March 2019 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Thank you, Andrew!

 

Thank you Gentlemen ! This second interview is tomorrow afternoon,

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Beautiful straight razor and a great shave, Joe. Congrats on nearing the half-way point of your 100/100 goal on straights and shavettes.

 

thank you Andrew..

 

March Madness!!

March 5

Razor - 1920's Gillette Travel Razor, Stirling Silver by William B. Kerr & Co.
Blade - (2)
Soap - Truefitt & Hill 1805
Brush - Semogue 620
Post - Alum

Well, well, well. Wasn't this an interesting shave tonight. Still using the Gillette Travel Razor with a Bic CP and I switched to the Truefitt & Hill 1805 soap with a boar brush. This soap carries a legendary name and was brought back from England by the great @Bama Samurai himself and gifted to me. I have used it a number of times since, and always with a bit of a mixed reaction to it. It's a bit difficult to lather, but seemed adequate. The scent is nothing terribly special but it's not bad, and the slickness seemed to be ok. In other words - seemed like a decent enough soap if not exciting. But, since it's from an old-school British shaving company, exciting may be the wrong thing to look for.

Tonight, however, I'd have to reassess the soap and give it an absolute "F". Now, the puck hasn't been used in several months so it was very dry. Bone dry. So I did add water to the puck and let it soak a bit. I chose the boar brush to stick with my "no synthetic" rule this month and also because this brush typically gives me an easy lather. I soaked the brush, shook it out fairly well and went to work. I immediately had a problem. I was getting suds off of the puck. As in - big bubble let's take a bubble bath level suds. I went ahead and loaded up the brush, went to the face for the face lather and started the shave. Right side done, not terrible not great and the left side at that point - barren of any soap. It was as if I hadn't lathered. I went over that side again quickly and finished the first pass. I'm thinking way too much water. Seemed like a broken lather. So, I squeezed out the Semogue leaving it barely damp, then reloaded the brush. Aha! Success!! The brush looked more like it should and I had no big soapy bathtub bubbles. I went to work lathering my face and while still thin it did look better. Maybe more like a Williams lather for me. However, before I was even finished with the right side my entire left cheek was bare. Bare and dry as though no soap had been appliled. What the...........well, ok, let's get serious. I finished the right side and grabbed my Two-Banded Stirling Synthetic. I barely dipped the tip of the brush and went to work loading off of the still wet puck. The synthetic filled up quickly and seemed full of soap. Face lathered with just a bit of a rinse first. The result? I made it through the pass but just barely as the lather just evaporated in front of my eyes.

Well, enough of a shave. I managed a barely DFS but I'll make it through a meeting and work tomorrow. Now to diagnose. I picked up the synthetic and worked up a hand lather. It seemed like it was making a nice thick base to work with but the first time I stopped working it I saw it fading and noticed that the bubbles are still oversized for a shaving lather. I squeezed out the brush and had a handful of what felt like a very cushy and slick lather. But the bubble problem was all through it and it didn't take long for it to start to fade. Seems like I don't have an answer tonight, if there is an answer. I'm puzzled because while this soap never made my top soap list it never performed quite this badly. I decided to fill the container with water and let it soak until tomorrow night and I'll hit it again with a dry brush and go from there. Maybe I can get it figured out. Or, maybe the reviewer on Reddit I read after tonight's shave is right - and it just isn't something that works all that well. We'll see.

Wednesday approaches! Happy midweek to all of you and Happy Monday to me!

​

 

Thanks Charlie! I thinks she tops my Henckels Friodur 7/8 Square Point.

 

Neal, you still attained a decent shave with a below average soap. That's a testament to your shaving skills.

 

Love it! Lol! By the way, the late actor Herschel Bernardi voiced Charlie in the StarKist Tuna commercials.

 

Thank you, Joe.

 

John - I'm still almost 100 post behind, but I wanted you to know

Yes, let's go with that!

 

Thank you all!

 

March Mardi Gras Finale

Jeeves 30DC Blood on Steel LE soap
Jason's 30 DC LE Cypress Cashmere
Suribachi bowl & cool water
Yaqi DOC on Gillette bar handle
Astra Superior Platinum blade
Jeeves 30DC Blood on Steel LE AS
Finished the festival season on Main Street this evening. Another 5 gallon buck of beads, cups, assorted Moon Pies and Tootsie Rolls, little plastic footballs and other assorted stuff thrown from parade floats. The grandkids enjoy the teams of motorcycle cops with lights and sirens, loud music, being able to actually stand in the road without getting fussed at. I dressed in layers for the 40F degrees and breezy but dry weather. Everyone settled in after all that activity, and I got my quiet shave time in. Easy lather with the Limited Edition '18 Meet Up soap Adam @Drygulch arranged whipped up by the brush by Jason @jtspartan and the synth knot. First pass with the Chinese rendition of the Mellon head DE received in a trade with John @John Ruschmeyer told me I needed a fresh blade. Out with the Personna Red, in with an ASP, and away I went. Three passes, full clean up on the edges and corners, and all's well but for the tiniest bit of stubble on the lowest part of my neck. No blood on steel, and the AS went on quiet.
Good Shaves Y'all!

 

Great pic, Rick!

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Wonderful B&W, Clint!

 

Thanks Jim
I hope so too.
tp

 

March 6th
Razor: ATT S1
Blade: Astra SP (3)
Brush: Switchback/Omega boar
Pre-shave: Stirling Mentholated
Soap: B&M Reserve Waves
Lucky Tiger face tonic
PAA Star Jelly unscented
AS: B&M Reserve Waves

Good morning!

A bit of a change up this morning. Two pass with touch up. I eliminated the WTG pass. Near BBS with silent alum. My right jaw let the baby escape.

Have a great day!


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Good Wednesday morning.
Hope every one is good or doing better.
Another perfect shave from a razor that is older than any of us.
I ride the cap, this razor seems to be made for that style of DE shaving.
Because of it being the 3rd shave in a row, I got a better shave than the last two days.
Gonna be hard to use a different razor after using this champ.

If this was the only razor I owned, it would be OK.
With a new Feather Blade (I always use a new blade) wow!
I might send this in to have it re-plated.
To all
Enjoy
tp

 

Beautiful picture, Jim!

 

Thank you Joe. I am getting better daily with the PT.


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