November 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

November 21, 2018- NOthing But Techs

Razor: Pre-War Canadian Tech/Bakelite Handle
Blade: 7 o'Clock Permasharp Stainless (2)
Brush: Razorock Plissoft 22
Soap: Stirling Sheep
Post: Alum, Listerine, WH

WARNING: This post is a bit graphic intensive.

I'm finally back from taking my daughter to the DMV to get a replacement license (lost her wallet) and want to talk about today's razor. As I mentioned yesterday, last week I low bid and won an auction for a pre-War Canadian Tech. The price looked good and I thought it might be good to have a daily driver one in addition to the one in my Khaki Set. The razor arrived on Monday and is decent enough shape except for a bit of pitting(?) on the cap and baseplate.


In examining it closer, however, certain oddities became apparent. First is the baseplate which seems to be of a ferrous nature as it is attracted by a magnet. Then there is the plastic/Bakelite handle.


At first, I assumed that it was probably a mismatch. That was until I noticed these two razors on Achim's site

which appear to have the same handle, albeit in a different color.

So, I appear to have something that I had never heard of before- a steel Canadian pre-War Tech with an English (or French)-made handle. I admit that the idea of British influence on Canadian Gillettes is not unheard of, so this does seem plausible. (I've also personally wondered if the US Bakelite Tech is actually a British design.) So far, however, the only references to a razor like this that I have been able to find on the Web were from previous eBay sales of an identical setup.

At this point, I'll assume that the razor was of wartime manufacture, possibly military issue. I'd really appreciate if the experts would weigh in on this. (@Linuxguile and @PLANofMAN, I'm talking about you. )

As for the shave... initially, the razor seemed a bit more aggressive than the one in my Khaki set, but nothing that a light touch and watching my angle couldn't deal with. The weight and balance of the razor seemed to be acceptable though the handle definitely felt a bit small. Overall, a decent shave and well within what I'd expect for a razor variant that I had never used before.



I'd like to think that I've given you something to think about over Thanksgiving dinner but, hopefully, none of you have that strange a Thanksgiving.

 

Great photo and shave, Jim! Did you have help with the filter effect today?

 

Good luck on the ride home. It probably will be brutal. You could always do what I did when I lived in NJ (Yeah...I lived there...and I hate to admit it. However, I'm not FROM there. ). If I was traveling anytime near rush hour(s), I'd just pull into a Barnes & Noble or a bar. If you're going to sit anyway, might as well do it with a book or a beer.

 

And a big bottle of Clubman?

 

I was thinking you had a good point. Then again, I'm not so sure that isn't part of the plan. At first glance, that group appears innocent enough. Some of us see through that. All of the cookie hoarding. The Sharp Star deception. We know what's really going on.

 

Wow. Great score and report John. The bowl looks gorgeous.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

That is very interesting John. Maybe the experts will chime in with more info.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

On hell no! I brought one bottle home and used it once. It damn near killed me. My wife asked what that awful smell was. She banned the stuff from our house. Not that she had to worry about me giving it another try. The stuff is just awful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

NOvember 21st
British Aristocrat Jr. w Astra SP
Yahk Soap Co Creamy Coconut
TGN Finest/ Maple
Thayers
Florida Water

Pleasant shave earlier this morning. Next up in the rotation is my one 'keeper' from local artisans. Probably has something to do with the fact that it was a Christmas gift from the in-laws. I get a 'good enough' lather from it and the coconut scent is unobtrusive. The Aristocrat Jr. did a fine job on three passes and I am quite smooth. I find it is a razor that needs 3 passes, but that is ok. Finishing with the Florida Water was a good day in the rotation.
Have a great day all!

 

Congrats on the gorgeous new bowl, John! Excellent report today as well!
The Stirling Port au Prince seems that's its not a middle-ground sort of scent. From what I remember seeing folk post, there seems to be more dislike of that scent than love for it. Unfortunately, they don't offer it in a bath soap. That's always a good way to try a scent before getting a shave soap and/or aftershave.

 

The razor looks to be in fantastic shape, Gary. Much like the Rocket/40s SS comparison, what makes a '60s British Rocket different from a regular Flare Tip?

Great pic, Terry. I suspect that the math of doing a multipass head shave as well as a face shave has basically doubled your blade usage. With 2 full head shaves + 2 full face shaves, I think I'd call that 4 days on the blade...

Sounds like the new base and scent is a winner! I love the Reserve and Glissant bases, but others seem to prefer the older White Label. This is apparently an updated and improved White Label base, for lack of a better term.

Love that photo, Clint, and love how photogenic that razor is.

Great combo, Jim! Short and wonderful is how every workday should be. Alas, they rarely seem to be...

Glad you like the bowl, John...and glad the samples did their job, good or bad. You have been incredibly generous with PIFs yourself, both to me (too many to list) and to the group (the injector blades and newbie combo PIFs come to mind).

Wow. Clubman and cheese sauce may be an unbeatable combo there.

...and their dads.

Another great write up, John.
You have put out a call for the experts -and rightfully so- but we consider you an expert on these razors as well. Outstanding work this month.

 

Great picture, Jason.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

Love the warm colors in the photo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thank you Jason.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

How do you feel about Canoe, or other barbershop fragrances?

 

Awesome shaves and photos, Gentlemen!

I'm flattered that you consider me an expert. I literally have nothing for you though, John. I've never seen such a handle.

Tell us how you really feel!

 

Thanks, gentlemen! I love woodwork but have always been all thumbs when it comes to doing it myself, so I really treasure good examples when I find them. With extra bonus points if it's something I can use in another hobby.

 

A good photo of a nice setup, Jason. Florida Water is always a pleasant finish to a shave.

 

I was thinking the same thing about @Terry Terry's shaves -- a multipass shave of both face and head is a lot of ground covered and probably equal to two or more "standard" shaves.

Also like your comment to @John Ruschmeyer. I suspect he knows more about Techs now than most people on the forums. Fwiw, that Canadian Tech he used today looks sort of like something that got made out of what was left in the parts bins with a Bakelite handle to finish it off.

 

Thanks, Andrew!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk