July 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Addiction is rough on all involved. Your entire family is in my prayers.

 

Wishing the best for your family, Rick.

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That's a tough row to hoe for the entire family. I will keep you all in my prayers.

 

Sunday July 1 - Canada Day shave

Gem G-Bar / Gem PTFE ( 1 )
Jason's non - 30DC cypress badger brush (Maggards 24mm two - band badger knot )
Vi-John shaving cream
Alum and Jeeves Barbershop splash

I won this razor in the last TSD raffle. Today was its first use by me. I am still sort of ambivalent towards the Gem-style SE razors as a group, but the G-Bar did provide a mild comfortable shave. If you like Gem SEs, I think it's a great model. Two easy passes mowed my multi-day hobo stubble down into a completely socially acceptable DFS-.

Overall a good start to July.

 

That’s a tough one Rick. You and your entire family are in my prayers.


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You have my prayers for a resolution to this troublesome time. Opiods can provide wonderful pain relief with the horrid consequence of physical addiction and requirements for heavier dosing.
Some years ago I had bone surgery on a foot. In the short 3 days it took to be able to have some comfort enough to wind down the meds, I found myself with withdraw symptoms that were almost instantly remedied by another pill.
I try to use ice therapy for pain relief whenever I can.

 

July 1

G3 Gillette Fatboy
Astra SP (3)
Kent BK4 Silvertip
Mike's Natural Soap - unscented
Thayers Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Trumper's Coral Skin Food

I enjoyed a nice one-pass plus touch-up shave this morning. @Drygulch, I finished up the last of the Mike's Natural Soap. I'll replace Mike's with Le Père Lucien beginning tomorrow. I hope Le Père Lucien is not the French translation for Williams.

I hope you all are having a great weekend and are looking forward to a Happy 4th of July.

 

Congrats on finishing the soap Charle. Bravo. I am interested in your take on LPL soap.

 

Thank you Gentlemen!

I elected start with a used razor from @gssixgun, shave ready.
I purchased an Illinois #127 at his recommendation. I also bought a 3" paddle strop as a back up to one I use on kitchen knives.
Yesterday, was the first time to lay unguarded live steel to my ugly mug. Just a couple of strokes on each cheek. It felt a little draggie, which I dismissed as using too shallow of an angle. I'm not at all comfortable with grip and hand positioning. I finished up with an injector.
Question 1 - can the drag feel be attributed to my shallow angle, or a residual from the germicide that I failed to get washed off?
Question 2 - Comments on stropping errors have concerned me, is it really that touchy for someone who understands the spine/bevel relationship and a gentle polishing touch?
It was recommended to NOT strop before the first use. Then to use 25 cycles on linen and 50 on leather before each subsequent use.

I'll be on another lesson later today.

Thanks.

 

Thank you, Joseph! The Milord has been replated, but they did do a great job with it.

 

Thank you, Clint!

 

Thank you, Jim. I have been wanting to do a SS month for a while, and I am finally getting around to it.

 

I will keep your daughter in my thoughts and wish you and the rest of her support group strength and patience. I am sorry that you are going through this difficult time Rick.

 

I'd like to see your reaction to the Le Pere Lucien soap.

 

Rick, I'll be praying for your daughter. I have taken my fair share, and then some, of prescription opioids, and I have been blessed to never have developed an addiction. The way it works, though, I definitely understand how the addiction gets started. Sounds like you and your family are there to support her, and that is always important.

 

July 1, 2018

Razor: Gillette Bakelite Tech
Blade: Dorco Prime Platinum
Brush: VdH Boar
Soap: VdH Luxury
Post: Alum, Listerine, WH

I spent most of last week with this razor and just really seem to like it, so I went for one more day. OTOH, I really need to figure out the VdH Luxury soap or just write it off; honestly, I think I prefer Williams to it.

I'm definitely in for this month, but I'm not sure of any focus yet. My birthday is the 12th, so I'll definitely bring out the BQ Aristocrat Adjustable for a few shaves. My Semogue 620 has a July connection, so I'll be switching over to it shortly, as well. Beyond that, I have a pre-War Canadian Tech which arrived last week that I still need to try. I'll figure the rest out as I go.

 

Congrats on finishing a soap, Charlie!

 

I am not near the expert some of the guys are with straights, but I used to be a daily straight shaver. I actually found when I started that a blade that seemed to drag was due to my grip. I was trying to follow the advice to keep no pressure, and that resulted in a loose grip. When I figured out that a firm grip with no pressure was the ticket, things got a lot better quickly for me.

Stropping can be more difficult than it sounds. There is a certain rhythm to it. I found that laying the strop on the counter and not using hanging helped at first. It let me focus on the movement with the blade and not how tight the strop was. Nice and slow passes remembering to rotate the razor around the spine and not the blade. I screwed up one edge in my early days, but everything else went well.

 

Actually, @wristwatchb , it is French for "The Father Lucy".

 

Thanks, gentlemen. I picked up this soap two or three years ago and have only used a few times. It will be fun to revisit it now that my lathering skills have improved. Early on, I purchased unscented products. I have since come to enjoy a few different scents. If this soap is a keeper, I may purchase some lavender EO to give it some zip. I will keep you posted!