March 2019 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

your welcome Charlie.. no expert here..

 

Thank you, Keith!

 

I'm definitely in the same boat. I used an electric razor for 30 years. I lived with permanent neck irritation and never thought I could shave any other way. I'm glad I decided to give proper wet shaving a try. Every now and then, someone will comment on how good my skin looks. I'm sure they're comparing it to what it looked like during my Norelco days.

 

The 1906 DR of mine is the same way.
Hope the 1920 does as well.
I'll tell you somthing that I found.
Using a new Feather blade, I can get a DFS with one pass and touch up on the chin with the 1906. Once I got my razor tenique right, the way the hair grows and wich direction you attack it makes a big difference.
My skin thanks me for it every shave.
tp

 

Thank you, Keith!

Sent from my Galaxy using Tapatalk

 

i agree. i have been told similar ..between weight loss in the face area and wetshaving i look a fair bit younger..

 

That's awesome, Gary! Congrats on the weight loss, my friend!

 

may try an old type /single ring focus next month..my old type is a nickel 20s to 30s example..thicker cap etc..same as my new improved. all designed to be used with the thicker 3 hole blades..

 

Dream job!

 

Sorry to hear you had such a rotten day, Jason. Hope you feel better soon!

 

Been using the vintage adjustables these last couple of weeks for week day shaves.
Using the Slim this week.
Figured I'd try this Barbasol cream, and much to my surprise I was shocked by how much the menthol kicked in! The caffeine I believe is a gimmick but what the heck!

 

Wednesday evening March 6 - going for a Rule


Delta Echo refurbished Gillette Fatboy on 4 / Rapira Swedish Supersteel (3)
Simpsons CH2 Chubby Synthetic Bristles brush
MWF/Kent in beechwood tub
Alum and Polar Ice Booster splash

I soused, bloomed or otherwise soaked my shriveled puck of The Fat yesterday mostly to set up a joke in my shave report. However, the lather was so much better than what I got the previous day off the dried out puck that I am now wondering if using The Fat regularly so that the puck stays hydrated is a key to a great shave with this soap. So I have decided to keep using it for the rest of the month. In which case, I might as well stick with the rest of the gear too and declare a Rule... I haven't done one for a couple years anyhow, so it might be time to do so and concentrate on a technique refresher.

Today got it off to a good start. Great lather from the still-moist puck; top class brush action from the super-dense Chubby; easy DFS in two passes with the razor and blade. And I am finding that I quite like the skin feel of the Polar Ice Booster. Just a good shave for Day 3 with this gear.

Hope everyone is doing well as we coast over the Hump of the week. And Jason, hope you feel better soon. Same for Terry with your shoulder. And I am still praying for those who asked for it in the last few days.

 

March Madness!!

March 6

Razor - 1920's Gillette Travel Razor, Stirling Silver by William B. Kerr & Co.
Blade - (3)
Soap - Truefitt & Hill 1805
Brush - Stirling 24mm Badger fan knot
Post - Alum

Final shave for now with the Gillette Travel Razor and Bic CP blade. I'll start with thoughts on the blade on day three. As usual, the Bic blade performed perfectly. I remember a couple of years ago I was emptying out a small blade bank into my main disposal bucket and counted each of the blades by brand. Of course, the number one blade was Voskhod. Surprisingly, the number two blade was the Bic CP. Well, surprising only because everyone figured it would be another Russian. I've stopped going to the Bic as often but this three days has reminded me that I should keep some around, just to have another fantastic option should I decide I want to change up for a bit. My thoughts on this razor. What a cool little razor this one is. I'm going to dig into the serial numbers on the baseplate just to try and learn more about it, but this is a very functional, if very different to hold, little razor that shaves just like any good vintage Gillette. I'm glad I overpaid to acquire this one. Being an unusual piece it was more than worth the money in any case.

Now, to the soap. T&H 1805. It has received many negative, and strongly negative, reviews. I've used it before with some success. Last night - it lived up to its terrible reviews. So, let's give it a shot to redeem itself. Two comments were made. Joseph @Primotenore suggested a 1/4 to 3/4 ratio hot water soak prior to shaving. I'm pretty sure he is really suggesting "blooming" the soap. Ok, I don't use the term but I do "soak" a few soaps, and this one got basically that treatment since last night. There was reason for hope according to Andrew @Linuxguile because, yes, it isn't Marvy. There has to be some hope. I went to the Stirling badger given its density and thought that might give me an edge as well. So how did it go?

I shook the badger mostly dry before hitting the wet puck for the load. And, I loaded for probably twice as long as usual. The brush seemed fully ready to go. Wet my face, and started the face lather. After a fairly short time it looked like I had good coverage. So, on to the first pass. I made it through the entire shave without the lather completely dissipating. Definitely better than last night but not impressive. Maybe that's as good as it gets. I rinsed my face and went back for another face lather. Looked good again until I picked up the razor and I noticed a big round spot on my left cheek with absolutely no lather. Clearly the brush pulled all the lather off my face. I looked at the brush, saw plenty of lather in it, so I changed from lathering to painting on my face. NOW things started improve. Greatly. By painting on the lather I got not only solid coverage over my entire face but I also got some cushion and the slickness was at least 50% improved. Second pass was quite comfortable, slick, and ended with a near-BBS. The soap lasted without any problems during that pass. Nice.

Now my mind started to wonder. Maybe face lathering isn't the way to use this soap. So, without loading it any further, I grabbed one of my VDH green bowls and started to work up a bowl lather. I added a little water, worked it, got it going, added a bit more water and - BANG - a bowl full of quite nice looking and feeling lather. I swirled it up on the brush and painted my hand. Great cushion, coverage, feel, all the right ingredients including slickness. I stood there looking at my hand for a good five minutes and barely any had dissipated. Now we're definitely talking.

Obviously this is a soap that can be very nice and useful. My recommendation - get the puck super wet, keep the brush mostly dry and load up. Then bowl lather and paint your face with it. I'm a happy camper. Have a great Thursday night and a better Friday!

​

 

Get that replated back to a bright nickel finish and you'd have a definite heirloom!

 

Perhaps the tagline for the VIBR should be "As refreshing as an old cedar chest". Doesn't have quite the same image as an island breeze - but may be more honest.

 

Nice gear to do a rule with, John!

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

 

Great minds think alike, I think it is the same reason, chatter or blade flex. The same can also be applied to DE razors, if the blade chatters it does feel like it is more aggressive.

 

I know I use the term BBS a lot but for me it just means it's as good as I've ever gotten it. I agree that it is a term that is somewhat overused at times. Now, as for the help for those rubbing cotton balls and you ranting, my wife is taking new clients. Although if your disorder also involves shaving she might not be the most sympathetic to your plight. Sorry about that. My fault there, probably.

 

Ah we're just here to give you a little help and cheer you on. Great work following the steps to mastering technique! Makes us proud!

 

Thursday Shave:



Back home and back to my routine. On the trip my saves were below par so I was glad to bounce back with an epic shave. The big Koraat bellied double hollow was a pleasure to shave with....

Irritation A+ Closeness A+ Smoothness A+ Sharpness A+

Razor: Koraat 14 2.0 double bellied hollow
Strop: Roo
Brush: Handle by Jason, Omega Pro knot
Pre: Proraso
Soap: Crowne and Crane
AS: Enhanced Florida Water AS, L’Ocittane ASB
Scent: Chanel Antaeus