May 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

thank you Jason,will check it out..

 

Saw a vid of a guy doing a stunt shave with obsidian glass.

Didn't go to well. Very sharp. Very jagged.

 

Find out next week.

 

Pick one. Tiger. Tiger Express. Baili. FLYING EAGLE!!!!! Any of those, but especially the Flying Eagle - are HORRIBLE!!!!! I'm pretty sure even a shavette shave with those would produce nothing short of a disaster!

 

The Merry Mixed Up Month of May!

May 22

Razor - Soviet Mladast
Blade -
Soap - Oleo Soapworks El Caballero
Brush - Semogue 1305
Post - Alum

Friday is almost a goner which means the weekend has unofficially arrived! It's a holiday weekend in the U.S. as well, so three days off for some of you. Hopefully you can get some BBQ going in the back yard or maybe even get to take in some fishing or other activities to break of the boredom which is plague living.

I kept things the same from last night as far as razor and blade go. Another round with the Mladast and Treet Platinum. Blade is still sharp and smooth and the razor was a bit more under control tonight. Takes me a day to dial them back in after ignoring them awhile. It even looks better in today's picture! Honestly, this razor isn't on the horrible end of things. More like "meh". Nothing exciting and it can be a bit difficult to consistently get great shaves (meaning no irritation either) due to the cheaper materials. But it is solid enough and can do a good enough job I can see where some might choose it as a daily driver. Compared to some out there - this one isn't half bad.

I chose the El Caballero along with a boar brush tonight and had a great lather. Three passes and a near-BBS resulted and I'm ready to chill out and get ready for what will probably be a slow weekend. I mean, seriously - if you can cook out for the holiday why order in, right? Make it a great one!!

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Thanks, Jason! I think I’ll keep shaving with this Nancy Boy cream. The post shave feel is comparable, or possibly even superior to the Fat. I just ordered their Signature AS Cooling Balm.

 

Look out Tim, the rabbit hole getting bigger , I sense. That being said, it is a fun and interesting aspect of this hobby with the historical nuances of the vintage razor and the craftsmanship of the current artisans. I picked up my first straight in 2002, the TI Super Gnome. In the last two years, once I figured out how to properly shave with a straight (must be a slow learner) I have picked up 14 more and 2 more are on the way. Two are custom Drew Dick razors, all the rest are vintage except the TI. Now I have to learn how to hone.
Enjoy the journey

 

Fabulous shave. Neil. Hope you are able to get out to enjoy the holiday weekend.

 

I was married. My daughter was one. We lived in Hof, WEST Germany, singing all over Europe. I was shaving with...you know, I don't even remember. I never even heard of Dior Fahrenheit until about a month ago. I guess I am vintage too.

 

SOTD SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

Yesterday’s shave with my Brass Gem Jr. Model 1912 was spectacular. Realizing that all safety razors are essentially just blade holders, the fun part of the hobby for me has been mastering the particulars of shave technique peculiar to each blade holder design. William Henson patented the first “hoe design” safety razor in 1847, but it really wasn’t until the 1880s that the Kampfe Bros. of Brooklyn, NY began producing their SE safety razor that later led to the Gem brand. With my Gem razors, since discovering the delightfully smooth and sharp SS Pella blades, shave technique turns out to be consistently similar with these “hoe design” SEs. Yes, there are minor differences in stroke and angle when shaving with an OC versus a SB Gem model, but the design itself just works!

For today’s shave I selected the G-Bar. This particular blade holder is one of the SB variants, and has never failed to deliver a top-of-the-line shave, and this morning was no different. The razor has a certain heft that just feels good in the hand. It sang “scraping toast” lyrics as it mowed through my whiskers right down to the skin line on that first WTG pass. The Nancy Boy shave cream provided a nicely slick, cooling cushion with its 6 drops of M-Bomb added. The 15.8 oz 316L SS Synth by Rearden Razor provided a bit of exercise during the two lather applications. The second ATG pass brought your happy narrator to VBSS land, the objective of every shave, and an A on the cotton ball test. Alum revealed some slight heat on the top of the back of my dome, but otherwise, another spectacular Gem shave. I feel clean, cool, velveteen smooth and refreshed.

RAZOR: Gem G-Bar
BLADE: Pella SS PTFE
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: 316L SS Synthetic by Rearden Razor
CREAM: Nancy Boy Signature
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Krampert’s Frostbite AS Splash.

 

Excellent shave and report, Jeff!

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

 

Fabulous shave Jeff. I am not familiar with the Nancy Boy soap.

 

Thanks, Joe! I don’t mean to enable , but it is a spectacular cream. Mantic59 in Sharpologist identified it as one of the best premium shave creams available. They’ve been around since 2002 and do no formal marketing. It’s all word of mouth. They claim to be able to use what would be a marketing expense in obtaining the best materials for their products. Their ‘Signature’ shave cream is what everyone references, but they also do a Sandalwood and a Sensitive Skin version. Their scents are very muted since they use no chemical fragrance, but only natural. To be honest, I love the stuff, and would happily shave with it and MWF for the rest of my days.

 

Thanks, Jason--I'm hoping so!

 

Fantastic set up, Chris--and thunderstorm!

 

Awesome report, Neal--glad you got the Mladast dialed in!

 

Awesome! Will do

 

Thanks, Jim!

 

Awesome shave and report, Jeff! Never did use a G-Bar, but I've always been under the impression that if it's a GEM, it's probably going to be an amazing shaver

 

Very pleased with today's shave. Before I began, I tried doing something that perhaps most of you do anyway, but something I've read about as vital to do....set up the soap with a couple drops of warm water prior to introducing the brush to it. I'm going to try to make that a "focus" from now on, just as I've now been using the "Y formation" in shaving my neck. I could see differences both in the loading strength and in the soap itself. Made me feel positive as I got the shave going. I gave my usual "chuckle" during the shave, meaning "Are you kidding me? I'd have been a fool not to buy this soap". I went very lightly over that cheek cut, and was relieved to find no further issue. I did, though, get a "weeper/cut" on the chin, which ended up harmless. The soap is Sir Hare's Alpha, and interestingly I'd like to compare it someday to that of Stoylin Gentleman, as SG was my aftershave of the day and the scents are quite similar(Tobacco&Vanilla, or "Vanille"). I don't have the SG soap, though. Wanted to go with a higher-rated comment, but I'll be honest and say Most Excellent.