Micromatic Monday

Discussion in 'Shower or Shave of the Day' started by GAW9576, Dec 2, 2019.

  1. GAW9576

    GAW9576 Well-Known Member

    The 1912s are fantastic razors.
    BTW I wasn't trying to imply you didn't know how to shave. Just mentioning what works for me. I hope the comment was taken as such.

    That is a beautiful example of an MMOC. They are excellent razors. That one looks like it may have never been used.
     
  2. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    ;)

    Yes, that does look like a new one
     
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  3. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    Seller claims it is NOS. We'll see.
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2022
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  4. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    It was another very pleasant shave with the Star 1912 model. I mixed Almond TOBS with the MWF again for another luxury shave.

    I put out the Proraso White but, I ended up using the bloom water of the soap for pre-shave instead.

    Razor - Star 1912 with 8th use of the GEM Personna stainless blade. Still going strong and nice shave
    Soap - I mixed a spoon of Almond cream TOBS with the MWF after I bloomed the soap with HOT water.
    After Shave - Thayers Toner & Pinaud Clubman "Vanilla"

    Washed face with Ivory bar soap. After bloming the MWF for a few minutes, I used the water for my pre-shave. Added the dollop of Almond to the bowl and then started whisking the MWF over the bowl. I scraped all the cream from the mug into the bowl and started whisking. I had to add a splash of hot water to the cream and got tons of RICH lather again. I like this!

    2-pass shave with minimal cleanup. WTG & ATG. Even on this 8th shave with the blade, it was pleasant. Smooth and nice smelling! No tugging at all yet with the blade. Alum bar raised zero feedback. No cuts, nicks, or leakers.

    The Thayers is really nice on the skin. And the Vanilla AS is nice scent but not overpowering.

    DSCN7766.JPG
     
  5. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Some nice shave Gear @Hogie , I use to car pool with a fellow who's nick name was Hogie . Brings back some memories!
     
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  6. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    My middle name is my dad's first name. Hogan. Everybody called him Hogie. I lost dad back in 1980
     
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  7. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    It's not Monday, but it was a MMOC shave.
    Today I shaved with my newly acquired Gem MMOC. It's a TTO and I used a Gem blade.
    [​IMG]
    Soap was another sample from my pal, Pat.
    [​IMG]
    Check out the ingredient list:
    [​IMG]
    Lot's of fatty-goodness and a very slick soap. The scent is supposed to remind one of an old library, but all I got was a heavy dose of patchouli.
    Lather results were nothing short of spectacular.
    [​IMG]
    Three pass shave with excellent results. The tag that came with the razor states:
    [​IMG]
    I completely disagree. I tried that and got ZERO blade contact. I will acknowledge, that perhaps when paired with the original Gem Wedge blades, the shaver would get good results riding the cap.
    Not with today's Gems.
    Loved the shave and my stank today is a perfect summer juice, Paco Rabanne Invictus Aqua.
     
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  8. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    Very fine shave!

    I too found that I did not lay razor flat against my face. It was easy to find the angle tho. Sherlock is another soap that reminds me of old books and leather.
     
  9. GAW9576

    GAW9576 Well-Known Member

    Actually these razors were not designed to take wedge blades. The wedge blades actually will not work in them at all. They usually came with blades very similar to the modern blades available today. I usually shave with most SE razors with the cap closer to flat to skin than I do with most DEs.
     
  10. GAW9576

    GAW9576 Well-Known Member

    For today's shave I chose the Star test unit razor. This capless prototype razor shaves very well. It's interesting that it shares the March 24-14 patent date with the Eve-Ready 1914 aka Little Lather Catcher.
    Also it does not show very well in the photo but my Zenith boar is finally starting to develop split ends. Thanks @infernalinternal (on Instagram) for the information on using a blow dryer to dry the brush after soaking.

    IMG_26062022_155531_(1098_x_1100_pixel).jpg IMG_26062022_155605_(1100_x_1100_pixel).jpg IMG_26062022_155549_(1100_x_1100_pixel).jpg
     
  11. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    Good post, thank you.
     
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  12. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    The Star 1912 gave me another amazingly smooth shave! This is my fav vintage single edge.

