September 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

It really is. I gagged and spit out the first "gulp" and I knew it was all downhill after that.

 

I do like the Kai Captain Original razor - but it is basically the same as the DX or CJB in design. I have found the Feather blades to be a bit sharper than the Kai Captains, if a bit more "dangerous" if you will. And I have come to use the Feathers more than any other type.

 

Friday Shave

This Koraat 14 2.0 is proving to be some outstanding steel, it is holding a very keen edge for allot of shaves without returning to the stones for a touch up.

Irritation A+ Closeness A Smoothness A+ Sharpness A+

Razor: Koraat 14 2.0 bellied full hollow
Strop: Herold Russian leather
Brush: Thäter 2 bank
Pre: Proraso
Soap: Castle Forbes
AS: Fine AS, Stirling ASB
Scent: MDCI Invasion Barbare

 

Yes, Clint, I did start with the V1. In fact I was one of the original Kickstarter supporters. I got the V2 because I liked the nifty matte black finish and also because it was the newest and shiniest kid on the Supply block... There wasn't really all that much difference between it and the V1 -- apart from the nifty matte black finish. So in the end, I swapped the V1 to Jim @Jayaruh in a razor for brushes deal. And then ended up paying him extra after seeing the beautiful wooden box he made to hold his new injector in and deciding I wanted one too...

 

Great picture, Keith!

 

Neal, your report almost, but not quite, inspires me to haul out my shavette again (since I don't have a painstick). But then I remember that the person holding the razor and doing the strokes would be me...

Awaiting the kamisori report with bated breath here...

 

Jason, I'm pretty sure from the photo that that one DOES open. The ones that don't open have a notch at the top of the spring that sits surrounding a bump on the underside of the head, locking the spring in place. That one looks solid at the top. To open the razor, the spring under the head should swing out to the left, allowing the baseplate to flop down.

 

Unsolicited commercial announcement here: If it's inappropriate, Rick @RyX, feel free to sweep it away with your electronic broom:



In about December 2017, I bought myself a brand-new brush -- this whopping big silvertip badger, the Kent BK12 -- 30mm knot with 62mm loft. I have now decided to sell it again.

Why? In the year I have owned it, I have only used it about 6 times. I have several brushes that were made or modified for me by one of the skilled craftsmen here on TSD, and I find those brushes just mean more to me and I enjoy using them more.

I am posting the Kent BK12 in the BST tomorrow night but thought I would mention it here first to give any of the 30DC Crew who are interested in it the first shot at it. New price was US $250 plus taxes and shipping. I plan to post it in the BST at $200 shipped anywhere, but will go $175 or reasonable offer here. If anyone is interested, PM me.

 

Actually, I don't think so. There is a stop on the left side of the spring that will prevent it from swinging open. There were several different methods that Schick used to secure the spring on the E2s.

Sent from my Galaxy using Tapatalk

 

Hmmm. Looking at the photo again and enlarging the head, I see what does look like stops on both sides of the spring tip. So yeah, I think you're right. My bad...

 

I think it is my lousy pic that is causing the confusion. There are stops on both sides of the spring. I have tried to rotate it, and there is a very slight wiggle, but I do not believe it is meant to open. I have stopped trying as I do not want to either damage the razor or slice myself open.
Thank you both!

 

SEptember is Stirling Month!

September 13 - DARE NIGHT!! The MAIN EVENT!!!

Razor - Hamamasa Kamisori style razor
Soap - Stirling Sheep
Brush - 30 DC LE
Post - Alum

Well, the main event was on! Time to pick up the Hamamasa from @Drygulch and give a kamisori a real try. This one was advertised as shave ready, it's a Hamamasa vintage razor in good shape and should be interesting to try. One challenge - no wrapping or other covering on the handle. That makes the grip area small and extra slippery. Gonna have to keep an eye on this one.

I did some updated research on this style of razor. Two sides to the blade. The Ura is the stamped side and the Omote is the flatter side. Traditionally, the Omote is the only side used on the face. And, traditionally, you don't switch hands. This is a right handed version so I will attempt to shave with only my right hand and keeping the Omote against the face on both sides. This requires some interesting grips, but I used to do this a lot with pain sticks to learn the technique. By the way, you can shave with both sides, it's just tradition to use only the one. But I'm nothing if not one who honors tradition with fine vintage gear.

The soap chosen was Stirling Sheep for the slick and cushy mutton. It's unscented so nothing to distract me there. I chose the 30 DC LE brush from @jtspartan because the limited edition brush seems to fit the challenge. And - off we go.

