30 Day Rule/Focus; February 2025. All Are Welcome.

Thanks Joe!

60-90, I guess you mean seconds not minutes then ? Lol! Not swirls I guess?

OK then, let's see how you go with this wide open in woodchipper mode as John says, from your other posts, I am guessing you will like it that wide open

thanks John, there are 2 camps for MWF, for and against. I have a few pucks so I guess I need to learn to like it, sooner rather than later!

Was it this>>>>

I was going to PM you, but perhaps there are others that have interest as well.
Disclaimer: This works for me. You might already be successful lathering MWF, in which case. Shave on!

The first thing I do with a new puck of MWF is get out my cheese grater and grate it on the fine side (as opposed to the coarse).
Press the grated soap firmly (I use a 58mm espresso tamper) into your receptacle of choice (I happen to own the ceramic MWF jar). I do this because grating the soap seems to allow more moisture to infiltrate the puck.
Before lathering and whilst showering, I "bloom" (I always catch flak from a few infamous TSD members here ) the soap with warm water (cover the soap completely). Let it get soft. AND soak your brush. (While any brush works with MWF, you might have your best success with a synthetic)
When I am ready to shave, I pour off the water into my Aesop bowl (clearly any bowl will work).
I squeeze as much water out of my brush as I can and work the reserved water into my hydrated, but dried brush. I wring out most of this bloom water and go to the puck. IMO, you cannot overload a brush. Load it like there is no tomorrow. Seriously.
Your brush should be inundated with thick, gooey goodness.
To the face. The soap will be sticky. It lacks water at this point. After you have worked it into your skin, you can start hydrating the lather. Drop by drop, always working it into the lather before adding more. Eventually, you will achieve the consistency of yoghurt.
Hope this helps. Let us know

Sounds like a lot of work to get the Tallow to do what it should, whereas the Tabac and the Cyril R Salter just do so straight from the puck
Is the MWF that much better?

Not sure I like the ceramic bowl, it does look nice but it doesn't seal very well, so the soap dries out each time I put it away for a while

Might have tackle this differently or find some other way....

 

2 Feb 2025

1 Days growth

Soap = Sterling Bergamot and lavender
Brush = Omega 10049
Bowl = white plastic
Razor = No 66
Blade = Bolzano (1)
Passes = 2 and pick ups, no need for ATG today
Post = Usual CWR, Alum, rinse, pat dry, Thayers rose petal, Nivea Balm
ASL = Imperial Leather
Scent = The Body Shop Black Musk
Score = 9.8 / 10. Superb presentable Sunday shave with no errors to report. Less alum feedback than yesterday so that is another bonus
Damage = none

Leaving the Mitchell Wool Fat to soak another day
I like to start the Sterling soaps a little thick for the first lather application, then dip/wet the brush a bit to make it smoother and shinier on the face. It might be my imagination but this puck of Sterling does not thin out as quickly as some of my others. Great overall shave. Sticking with the No 66 for a while as a sort of mini focus, as I try and figure out the MWF and test different blades

Have a great Sunday lads and lasses

 

Excellent shave Chris. Imo, Stirling is the bomb.

 

Thanks Joe
So far for Feb: Sterling 1. MWF 0.

 

fine 66 shave Chris.

 

thanks Gary

 

2nd February 2025.



​

Shaving Recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/ Cien Men Energize Shower Gel.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face.
Wrights Coal Tar bar Soap.
Brush: Wilkinson Sword Synthetic.
Bowl Lather.
Bowl: Ikea Kalas Side Bowl.
Lather: Gillette Skin Ultra Sensitive Shave Cream.
Blade: Wilkinson Sword Classic. (D2)
Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic.

Post:
Cold Water face rinse./Cold water face wash with brush squeezing's,/Alum Rub./Cold Water Rinse./Homemade (~Autumn/Winter mix~) peppermint lavender, eucalyptus, + Tea Tree essential Oils Mixed Together With Care+Witch Hazel./Superdrug Forest ASL./Nivea Men Replenishing PSB.

Greetings,

First Sunday morning shave of February 2025.

The Gillette Skin Ultra Sensitive Shave Cream provided me with a more than adequate lather in a short space of time leaving a good post shave feel.

Finishing the shave off a with a few small dollops of Nivea Men Replenishing PSB.

My face is feeling super smooth & smelling divine.

Keep safe and enjoy your Sunday ladies & gentlemen.

​

 

fine wilkie shave Barry.