    Pre-shave cream was Proraso White altho, I coulda used the sandalwood since the soap has sandalwood in it.
    Soap was Dead Sea soap
    Brush was my Simpson Commodore badger
    Razor was the Star 1912 with GEM Personna stainless blade (9th use)
    After shave was Thayers aloe & witch hazel and Proraso AS. Also a dab of balm.

    Showered and prepped face with hot washcloth. I used my spoon to measure a dollop of soap. It was easy to get the lather whipped but, the lather was not as creamy as my other soaps. Very slick tho. I did WTG, ATG, and a little cleanup for a BBS shave. The Star shaves really nice with lots of feedback. Smooth and easy. Very nice razor.

    Alum bar gave me no feedback at all so zero irritation. No cuts, nicks, or weepers. I didn't even re-open that cut on my neck! :)
    Thayers is so nice. It's probably the aloe.

    Tomorrow I will try the GEM Featherweight again to see if it bites me again. I want to finish the blade. It has 9 shaves on it now and still going strong! So, this might be another single edge week. Amazing blades! I am super smooth and close after 9 shaves with that blade! Amazing!

    DSCN7859.JPG
     
  13. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    GEMonday, June 27th 2022

    Razor :
    Gem Pushbutton- Mfg 1958-65, excellent tame mid range, theme razor for that time era possibly when cars had push button transmission shifting instead of stick shift levers.
    Blade : Gem Personna SS PTFE (10) very sharp, excellent longevity, smooths out nicely + predictable.
    Soap : Razorock Santa Maria del Fiore, nice vanilla scent with light scent of tobacco + excellent lather qualities.
    Brush : Yaqi Moka 24mm synthetic, excellent lather qualities, heavenly cloud like soft tips, gentle scrubber, excellent lather painter.
    Pre shave : (Dedicated Cashmere synthetic)Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser with a dollop of clear Aloe Vera on the cleaned beard area.
    Prep : Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups. WTG + ATG + pickups.
    Post shave : Razorock Santa Maria del Fiore with witch hazel + a dollop of CeraVe moisturizing lotion(scentless).
    Results :CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + no weepers=[​IMG] Great shave with my Gem Bush button with a Gem coated blade.
    [​IMG]
    Have some great shaves!
     
  14. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    The Razorock The Dead Sea it sure has a nice fragrance + the T.D.S aftershave is a great scent that matches it well. Glad your dialing in those ASR razors because they are one of my favorites and I will always use them. We all can get distracted with all these new razors coming out but the vintage razors hold their own easily against the best with good technique IMO.
     
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  15. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    Very nice, Ron!

    I just got a jar of that soap too and it's very nice. I must say that I do like how these razors shave. Tomorrow I am trying a 3rd shave with the GEM Featherweight to see if I can finally get a nickless shave with it. Same blade that now has 9 shaves on it and still sharp!

    DSCN7569.JPG
     
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  16. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    The GEM stainless blades are amazing. I remove the blade and rinse the razor and blade after each shave. I wipe down the razor and pat the blade dry before putting it on my magnet. I pamper these vintage razors. NEVER let one set dirty after I am done shaving. Cleaning them is part of the morning ritual. I am amazed at how long the blade is lasting. It is my first SE GEM blade used. I am new to these razors.
     
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  17. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Gem Feather weight 1st generation that you own is one of my favorite razors. If you want a slightly gentler shave the Feather weight 2nd generation has a different top cap that gives a different tamer shave IMO because of less blade exposure or feel. The Gem G bar has the same top cap as the 2nd Generation top cap but with a different handle.
    (L)Gem 2nd generation Feather-weight razor Mfg 1953-54.................................................................(R) Gem 1st Generation Feather-weight razor, Mfg 1950-52
    GEM Cap Styles 2 (2).JPG
    Have some great shaves!
     
  18. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    So, my Featherweight is more of a beast! It does require a VERY light touch. I let my guard down and that is when it bites me.
     
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  19. GAW9576

    GAW9576 Well-Known Member

    Glad you are enjoying the Gem razors. And it sounds like you are taking excellent care of them too. I do pretty much the same cleanup on mine minus the magnetic storage for the blade. I wrap mine up and slip it into a little box with several other blades I have going.
     
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  20. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    when I look at photos of the vintage razors on ebay and etsy, I see so many filthy razors. I run them thru at least 2 ultrasonic cleanings before I use. I use an old toothbrush to make sure the soap scum is cleaned off after I am done shaving.
     
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