August 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

August 12- Shave at the Lake
40s SS w Astra (?# - at least 5)
Palmolive Stick
TGN Synthetic/ Mahogany handle
Stirling Menthol Balm

Shaved with my 'trailer set up' at the lake. Usual set up, usual solid results. This blade is done and will need to change it next time. Finished my travel Thayers last time and will have to remember to bring more out.
The sky is very smokey as our province is burning. It was reported that there are over 100 fires in BC right now. Our area has gone 7 weeks without any significant rainfall. Some is forcast for Monday, though.
Have a great Saturday night all!

 

Today I got a phenomenal shave. In fact, the closest, smoothest shave I've ever experienced. Not sure what the secret sauce was. Slim on 6. Astra SP on its 4th shave. B&M Adagio sample. Stirling 26 mm Badger (which, by the way, is a really exceptional knot). Nothing new or unusual, but the result was near perfection. Woohoo! Only bad news - it's still so close 12 hours later that I don't think I'm going to need a shave tomorrow.

 

Sunday shave

W&B is up with a couple of shaves after a touch up on the Shapton 16k and the edge is still very smooth and sharp. I decided to be decadent today and pulled out the HUGE Kent BK12, I defiantly could have done a couple more passes after finishing up my four pass shave. A very smooth face and just a tickle from the alum kept this from being an epic shave.

Irritation A Closeness A+ Smoothness A+ Sharpness A

Razor: Wade and Butcher
Strop: Tim Miller
Brush: Kent BK12
Pre: Nivea
Soap: D.R. Harris cream + AoS tallow
AS: Alcolado Glacial from the ‘fridge
Scent: MDCI Invasion Barbare

 

Adjustable (Arko) August!!!

August 11 - Grand Blade Trials

Razor - 1959 (E4) Gillette Fatboy (6)
Blade - (2)
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Brush - Jayaruh #46
Post - Alum

Day two on the Prime Platinum and I'm sensing that there is a difference between this blade and the ST-301. The 6 setting usually allows a blade to show more of its true colors than the mild 3, and that was the case tonight. Very smooth still and, at first, seemed quite like the 301. However, as the shave progressed I noticed I was feeling the blade a bit more. It seems sharper than the 301. No problems with anything, just that extra feel of the blade that indicates it's cutting a bit more effectively. Two passes and some minor touch up and the baby showed up. Another clue that the blade is sharper than the 301. The alum was the final clue as there was a slight hint of heat, though nothing startling. Clearly, though, the blade got closer than the 301 did at this stage.

Tomorrow's run at 9 will tell more of the tale. I'm actually quite eager to give it a go. As long as it doesn't go too far on the harshness, this blade could provide some very nice shaves. Well above average at least.

 

Adjustable August Ahhh Focus!

Tabac Original by Maurer & Wirtz
30 DC LE Cypress Cashmere brush
'59 Gillette Model 195 on number 9
СПУТНИК ТЕФЛОН ПОКРЫТИЕ
Alum, Proraso Crema Liquida Blu


Thought about trying one of my backlog of sample soaps, but the Tabac spoke to me. When you soap starts talking you'll listen, too. Quick cool water dip of the @jtspartan Limited Edition brush and the long ignored lavender, citrus, and warm florals scented tallow lather was loaded. Couple easy swirls in the suribachi and it was Shave Time. Keeping the Fat Boy adjusted to MAX, the second use of a Sputnik Teflon coated blade made easy work of reducing two days beard. Three standard passes plus special chin attention provided an efficient DFS+ bordering on BBS. Not a flawless shave as I managed a nick under my chin. Alum block was nearly quiet. The Proraso Blue lotion has a scent in the same neighborhood as Tabac, but also reminds me of muscadine grapes.
Good Shaves Y'all!

 

Sunday early morning August 13 - adjusted adjustable

Gillette Fatboy on 3 / Topaz Platinum ( 1 )
Jason's non - 30DC Cypress Badger brush
Kent / MWF in wooden tub
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Original Astringent

Identical shave setup to yesterday except I knocked the Fatboy back down a notch to my usual 3. I overdid the water in the MWF today and had much runnier lather than normal. It still protected though. The alum was still a little warm from yesterday but overall the shave was more enjoyable -- just as close and clean but without any nicks, weepers or harsh irritation. I think 3 is the definite sweetspot for me on Gillette adjustables. For that matter, plate 3 also works superbly on my Rockwell 6s, although 4 is okay too. I guess I am just a lower middle-of-the-road shaver...

Hope the weekend is going well for everyone.