It should be said up front - that shave ready to some people means something else to others. I would have to disagree that this razor is fully shave ready. It's sharp but draggy. Clearly could use some more honing, in my opinion at least. So, the shave was not as smooth as I was hoping to achieve, nor was it as effective. However, I made it through two passes. WTG and XTG.

Once I found the angle, which took a couple of tries given the curve to the blade, I found the technique to be nearly identical to pain sticks. I used a very similar grip as well, and did adjust ok to the small handle. I'd like to wrap it in rattan or something, though, to make it a bit easier to grip. The razor is light and very maneuverable. No issues getting up close to ears, the goatee or other areas. Long strokes on the cheek and neck on the right side got the jitters settled down as I enjoyed the feel, in spite of the roughness of the blade. When I switched sides I had a little difficulty remembering exactly how to grip with the right hand on the left side. I used to diligently use only one hand on the pain sticks but finally gave that up as being unnecessary on a modern razor. I can say that the result on the left side was less impressive than the right, but with practice I'd smooth it out.

Checked the finish after two passes and it needed help. That "shave ready" thing again. So, I grabbed the CJB Greager from the head shave and did a pass to smooth it all out and finish DFS. I did use the one handed technique, though, to honor the kami.

But, you ask anxiously - what about blood? Cuts? Serious wounds? Stitches? ER visits? Sorry to disappoint but this was quite a bit easier than I thought it might be and no blood was shed. All in all it was quite a success story.

I plan to work on stropping it to see if I can smooth it out some. Stropping a kami is different than a western straight but I'll see if I can figure it out. Now. As to the future of kamisori style in my den........I now own two. My original one needs honed. This one needs work. So I'll probably send them both off in the near future for some professional help. Then we'll pick them up and run with them. I'm also thinking of breaking out the western straights I have just to play a bit with them and compare to the kami style and result. Suddenly, I feel as if perhaps Adam has a hidden agenda. Again. Or am I just being paranoid? Time will tell.

​

 

The kamisori style razors look really cool. It could be that I'm also a fan of Japanese chef knives.

 

well hello fello shavers,did a quick shave with a new product today. nivea white ..very slick,lightly scented,fantastic face feel.. while i don t need to use sensitive skin products , i like the nivea blue, so i thought i would give it a go..very slippery, zero irritation.glad i tried it.
i sold all my schick e types and everready razors with blades today. a friend likes them and will enjoy them .i tried them all , but they just weren t for me.i kept my crats, rockets,rfb ,early techs , a mint new lc with common bar handle and single ring.gone are the new federals,old types( kept one nickel one), late techs and superspeeds. it was a hard decision but had to be done.i am now really focused on my early techs ,crats and rockets. the fatboy and slim will be used occasionally as i don t use the higher settings. i really enjoy the mild razors both in function and form.i still have some post war techs but will pass some along as well.seems like the early techs,both flat bottom and prewars,the new tech hybrid, open comb rfb version, all rockets and crats are my favorites.
have a great day, gary

 

The whole Ura and Omate thing was employed in its traditional use, which was a barber shaving a customer. Doing the one handed-one sided self shave involves some contortionistic moves to say the least.

 

I remember seeing a photo of the box. The Supply Co razor is a good looking razor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

September 14, 2018
Blackland Sabre L2
Gem PTFE
SOC Mistura Taj
C&S Oxford and Cambridge
Fine Lavender

​

Whew. I am so glad it is Friday. A very easy drama free two pass shave this morning. Everything just worked well together and the SOC Mistura continues to improve with each use. A splash of Fine Lavender and I am off on the morning commute. I hope everyone has a great Friday.

 

Nice shave to end the week, Clint.
How many uses do you have on the SOC?

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

 

SOTD September 14, 2018
Fat Friday detour of a Stirling SEptember

Prep: Cold water and Stirling mentholated pre-shave soap
Blade: Personna
Razor: Schick B1 injector
Brush: Omega 10049 boar
Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat
Post: Witch hazel, Fine American Blend aftershave

Wonderful lather from The Fat and easy shaving with the B1. Can't ask for much else. This was the 55th shave on this puck of Mitchell's and it's still going strong. I must not be loading enough! The first puck lasted about 65 shaves and I see this one going far beyond that. But no worries as I'll eventually finish it off since it's used once a week.

Have a great day!

 

Wonderful photo, Clint! I agree and am glad it's Friday as well.