September 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

I have heard suggesting a CT is a good way to end up with one....just a rumor.

Good to see you around. Your in a great place.

 

Really people first day and 5 pages... sheesh.

Soooo. Auto Strop A1 with a stropped vintage blade. I think it helped. Well see with a few more shaves. Stirling Spice is just super stuff!! That is my cheap horse reknot and smells like Old Spice AS.



I think I have plenty of stuff to get through.

 

i like and use astras. one of the best tips i learned here was riding the cap...

 

@BDTeacher, welcome to the 30DC aka the Crew!

@SharptoothC and @brit have already passed on good advice. I would just like to stress @SharptoothC's point #3 (the first #3 in his post) -- I at first tried to do 3-pass shaves going WTG, XTG, then ATG, and I always had a lot of irritation, especially on my neck. I did it anyway because I thought the 3-pass shave was the "correct" way to shave. Then I learned (here) that the 3-pass shave is a fairly recent development popularized on the shaving forums and that there is no true "correct" pattern to shave in -- except whatever works for you. After nearly three years here, I enjoy most of my shaves with almost any type of razor, and I almost always do only a TWO-pass shave, skipping the third mainly ATG pass that led most often to the irritation as well as to most of the nicks and weepers I got early on.

We say here: "It's your shave, enjoy it your way." And that covers everything from equipment choice to shaving pattern.

Having said that, our 3-step Mantra here is: Ride The Cap (to find the shallowest blade angle that works for you), Use No Pressure, and Stretch The Skin (taut with the offhand). And it's often easiest to master those basics first doing just North-South generally WTG strokes, then gradually add in across the face XTG strokes and finally the trickier upwards and generally ATG strokes.

 

1-2 September 2018



Have a wonderful Sunday!

 

For September.....

A continuation of straight razor training.

Time constraints only required me to pick up my other stuff twice in August.

I think I'm not alone in this, but the toughest place is directly under the jaw where it is so easy to go ear to center with a safety razor for the best cut. Experimenting with technique I dropped the blade to 6 o'clock with the 'same side' hand and made the stroke while using a contorted over the head skin stretch with the other hand. Really great shave that was, just not sure I can nail that move every day.

Because Max Headroom is the quintessential Stirling Fanboy, we would do Stirling September anyhow. Being the lover of Glorious Stanks that I am, I will try not to love the Unscented Sheep Soap so much. Saving grace is the multitude of aftershave flavors. Just don't necessary count me in for anything that reminds me of dirty hippie girl apartments, misquito candles, licking ashtrays, or taking dirt naps.

Thanks again to my mentors here!

 

If you think aftershave comes in flavors, it's time for an intervention.

 

Great list of tips and tricks there. Also a great description of this group. You're pushing it, though, calling cookies debateable. Don't go down the @BaylorGator path. Just because he's not in the gulag again doesn't mean he isn't under close surveillance. Well, at least when Boris is sober. So, uh, yeah, not all that often really. But don't tell him that. We prefer him paranoid.

 

You mean you don't drink your aftershave? I though that was the point. They are mostly alcohol based, after all.

 

Fuzzy, you own some SERIOUS gear! Congratulations!

 

SEptember is a Stirling month!

September 1 (Time warping again here people - it's my newest hobby)

Razor - Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf
Blade - CVS Carbon SE
Soap - Stirling Iced Coffee
Brush - Stirling Two-Banded Synthetic
Finish - Alum, Styptic, Shocked look

Let's unravel another time warp shave with a timeline of my day, September 1, 2018. Coffee at 7 a.m. for an early start thanks to the Labor Day Sale. At work at 8:25. Put up the window cling for Doorbusters. Start the day at that point. Work until 9 p.m. selling some beds and doing a lot of complaining about not selling enough for a sale Saturday. Home at 9:25 p.m. for dinner of a pork steak, rice, salad. Delicious. Change clothes, turn on the Uber and Lyft apps and out the door at 10:30. Arrive home at 2:03 a.m. after a slow Saturday. It is a holiday after all but still a pretty good night. Shave at 2:14 a.m. Unwind, read some posts and now it's time to report in.