 

August 13, 2017
Option 5
Feather (2)
“The Rowl” Shavemac D01 2 Band Flat Top
Mystic Water Lavender Lime
Folsom & Co Shambala

​

A new week brings a change in the soap and brush lineup. I am back to MW Lavender Lime soap with the anticipation that it will be finished before the end of the week. The brush for the week is the Against The Grain LE Shavemac D01 2 Band Flat Top. This brush has the most backbone of any brush I have used by a large margin. However, the tips are just soft enough to allow for a pleasurable experience while face lathering. The big Shavemac worked its magic on the MW Lavender Lime producing a mountain of rich slick lather. Sticking with a regular 3 pass shave while skin stretching required very minor touch ups to yield a near perfect shave. I finished up with a splash of F&C Sambala. Sadly the Shambala will be finished in 1 or 2 more shaves. I hope everyone has a great Sunday.

 

Another great lather with a member made brush. A very nice face lather this morning. Thank you @Jayaruh
TSD Bourbon Vanilla Soap
Jayaruh #44 Brush
Art Razor Pegasus Razor
Lucky Tiger
Ogallala Bay Rum After Shave
Have a blessed Sunday!

 

Beautiful picture, Clint!

 

Just a beautiful razor, Brian!

 

Aug 13 SOTD:

Rubberset 400
TSD Lavender and Rose Wheat SC
Schick Adjustable
Stirling Unscented PSB
Wholly Kaw Chypre Rose Concerto AS

I had a few weepers this morning, none of which I felt when they happened. Other than that, it was a nice shave. I am almost out of this shave cream, which is a nice performer. I hope everyone has a great day.

 

Thank you. It's my prettiest

 

Have you tried any of the Donkey Milk (always makes me think of the punch line of a joke when I read this ) offerings from WK? I have not yet, but one will be one of my next soap purchases or two...The masses are raving about the stuff...

Dat spike! Do you know the steel composition? Just curious...she's a beaut.

 

Beautiful razor!

 

Thank you Jim.

Fantastic filter effect. It really made the 400 pop.

 

Thanks. Yes, it has a spike. I'm careful with this one around the ears. It has a slight smile and is a wonderful shaver. It is O1 steel.

 

I have been really behind oh posting shaves, but have a couple of them that either held true to my mini-focus of looking for inspiration, or my larger year long mission to master the straight shave.



-Brian Brown 6/8
-30 Day Crew LE
-Tabac
-Stirling Port au Prince AS

@mrchick was the initial inspiration for this shave, but I don't exactly remember why. I am willing to bet it was a straight tho... A lot of talk lately about Tabac, I am not sure if it is due to cooler weather rolling through, but it made me want to get the bowl out. The great brush, the super slick lather, and the wicked sharp blade made for a really good shave. Three passes and some touching up, and I could at least see babies. Definitely a top gear kind of day.



-Artist Club DX
-DeReuitem Shaving Finest
-Jeeves of Hudson Street
-Chiseled Face Summer Storm

I suppose I am at least a couple hundred shaves into straights or shavette shaving, and I have picked up a handful of razors that I really, really like shaving with. The Feather might not be my favorite razor, but I have come to the conclusion that it is my best, for a variety of reasons. It is always sharp. I never need to strop it, refreshing the blade consists of a five second blade change. It is a nice looking razor, and the resin impregnated laminate scales should last as long as I do. It is stainless, so I don't need to worry about careful wipedowns and oiling, or storing in another room. It is extremely comfortable to grip, jimped and sporting a long tail. And most importantly, I get just stellar shaves from it.

It doesn't have the character of any of my straights, requires a little more concentration, and lacks the self sustainability, but from a strict function and convenience standpoint, I think it is probably my best razor.

Oh, and my candy stripe is back in service after replacing the horrible shedder of a knot with a Frank Shaving two band flattop. (Again a mrchick idea . It's a pretty decent knot. It ditched a couple hairs when I gave it a cleaning, but no more when I lathered it to shave. The flattop feels a size bigger than the 22 it is, the finest has a bit of backbone, was still quite soft, and flats are always nice to load. The tips on this knot were gelling up a bit, similar to the knots Stirling has been selling recently. It makes me wonder what sort of treatment is being done to these more economical badgers, to make them perform like brushes you used to have to pay big money to get.

 

O1 is an excellent straight razor steel.

 

I hope y'all get some rain soon. Seems we can't go a day without it.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

It must be horrible up there. Hope you get some relief soon.

The winds have not been kind to us south of the border. The smoke from those fires have traveled over 400 miles or so to visit us across the border.


What would have been a 90 degree, cloudless, sunny Seattle sky.
Been like this for nearly two weeks until the winds shifted this weekend.

Hope you get all the rain you need.
RT