Nov 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus

I am not sure. Life with dad isnt always as easy as life with mom!

 

You have a way with words Jim.

 

You would be the first to accuse me of that!

 

Mark, new brush? How are you liking it? In my mind you are one of the Simpson's users, or a Wolf Whiskers collector. Personally I enjoy the O-Pro 98 so much I bought a second one and trashed the handle just to use the knot.

Thanks Jason. I'm up to three cypress handles so far. The 30 DC LE, a Jayaruh - @130, modeled after the brush Mark used, and that one crafted by Jack @Sparrow. I'm keeping my eyes open, watching for a good sized tree I can harvest. Got other projects in mind!

 

Here's a catch up post. Still have 423 posts to read to catch up.

My focus? My rotation. I will continue to rotate my straights, sharpening those that need it, until I have used all of them. It might take until March. Soap, will continue to use one every other shave until it is gone, and working through my rotation on the off shaves.

November 1: Union Cutlery Spike


November 3rd: Robenson ShurEdge


November 5th: Dubl Duck Special No. 1

 

Sunday evening November 5 - still on Focus

Rockwell 6s on plate #5 / Topaz Platinum (1)
Semogue Owners Club cherrywood boar brush
TOBS Avocado Cream
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Original Astringent

The Semogue SOC boar brush did a great job bowl lathering the TOBS tonight. Enough creamy lather for many many more passes than the two I actually did. I may finally truly have a handle on what this brush needs to perform.

I moved up to plate #5 on the Rockwell 6s razor tonight. There is definitely more blade feel here. I made sure to use no pressure and to ride the cap and succeeded in doing the entire two pass shave without being bitten. No cuts or nicks anywhere but the alum was warm on my neck and the underside of my jaw, indicating a fair amount of potential irritation there. The witch hazel was necessary tonight; it calmed everything down again. More or less. I think I am going to go rub a bit of Nivea Sensitive Balm under my chin too...

I am not convinced the shave on plate #5 ended up being any better than the shaves on plates #4 or even #3. The same number and direction of passes yielded the same closeness of shave - a DFS close to but not quite at BBS level - but with more irritation.

Tomorrow I will move up to plate #6 just so I can say I have used the razor at maximum setting. Once I have proved to my satisfaction that I can handle it there, however, I think I will drop back to plate #3. The higher plates simply are not comfortable as daily drivers and aren't really necessary either; they might be good knocking down multi-day beards though.

It's been a very long weekend of work shifts (and isn't over until tomorrow morning) so the shave was a refreshing break.

I hope the weekend has treated everyone well and that you all have a good upcoming week!

 

While I was just going to slut around this month, I think I need to get back on track with getting rid of soaps. For the last couple of years I have had a puck of Institut Karite in an OS mug for occasional use. I think it is finally time to try and use it up. Not a hard and fast rule, but I have been headed in the wrong direction acquiring soaps again. I haven't shaved in the last few days, so tomorrow morning will be...

Gem OCMM
Gem stainless (1)
Semogue 2000
Institut Karite Soap

enjoy your day.

 

I have the 6c, and can't speak to how it compares to the stainless, but I have found plate 3 with a blade like Voskhod or GSB gives one of the best DE shaves I've ever had. I would even rate it above my beloved Weber (gasp). It's become my desert island razor.

 

Not a new brush, actually my first boar. Awesome brush I love it.

 

Happy 85th Birthday Floid A.S. .

 

NOVember!!!

November 5 - Ok,we'll call it a Qshave Focus now

Razor - Qshave Futur Clone
Blade - (3)
Pre-Shave - Stirling Mentholated Pre-Shave Soap
Soap - FatBac
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Post - Alum

When I took my shower this morning I discovered how poor last night's shave was compared to normal for me. I knew I missed the baby last night but didn't think it was all that bad. From the feeling in the shower when I washed my face I wondered how I had rated it a DFS. We'll have to revise it to a barely DFS last night. And with the Qshave on 4 - unacceptable. So, the goal tonight became to get a big improvement at the 4 setting. The question in my mind - is it the razor or my lack of technique with the razor that is the issue? I'm pretty sure we all know the answer to that in this thread.

I upped my chances by using the Stirling pre-shave soap and I grabbed the FatBac. Yes, the big gun came out. Equal parts Mitchell's Wool Fat and Tabac and it produces the slickest lather I think I have ever had. The scent is also quite unique and very very nice. SWMBO totally approves as well. I used the Wolf Whiskers Silvertip and came up with the exact lather I was looking for. Two passes, about a half additional pass for touch up and I'm blood free, alum is quiet and the baby is sleeping soundly. THAT'S the shave I was looking for last night and I found it tonight. Now I feel justified in taking it up to 5 tomorrow night and continuing the focus on this razor.

I'm beginning to be a bit of a believer in this razor, at least as far as its ability to deliver great shaves. I'm such a vintage groupie that using this quite unique and interesting modern razor is a bit disconcerting. However, it is a very cool item and it is beginning to feel totally at home in my hand. As always, technique trumps tools and I plan to stick with this one through the month now to get that technique perfected. As for my earlier plans for NOVember - well, both missing items arrive tomorrow but they'll have to sit on the shelf until a later time. The Qshave has my full attention at this point.

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Of course, an enabler would say that there is no wrong direction when acquiring soaps. Fortunately, I'm not an enabler so would never say that.

 

I stand with the gentleman from Seoul. Rule it is. Stirling soaps are the same in my book, or at least the ones I've used. Scent is not a factor in performance by itself. I would even say that Red or Green Proraso wouldn't break the rule. White, however, I think would as it is just a bit of a different animal in how it lathers. (sorry, random thoughts running through my head that turned this into a very long "i agree" reply.)

 

As far as I know, the Rockwell 6c and 6s are absolutely identical in fit and performance (other than 6s being stainless and 6c being chromed something or other). And my experience with the 6s mirrors yours with the 6c -- plate 3 with a good blade gives me some of the best DE shaves of any razor in my rotation. Unless my shave with plate 6 tomorrow is stunningly different than my shaves with plates 4 and 5, after running the razor up to max setting just to prove I can, I will be settling back down on plate 3 again.

 

NOVember MMXVII A.D.
No Variation - Days Four and Five


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Gentlemen, we sit at one-hundred and fifteen days into the Arko Challenge. Since AS is not covered under my stipulated NOVember, I switched it up to Citrus Musk after seeing the @jimjo1031 Citrus thread get bumped. Nice old school barber shop lime. A perfect finish for the normal two pass Kung fu indeed. Alum was cool, so,was the weather. Other than that... all is quiet in Colorado.
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Have a magnificent Monday!
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@Screwtape @NCoxSTL

Soap base is soap base. Scent is minimally impactful.

Carry on.

 

Sage

Where did you get my witness protection photo?

 

It's a great place to chill out.

SR on a cruise boat? You're official.

 

Actual kamisori grind?

 

That's one AS I have to try.