January 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

January 2018

Shavettes and Jeeves January!

January 17 - Williams Showdown Part 2

Razor - 1959 (E1) Gillette Super Speed
Blades - (3)
Soap - Williams
Brush - Stirling Pro Style Synthetic
Post - Alum/Styptic

Well, here we are. With the Williams in the VDH bowl, the Stirling synthetic at the ready and the Superspeed and Sputnik combination. Guess that would be the SSS shave. Anyway.

I started by soaking the Williams then starting with a dry brush tonight. As in totally dry. Not too effective at loading. So, I added just a tiny bit of water and got a nice brush load out of it. Cool. Let's face lather, which is my preferred style. The lather went on pretty well. Thin but seemed like it was a good consistency. So, I grabbed the razor. By the time I got done there was no visible sign of soap on my face. Still getting slickness from the residue, but nothing resembling lather. Ok, so that didn't work. Second pass, I added water again and went after it hard. Tried for a bowl lather and it seemed to build very nicely. I added just a touch more water and got what looked like a good consistency lather whipped up in the bowl. Put it on my face generously and.....a bit better than the first pass but still dissipating faster than I want to chase it.

Decided that was enough. I'm CCS for the night and have no desire to chase lather any more, especially since neither pass seemed better than last night's effort. Worse, actually. I think the more water and longer beating with the brush did a better job of producing something that would at least hang around for the whole shave.

Let's discuss, shall we? My argument with Williams has always been that I can't get a consistent, persistent lather with it. I will admit that yesterday it was good enough to shave with, no doubt about it. And, of course, some others have been able to whip it into a wonderful lather that they love. You know what I say about that? Fantastic! I, personally, can grab a puck of VDH Deluxe or an Arko stick and get an instant thick, creamy, slick lather with no fuss. So I don't need Williams to perform my way. I have options. Williams users who can magically make it dance under their brushes - have that in their corner and can knock on VDH and Arko. Different soaps for different folks. Williams is a storied soap in the history of shaving and it's cool it's still around. I wouldn't want it any other way. For me personally though, it will remain the last option in the cabinet. Well, next to the last option. There's still Marvy.

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I do like seeing pain sticks out and being used.

 

Well, I don't join you in that club but I put my toothbrush back into my dop kit so it's not accessible. I stayed at a hotel in Dallas when I was with ADT and left my razor on the bathroom counter (pre-TSD days). It was one of the Dollar Shave Club models, the highest one. I came back to my room that evening and found it laying on a perfectly folded towel with my can of Barbasol perfectly placed as well. I thought that was a nice touch.

 

I tip whenever they come into the room. Just because I know that Mary cleaned three times, and then Margaret came in once on Friday and got the tip for it. Or that its possible. I don’t think there are any rules involved. I don’t think most people tip them anyway. It’s a pretty thankless job if you ask me.

 

That’s harsh about the kids. Hope they burn through it quickly.

 

Great looking shave. I am a fan of Haslinger soaps, but I wish their scents were a bit more...... scenty.

 

That is awesome, Paul. I'll be interested to hear more about what you learn. I hope you find an ideal place to live.

 

Adam, I'm sorry to hear both your girls are sick. I hope they're on the mend.

Cool DE collection/rotation! I'm impressed that you've whittled down your preferences to the select few.

 

My Bride and I routinely stay at a Bed and Breakfast. We leave our tip with the owner, and it gets shared with everyone who takes care of us.

 

January 18 SOTD:

Razorock Plissoft Brush
Stirling Frozen Tundra
Classic Samurai Shavette
Stirling Unscented PSB
Aqua Velva Musk mix

Nice gym shave this morning. I did one pass, and found I had obtained a CCS. Since my arms were just a bit shaky, I decided that was good enough and called it quits. A pretty good way to start the day. I hope everyone has a great day!

 

Lovely filter effect Jim.

 

January 18, 2018
OneBlade Genesis V2
Modified Gem PTFE
Thater Beehive White Boar
Fine Platinum

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This boar brush continues to get better with each use. The tips are splitting nicely and getting softer. As expected the Fine Platinum was easy to whip into a rich slick lather with the scent adding to the shave. Three passes and touch ups ended in another automatic near perfect shave. A splash of Fine Platinum and I am ready for the day. I hope everyone has a great Thursday.

 

Thank you!

Terrific picture, Clint! Have a great day!

 

Thank you Jim.

 

A very thick lathery shave today brought to me by Arko. Once the scent dies down some this is a great soap. I paired it with Old Soice Classic, made mountains of lather with the JR177, and tied it all together with the Gillette Slim Adjustable.



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That brush is a knock out! Kudos on the OS!!!

 

Dayshift today...grrrrr. I started the day out with a little older Williams and a horse hair brush. Worked great.



Another williams video. This is a bit older stuff with tallow first. This is also 0330 in the morning on little sleep.

 

Thanks Charlie....I'm not sure how much time if any I'll have for TSD fun during the time off, but all of that is still a few months ahead.

 

Much more comfortable overall shave today with the Stoylin Spice. I wonder if it had anything to do with my in-shower bodywash. Nivea does feel a bit cooler than Dove and Dial(although I used Nivea Energy, not Nivea "COOL".). But I still look forward to the PIF I'll be getting from a member who needs no introduction . It's menthol crystals.

 

Great pictures today, gentlemen. Girls are still not feeling well, but I hope today gives a break.

Today I took my Cooper Monobuilt for its maiden shave. Discovered that I have put all my preferred DE blades into storage, so went with a Gillette 7 O’clock Black. Not sure if I need to look into it more or not, but I had a heck of a time getting this razor to close correctly. At first, there were very visible waves in the blade edge. I ended up jamming the edge on the counter while I twisted it closed. That got it mostly seated. Is this normal on this razor? One side of the blade was even and had no waves so I shaved with that one. Van Yulay soap gave a great thick lather. Used a light touch since the blade was wonky. Three passes and a DFS with some irritation in the neck. I think that was due to uneven blade clamping. I hope I can sort this razor out, because I really liked the ability to get the angle I wanted. Finished the shave with a splash of the Sonoran desert after a rain. Creosote is probably not a scent that would be popular to the masses, but it really reminds me of home.