April 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

April 24 - Broke Down on Rt66 (with additions)

Merkur 34C
Personna Blue (day 1)
The Phoenix brush
DIY PSO
Route 66 Cranberry Citrus

Today was my first use of a Route 66 soap. I chose Rt66 Cranberry Citrus. With all the usage of Rt66 by other members, I was excited to use it.

I did my usual - press a demitasse spoon amount thinly into the bottom of my bowl and put about a teaspoon of hot water on it to soften it (or just enough to cover the soap). Today I used my Phoenix SilverTip badger brush. I showered first. I soaked The Phoenix and squeezed out as much water as possible. It was still damp and stuck together but no extra water was in it. The bloom water was poured into the center of the knot and I began to work the lather. The soap dissolved immediately. Lather was a bit of a challenge for my soft water. Not sure if it was difficult to create lather because I started with warm water or what. It just would not increase in volume. Now, I did use hot water at the start of the shower but I use a stainless steel bowl and it should have sucked all the heat out by the time I finished showering. I must have been room temp at best.

The lather was very shiny but had no loft. It barely covered the bottom of the bowl and some on the brush. I continued to whip the lather but it would not grow. My first application of the lather was thin and watery. I left it on my face and decided to grab whatever extra soap I grabbed from the sample box. Someone on the pass around thread suggested to grab a bit extra than one would think they need for soaps they are unfamiliar with. I am glad I did. While I was adding more soap, the lather on my face was dissipating. The addition helped make the lather stable but the quantity did not increase greatly. It helped improve loft slightly. I reapplied and this time the lather was a bit thicker and did not dissipate. I ended up having enough lather for 3 and a half passes. It had very little cushion. All see to be signs, to me that I over watered.

Got a DFS using my Merkur 34C with a Personna Blues blade (day 1) for today's shave. The blade glided well on my face I am sure due in no small part to the very good slickness of the soap. 3 passes and some touch up were needed for this DFS. Alum was very quiet with only warm spot here or there but nothing to write home about. I was well protected even for such light lather.

What really shined from this soap was that it was very slick and the scent lasted a good hour after shaving. I also found the scent to be sweet and very pleasing. I expect my lack of experience with Rt66 is what caused this failure. Since I have other Rt66 soaps, this will be possible. I will withhold my decision on this soap until further investigation is done. I highly feel I over watered this soap and will need to try a much drier approach. The cranberry citrus was a very nice combination.

The Personna blue did a very good job but they were not as close a shave as I would have liked. Not sure if the blade was skipping over hair or, and more likely, my technique needs tuning still. The Personna felt pretty smooth although I think I have felt smoother. The difference is kind of like the difference between satin and good silk. Both are smooth but still there is a difference between them. Will need to see how subsequent shaves result.

 

Routte 66 is great when you are able to get a decent load. Slickness is awesome and post shave feel is excellent! I have Cranberry Citrus too and love the scent and how it fills the bathroom with its wonderful aroma too!

 

You guys crack me up! It's kinda nuts me not being the "outlier" of a group. Pretty sure it has my wife frightened of potential things to come.

Well done @shavefu. I'm just disappointed that my poorly composed photo, that others have been so kind to complement, wasn't met with appropriate lambasting,. Feel free to chime in on the next one. I'm sure it will be equally as crappy.

[/QUOTE]@mrchick, if you had only left the straight razor out of the picture... It breaks the geometry of the photo...[/QUOTE]

To further instigate (and more importantly to make sure and not miss out on the opportunity to follow a straight razor totin' tough guy with the nickname snowballs @Drygulch), I found a virtually new Dovo at a not so new price, and pulled the trigger. I'm sure it will sit on the shelf for a while before I do anything with it other than use it for inspiration for further stupidity and wonder what my compel me to drag sharp steel across my jugular voluntarily.

Finally, today's bonus happy thought (aside from my girls) comes in the form of my newly transplanted synth. Voila!

 

The problem is, when i quote photos, most of them, don't show in my quote and there are so many, that i forget which is what. Sometimes i can't even remember why i quoted one and can't see it and just remove it, cause i don't remember which one it was. A few photos, like Clint's show even when i quote and it's easy to...comment them. But since now it's only yours at hand it's easy! Nice photo, but when i look down the bluriness of the brush handle + the blurriness of the table, kill my eyes. Otherwise it was very good concept.

