lumberjack as I face lather. Sticking with a 2 pass routine, XTG and ATG, followed by some touch ups ended in my normal excellent work morning shave. A splash of Floid blue provided a wonderful end to a peaceful start of the day. I hope everyone has a great Thursday.

 

March 9

G3 Gillette Fat Boy
Voskhod (4)
Simpson Chubby 2 Super
Soap Commander Love
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Fine Platinum

I enjoyed an early morning two-pass, near BBS shave. The FB was set at warp 6, and the Voskhod performed great on shave number 4. I hope you all have a fantastic Thursday!

 

Wonderful picture, Charlie!

 

March 9 SOTD:

Vie-long Horsehair Brush
Stirling Port-au-Prince SS
Schick Type G3
Stirling Unscented PSB
Fine Fresh Vetiver AS

I have just about worked through all of my shave brushes, so I pulled this one out. I originally bought it for my wife when she showed some interest in using shave soap, but found I liked myself. This morning, I remembered why I stopped using it: It is a shedder. I dropped a couple of dozen hairs this morning. It works well, but I just don't like shedding. I may have look at another Vie-long, as it does work well. The G3 worked very this morning, and I have a DFS after two easy passes. I love how the Stirling Port-au-Prince scent hangs around for a while, and it pairs nicely with the Fine Fresh Vetiver. Even with the shedding brush, it was a great start to my day. I hope everyone has a great day!

 

Well I think we understand what drives your AD's.

 

Wonderful photo Charlie.

 

Lovely photo Jim. The colors of the filter make the razor pop.

 

Thank you, Clint!

 

Cool pic effect. Look at Epsilon for horse. Same brand, just GMC/Cadillac. I just got that flattop in, and it is a stupid nice brush. For the price, I kind of don't believe it.

*Fixed a typo.

 

beautiful photo. Love where you live. very scenic and appears relaxing.

 

March 9, 2017

Gillette SA w Astra (3)
Stirling Barbershop
TGN Finest Fan/ Maple Handle
Thayers
Stirling Barbershop splash

Day 6 of the SA focus, day 3 with the Astra. Went 6,5,3 on the 3 passes. Another close, smooth shave. The only downside is that my neck is a little raw. Started yesterday and continued today. Might have to dial back the XTG and ATG passes a bit. Could be technique at this setting, or just too much for my skin. I'll spend the next several days finding out!
The soap and brush whipped up the usual fantastic Stirling lather, and I finished off with the matching splash. It is one of my wife's favourites. After using the Gentleman yesterday, which she doesn't care for, I decided to not put an addition on my doghouse and went with the Barbershop.
Have a great day all!

 

Day 15 of 30 days of straights

Great shave today. I ended up with a BBS, only the second time I have done that with a straight.

DIY Pre-shave Oil
MDC
30mm High Mountain White set an extra 10mm deep
3 passes, WTG, XTG, XTG
6/8 Square toe Parker 320

 

Pro-Tip, if you "don't want to waste soap" you will end up with a soap inventory that never seems to diminish and therefore might be delayed in trying something new.

 

Is it just me or is there no curvature to the blade in the Asylum Evolution ?