 

Thank you Gary. Enjoy your Sunday.

 

WEll, I made another change of plan for todsy's shave. I brought out the

lather-"Old Chap Art"(Art Razor, made in Ukraine)
and it was a real nice shave, with one problem-a "Red Ball Sunset" down at Cactus Nation(neck)on the right side. Great everywhere else, and this soap has become my backup unscented soap for now(Mike's Natural moves to #1). A minute at the loading dock, and the brush picked up a lot of soap. I really thought I was going to have a top-ranked shave, but then the sunset happened. 2 passes(a little more loading needed before the sex0nd). One reason I chose the Art Razor soap was that I was betting it would not interfere with the Fine Latigo A.S. I won that bet . Very Outstanding.

 

Thank you Gary. You can bust out the SRX anytime.

 

SRS # 1230 - Sample Soap Sunday - Stirling Piacenza

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: Frederick Reynolds 5/8”
Brush: Semogue Galahad C3 Boar
Lather: Stirling Piacenza
Aftershave: Stirling Piacenza
Additional Care:
Omega Alum
Dickenson’s Original Witch Hazel
Stirling Unscented Glacial Balm

Very nice close shave this morning. The Stirling soap provided a slick surface for the blade to do its work. Unfortunately, the lather did not expand as normal. I will attribute this to the newly acquired Semogue boar brush hogging the soap.

Heading to a High School football banquet with the missus and son this morning. I am going to be looking smooth and velveteen as well as smelling divine.

Hope you all have an enjoyable Sunday.

 

Super Sunday setup and shave Barry.

 

Awesome shave Joe. Have a nice time.

 

February 2 SOTM Headshave

Good morning

Rockwell Model T v1 (5)
Gillette 7 o'clock Permasharp DE Blade (3)
L'Occitane Plisson Synthetic Brush
Music City Suds Lavender SS and AS
Stirling Alum Block
Dome Turf: 4 days



Did 3 passes for a cueball smooth shave. Did get a weep on my upper left side toward the front. The alum made it disappear. Finally, this puck is finished. It lasted a very long time and I think it is because it is a very hard soap. It's 6 oz and I got it for about 5 dollars. It was the company's closing out their line of shaving soaps. I believe it still is in business, but they sell regular bars of soap as well as liquid soap. However, I still have an unused puck of this soap so I will still enjoy its wonderful earthy lavender scent.

In any event, the alum feedback was evident on the back of my head, but it wasn't brutal. Finished with the matching aftershave. I may do a straight razor shave or a DE shave late this evening on my face. Take care.

 

February 2, 2025

Freedom February

Razor - Merkur Futur (3)
Blade - (2)
Soap - Stirling Black Ice
Brush - 30DC 2019 Meetup w/Synthetic

Second day with the Futur and I dialed it up to setting 3. That gives a blade gap of .053 inches. Well above any Gillette adjustable. Second day on the Astra blade. I decided it's time to work through some soaps I have had forever, and I have had a sample of Stirling Black Ice sitting around partially used. So, I'll focus on that one until it's gone. Love this soap and actually have a brand new tub of it as well. It's menthol and anise - think black licorice. And yes, I love black licorice. I chose the synthetic knot in the 2019 meetup brush. Whipped up a brushful of lather and had enough for two or three shaves.

Two passes on this middle setting and I loved it, although I can tell it's not a beginner razor at all. At one point my angle shifted ever so slightly and I felt the blade about to make me pay for it. Pulled back and no blood. I mentioned yesterday how heavy this razor is. I weighed it before today's shave and it is 125 grams. The only razor heavier is the Stahly live blade. The Gillette Fatboy is 78 grams. And, since I have the Q-shave clone I weighed it. It comes in at 86 grams, far below the real thing. I adjusted my grip to a very loose hold on the handle, three fingers and a thumb with my pinky stabilizing the end. No pressure at all. None.

Finished with a near perfect shave. A bit of extra work on my jawline would have made it perfect but I'm satisfied. Tomorrow I'll open it up all the way. I have to say, I like this razor a lot. Next best thing to a pain stick. Happy Sunday!

​

 

Fab Futur shave Neal.

 

fabulous sunday shaves and pics gents.

 

Gary

 

Thanks Gary....in order to use the Art Razor soap, I decided to flip my second soap in 2 days-the Stoylin Sheep. I just didn't like the way it looked. I'll get another Sheep when the Art Razor runs out.