September 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Outstanding! Angle is half the battle. You're definitely making great progress!

 

I was in a hurry this morning as I had to drive over 400 miles today. I picked out a DE setup and did two passes. It was actually a nice shave.
I finally got smart and brought some honing gear with me this trip. I touched up two razors tonight with a coticule and CrOx on felt. I’ll see how I did in the morning.

 

The blade on a bolt is, in my opinion at least, the ultimate test in technique. Having used every other conceivable object or razor configuration known to shave-kind, I found this one to be the proof of the pudding beyond any doubt. Two things make it a challenge. The first is simply the fact that you have a bare DE blade with no guards, no caps, nothing to guide with. That demands precise angle control. Then, you have the chatter. With no guard around a DE blade they like to flex and bend and jump around on the edges. That demands precise pressure control to keep it in line and working. Too much pressure, though, and you dig the edge in and bleed. Badly. Same with the angle. Too much angle - bloody hell. Literally. Angle and pressure. The two critical areas of shaving technique - all demonstrated with a simple design of a bolt and a blade. Master that and you can most definitely shave with anything.

 

Wouldn't have been able to do it without all the support from The Crew/Cartel

I was also impressed with the choice of blade for such a contraption!

If you're enabling like you are, you have to join in with me in May!

Actual madness... Pretty darn hilarious though! Props to you.

 

SEptember is a Stirling month!

September 17 - Let's do the time warp again!!!!

Razor - 1912 Gem
Blade - (4)
Soap - Stirling Mountain Man
Brush - Stirling Pro Style Synthetic
Finish - Alum

I'm very happy to be able to report this shave tonight given the issues I've had since last night. This old Dell that has served me so very well since it arrived a couple of years ago, actually outliving a new computer before being put back in service this time, is finally showing some signs of age. The network adapter has been acting up for several months, though I didn't recognize that as the issue. I've been blaming the Cable company and their router. Forget the fact that Jennifer's laptop has never had the same problems on the same router. Just figured it was something other than my computer. Well, after posting last night, the network adapter shut down and I was unable after two hours of diagnostics and resets to get it back up and running. I gave up, shut it down and tried it again this morning. Same issue. That left me with my tablet and cell phone. Shopped a bit for Chrome books today as I've thought of going that route. Found a couple of bargains on decent ones. Got home after my delivery route tonight (and after stopping at Walmart to see a couple of them in person) and turned on the Dell. Yep, still dead on the net. Until I came back up after dinner. And here it sits, all nice and comfy and cozy on the internet. Something tells me the adapter is old and tired so a new laptop of some sort is definitely a necessity.

However, in the meantime I'm back up and running and able to say that SEptember is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Another fine shave on the 1912 with carbon. Adding Stirling to every shave has definitely made it even more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. The Mountain Man impresses me and my wife which is why it's a keeper. Speaking of Stirling I'm going to an event next month in St. Louis where Rod will be there with Stirling. Looking forward to meeting him.

Finish tonight - another baby is born. House is getting crowded with them with these setups. No complaints at all.

​

 

I should say, for the benefit of the newer members, that the blade on a bolt shave was a dare shave that four of us answered the call to. It was one of the least attempted of the MAYhem style shaves. Most people are too sane to attempt such a thing, or value their beauty more than myself and a few others. The choice of the Feather wasn't by accident for two reasons. First of all, the You Tube video that we copied the shave from used a Feather, so we had to copy. Second, what's the point of trying something stupidly dangerous if you can't make it as stupidly dangerous as humanly possible? Besides.....what's the worst that can happen?

 

Great shave report, and beautiful 1912. The Ever Ready 1912 that @Screwtape sent over is up soon; when I have spent a little bit of time getting the hang of the MMOC.

Do you actually use any post shave products?

I think it's brilliant.

 

I use alum after almost every shave. I do have some after shaves but use them sparingly and in the morning before I head to work if I use them at all. I tend to avoid them in most cases just because I know some people are quite sensitive to scents and things like that. Working with the public in sales requires that I don't do anything that might interfere with their comfort and ability to be persuaded. I use alum just to check the irritation level of the shave. On the off chance that I have a very rough shave, which can happen sometimes, I do keep Nivea Original balm handy to help cool things down. That's pretty much my post shave routine.

 

After my shave I simply don my Viking breastplate and put the broadsword back in its scabbard.

 

Like a Boss!

 

Let's keep it simple. However, I second the advice on Alum. Great stuff for new guys. It's the only objective gauge of proper angle and pressure. If it hurts, there's room to improve the technique.

 

@RyX
@jtspartan

Et al

Proraso Green splash is primarily Eucalyptus. Menthol is not the primary note.

 

My fave safety razor!

 

cool pic..

 

Thanks guys! I am leaving work and heading home for a shower and then the airport.

 

Safe travels, Brian. Good idea to take some honing gear with you. It sounds like a nice way to pass the time in the evening at the hotel.

 

Have a safe trip Brian.


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SOTD September 18, 2018
A Stirling SEptember

Prep: Cold water and Stirling mentholated pre-shave soap
Blade: Schick
Razor: Schick G4 '66' injector
Brush: JR #142 black badger
Soap: Stirling The Lounge
Post: Witch hazel, Jeeves of Hudson Street Tobacco Bay Leaf aftershave

Nice Stirling shave again today with The Lounge. Created outstanding lather by slowly adding water while loading. Stirling can takes tons of water and you'll be rewarded with that patience with slick, beautiful lather. The Schick 66 swiped it away with ease and efficiency and the Jeeves splash finished it off in style. This aftershave is a real winner.

Have a great day!

 

Hmm.. let's see... IIRC, that laptop is a Dell Latitude D830 which, realistically, is entering its second decade of service. I don't recall the specific configuration, but I'd expect that it has an 802.11g wireless card either from Intel or Broadcom (Dell-branded). Intel is not the greatest at supporting older adapters under Windows 10, so I'd probably put the blame there (i.e., software/driver issues rather than hardware). The adapter is replaceable (it's a small card that resides under the keyboard) or you could try a USB wireless adapter plugged in externally.

Depending on how married you are to Windows, there is also the option of installing some flavor of Linux as an alternative operating system. On older hardware, the support is actually better than under Windows and most Linux distributions give you the option to dual boot between Windows and Linux.

In case anyone is wondering... I am of that most dangerous breed... a Programmer with a Screwdriver.

 

Great shave and photo, Perry!

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