I believe that somewhere at sometime I read that the Micromatic Clog Pruf was a milder choice than the Open Comb. And, since I mastered the OC Micromatic, I was eager to try the Clog Pruf. I've had it for a couple of months waiting for SEptember. I chose Stirling Iced Coffee for a great start to the month and used the Stirling brush to get that awesome lather. The blade is the CVS branded carbon SE that worked great in the past. After two passes and a little touch up I am happy to report that a BBS smoothness was easily obtainable. However, due to the massive blood loss I can't really call it a great shave. Ok, so partly great. And the blood loss, while more than I have had in awhile, probably wasn't really massive. Just spread out over my right jawline and neck. Clearly I either mis-remembered what I read about the Clog Pruf, or I just got too over-confident and went at it too fast. My impression after one shave is - it's as good as the OCMM as far as results and how it works. It's also as likely to slice your throat if you don't show it some respect. It took alum, a couple of rounds of styptic and a bit of cold cloth pressure to stop all of the little bleeders and weepers but I think I'll survive without any new scars. Might be a day or two before I shave too closely in that area though. I think I took off a layer or two of skin though so some tender handling is called for.

In spite of that I'm eager to play with all of my SE's this month, including several more days of the Clog Pruf. A new challenge to conquer. I'm ready to go!

Well, to complete the day's schedule for September 1, I'm off to bed at 3:07 a.m. on the 2nd, which is still the 1st since I haven't slept yet. I"ll see you in a few hours! Then it will be the 2nd. Unless I have to warp back again tomorrow from the 3rd.

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Great travel setup and photo Jason. Have a safe trip.


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Welcome aboard. I started with a 34c and TOBS cream as well.


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Hey there... BDT so you and I are in the same boat. I've done exactly 16 shaves (frightening I know this wouldn't you say?) and reading our post sounds so much like my last 30 days... I even started a separate thread something like "First DE Shave whaddid I do wrong... " So they dragged me over here to The Island of Misfit Toys as well...

Funny ... I have the same 100 pack of Astras you do. I guess the biggest difference between us is I've gone down the vintage Gillette adjustable route.

SO... you've gotten some great advice so far.

The only thing I haven't seen posted though, and it made an enormous difference for me, is paying a lot of attention to which direction your beard grows --- Especially under your chin. It was a true eye opener to me when I discovered how many different directions it grows around there.

Making the adjustment to multi-direction beard growth and riding the cap have been the greatest tips I've gotten from this board so far.

Keep at it. It gets better. I promise.

 

So what exactly is a stropped vintage blade? Pardon my ignorance but are you actually stropping your DE blade?

I'd be really interested in knowing more about this if that's the case.

 

Old school. No frills. Coulda recognized whose pic it was without the signature.

Right there with you fighting the neck nemesis with the straight in September. Be sure and post your learnings, as well I, and hopefully we will post 2 W’s by the end of the month!

 

@BDTeacher and @Robstreperous: Welcome to the island of misfit toys! Neal @NCoxSTL is the Lion and @wristwatchb is the Charlie in the Box. I’ll let you sort the rest out. The place is a little weird, but full of laughs, and is a factory for turning out expert shavers.

My shave advice - less pressure. Once you’ve mastered that, then you’ll need to use less pressure. After that, there are several levels of less pressure to go.

Also since both of you have joined up recently, feel free to check out and sign up for my PIF. I’m giving away some really solid new gear for new 30 DC participants.

 

Iced coffee envy! If you ever want to let that baby go let me know. I could probably pry loose a soap or 10 from my modest collection to trade. I might even throw in some invisible cookies. They are calorie free!

 

September 2nd
Razor: ATT S1
Blade: GSB
Brush: Switchback/TGN Finest
Pre-shave: Stirling Mentholated
Soap: Stirling Bay Rum
Stirling Bay Rum witch hazel
AS: Stirling Bay Rum

Good morning!

Excellent shave to start the day! I spent a little more time with touch up and was rewarded with a near BBS shave. The ATT S1 is such a smooth razor. I find the Gillette Silver Blues to feel a little harsh in my other razors but not in the S1, just an awesome, smooth shave!

My first use of the Stirling Bay Rum. Different than my other Bay Rums, probably because it's the only one I have that uses cloves. I like it and so does the wife. She says it reminds her of Christmas.

Have a great Sunday!


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Oh THAT CT.......