 

In general you really don't need to soak Route 66 before using even loading off of the puck. This is even more true with you method. Next time try it without soaking the soap.

 

Will do. thanks. My brushes seem to feel lacking in backbone so I got into the habit of soaking what I press in the bowl to soften it. Just made dissolving so much easier with the harder soaps. I will try next with a dry batch of soap.

 

Problem solved. If you want me to sign that bad boy so you can slap it up on your wall, I'll give you my PayPal info and a limited edition @Shave Fu price.

Leave it to Charlie to instantly provide inspiration to drag sharp steel across my jugular area. Hubba hubba, shavette fu!

 

Nice handle! Now it's the blurry loft and the blurry table that kill my eyes!

 

Please, please! You can't even troll others decently! You 're an amateur! Like if we hadn't seen Sean Connery and Braveheart! Have you aver seen an Italian Braveheart? No? I thought so. At least do the minimal effort and use google! Here, let me help you! Try this one:



I mean, what's next? Pretending to showing a German, wearing a kimono? Trolling is an art. Leave it to the artists.

 

I have soft water and I have found Route 66 to be very effective with various amounts of water. Again I load off the puck so my situation is different. It's worth a try.

 

You look great in this shot, Shavette Fu! Your much improved shave technique makes your face look baby smooth. You and that handsome gentleman on the right make a fabulous couple!

 

I think you'll be happy. I never soak Route 66 and love it.

 

I did say i get BBS! On another note, i couldn't convince myself to order 200 Personna Reds... For the same price i ordered 300 more Astras SP... Total count now, here. Which also means, i will be reviewing also the Treet Platinum, Dorco Prime STP301 and...the german Croma Diamant! 2 I am on search for a middle of the road sharp, smooth blade to put next to the Shark SS. (i mean sharper than Derby). If i find it, i will order more. If not, my future blade purchases will be very limited in numbers. Also ordered a Proraso Sandalwood in cream this time ( i had bought a tub) and a french styptic pensil. I am ready for the worst now!

 

April Adjustable Focus; Arko Assisted

ToBS Eton College, SP→2 Badger Brush
'59 Gillette #195 and Dorco ST-301 blade
Alum block, rinse, & Pinaud Clubman AS



Had a slow morning at the house until the Postman showed up. International Mail Call! Fresh from John @Sparrow directly from Osaka, Japan; a piece of cypress with Value added. Wonderfully ergonomically designed asymmetric brush handle with a badger knot installed. It's a beautiful Thing!
Because I shave at the kitchen sink I lathered up the SP→2 with Arko, rinsed, lathered again. Frantically washing a short stack of dishes gave the lemony lather plenty of destink time. Dishes done and in the dryer rack, the ToBS lemon & patchouli came next. Short lofted and dense of bristle the badger knot pulled up creamy goodness. The not quite square, but not round either shape of the handle took a few rotations until I found the grip. Thumb in the notch and fingers over the curve works. No scratch, slight scritch - just the way I like it. The knot is set just right. Second shave on the Dorco Platinum coated blade yielded a DFS. Three passes & a little cleanup with the brush delivering plenty of lather each time.
Now I'm off to run the rototiller on my parents vegetable gardens. I'll be sore even though I've learned to let the tool do the work.
Good Shaves Y'all!

 

correct analysis! R66 is about as good as it gets in a lanolin soap. You'll get it. It's my preferred lather for true SR.

 

It's a no shave day for me today. Too much going on, and I got a late start. I am lucky just to skim enough to keep up on the thread today. I hope everyone is having a great day.

 

Razor: Timeless SB 0.95, w/ TRH5 Dimpled
Blade: Personna Star (2) Made in Great Britain
Brush: El Druida Ebony Zebra w/Manchurian
Soap: Route 66 Cavendish
Aftershave: Floid Blue

The razor, blade, brush, soap, and after shave preformed excellent tonight. Three passes with a minor touch up for a near BBS.

 

Lovely setting Doug. That brush. Oh my goodness. That brush.