August 2018 30 Day Rule/focus Pix & Discussion

Get the set. While not necessary, it’s a very nice container that looks good in a shave den.

 

That mirrors my experience. I have always just used my Kent-branded MWF like any other soap and it has responded in kind. It maybe becomes a little quicker to load and lather if I use it regularly because the puck stays hydrated, but the difference is minimal.

Regarding containers, the MWF ceramic dish has a lid but like the wooden tub my Kent version came in, the lid doesn’t provide a hermetic seal. If unused for a long time, the soap will still dry out. However over the shorter term, the lid does keep more of the moisture in as well as keeping dust and pet hair out. Plus the dishes look rather elegant. If buying MWF for the first time, I would get it in the dish.

 

100! That's an impressive milestone! Happy birthday to her!
Enjoy your time there.

 

Have fun with the family, Chris. I'm glad you're spending some time with your Dear Great-aunt. Safe travels.

 

The same thing pretty much applies to modern Williams. You really don't need to load the brush for 2.3 minutes, then bowl lather with 1/2 cup of water for an additional 3.1 minutes. In one of Fuzzy's videos, he mentions that Williams doesn't need a ton of water, and I'm inclined to agree. It's soap, treat it as such and it works just fine.

MWF, without a doubt, is a very good classic soap. It does lather a little different from many of the artisan soaps, at least initially. It often looks very airy and thin at first, but quickly transforms into a nice, thick lather. It's not nearly as difficult of a soap as some make it out to be.

 

100 is impressive. Enjoy the day with your Great Aunt. Have a great trip. I visit my Mom in Covington most weekends.


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Cool! Party is next-door in Oxford at her Church.

 

Know the place well. I went to elementary school at Palmer Stone there in Oxford.

 

Thanks Charlie. She is the older sister of my maternal grandmother. A vital link to the past. She is still doing OK, everything is pretty slow, but she still shops, cooks, goes to church, etc. Like @jtspartan wrote earlier, pretty neat and special to know someone who saw many things we only know as history. For example she was only 21 when Germany invaded the Kingdom of Poland, starting WW2 with Soviet Russia, in September of 1939. None of those nations exist anymore. It blows my mind a little.

 

Good morning Georgia!

 

Spot on! Just load The Fat like normal and you’ll be rewarded with wonderful lather. All the myths of it being difficult and finicky to lather are just that - myths.

 

Adjustable August Focus

Day 11 of this month's focus.
Shave #2 Merkur Progress set to "1"
Personna 74 Tungsten Blade (12)
I Coloniali soap (sticking with it for now)
Paladin PK-47 Tortoise
Vintage Old Spice Leather AS
This darn wooden container is not recommended for brushes with knot diameters of >24mm
Resisting the urge to mash, I was patient enough loading the well-bloomed soap to get enough for my shave.

After first pass

I mentioned yesterday that the channels in the Merkur's baseplate are ridiculous.

Evidence...


The Personna blade is still doing well. If I were back in the kitchen, I would be running this blade on my steel.
It is my experience with 74's that "I" get around 13-15 shaves, before the tugging sets in.
There is now evidence that this blade is nearing its end. Ever-so-slight tugging ATG.
Oh well, they are still an excellent blade. I will keep it in for tomorrow's shave.
The Merkur is a clunky beast and because the hard is so heavy and the handle is so slippery,
it makes for difficulty flipping the head over.
Solved.
Alum.
My broken chunk of alum on the sink.
Rinse face re-lather re apply alum.
Results: Grippy.
Finished with Old Spice's best scent after the original, Leather.
​

 

Beautiful brush and photo. After reading your reports of the Progress, I am glad I never gave into temptations and bought one.

 

Great pictures and report, Joseph!

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August 11th
Razor: Timeless .95 SC
Blade: Gillette Platinum (2)
Brush: Switchback/TGN Finest
Pre-shave: Stirling Mentholated
Soap: PAA Frost Byte
Thayers Lavender
AS: PAA Frost Byte

Good morning!

Excellent shave and face freeze this morning. Starting the downhill slide of my thirty consecutive with shave sixteen, and a wonderful shave it was. Two pass with touch up, near BBS.

Have a great weekend!


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That is a really, really cool photo, Chris! Simple. Effective.
Well done.
I might have to steal that idea in the future.

 

Really, really neat photo, Chris! Enjoy your time in the deep South!

Nice photo and report, Joseph!

Jim, you have upped the ante on photos in the 30DC. Awesome shot yet again!

 

Got my day started right today. Took an old Torrey to the hones and worked on my technique. I suspect just like shaving technique, my honing technique will probably improve in small increments over a period of time. When I joined the 30DC, I thought getting a irritation fee, weeper free shave with a DE razor may be out of reach. Then you improve little by little until you wake up and realize that you were in a hurry and did a quick 3 pass, 2 minute shave with a Fatboy on 7 loaded with a new feather and posted it as simply a “routine, drama free shave”.

Shaved with my newly honed Torrey and realized my honing technique still needs time and experience. The blade was sharp enough to shave with, and my technique is certainly good enough now to touch up blades without fear (which was the goal), but I’m gonna put it on hold now and develop my straight shaving techniques before venturing deeper in the rabbit hole.

Oh, Chatillon Lux Bon Vivant has me smelling good, despite the irritation on my neck.

 

Nice report, Randy!

 

Thank you, Perry!

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