August 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Hey MrC, I just took a double take on your brush. I just picked up a Scarrlatti!

How long have you had it?
I've used it only once or twice during this focus and couldn't get used to it right away so I went back to the Omega pro 48 to keep things a bit more constant for my Slim trials.

When you get a chance, please let me know your process for successful lathering with it! (I tend to only face lather.)
Thanks!
RT

 

Except for the flap of skin on my neck, I got a pretty good shave with the razor I sharpened this morning. Is that the right way to say that?

I will post more details later. Off to find my styptic pencil.

 

1959 E3 Gillette Fat Boy
Vulfix Super Badger (660)
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Proraso Sandalwood cream
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

Shave #1 with the Gillette Silver Blue in my '59 Fat Boy set to 4. A nice, smooth, very comfortable shave.
2 Full passes: Pass 1 WTG on my face and XTG on my neck. Pass 2: ATG. I had a lot less stubble remaining this morning than with the green 7 0'Clock blades. For touch up, I lathered the hollow on the left side of my neck and my left jaw. I used J-hooking on my jaw and blade buffing on my neck. I needed an additional touch up on my neck, but that is not unusual. It is the hardest spot for me to get a clean shave. I felt no stubble on my final rinse. Aqua Velva was quiet this morning and while some stubble woke up on my neck and along my jawline during my application, when the A/s dried I was left with a smooth result.

Another BBS shave from the Silver Blue. The first time I've tried it in my Fat Boy. Much more enjoyable than the Gillette 7 0'Clock Super Stainless (Green) I had in there the last couple of days. Feelin' good!

 

Phoenix Comparison Focus Day 13:

Homemade PS Oil
Stirling Synthetic Brush
Palmolive Classic SC
Phoenix Dbl OC
Stirling Unscented PSB
Skin Bracer

Another good shave with the Phoenix. Between the TV Special and Phoenix, this has been a great week of shaving. Both are smooth and provide irritation free time shaves.

 

08/14/2015
Razor – Gillette Slim (J3) set on 9
Blade – Gillette 7 O’clock Yellow
Brush – Zenith Pro Aluminum Boar
Lather – TSD Signature
Post - Witch Hazel & Captain’s Choice Bay Rum with Menthol Added



Changed the blade from Ladas to a Gillette Yellow this morning. A fantastic 3 pass shave this morning. I decided to chase the baby a bit and with some touch ups, I caught the little sucker. This might have been my best shave with the Slim. However, with over 7 months participating in the 30 Rule/Focus thread, this month is the first that I am just ready to be over. While the Slim provides me acceptable shaves, it's sole reason for staying in the den is to have a both birth year razors.

It was a pleasure this morning to use the TSD Signature Lanolin soap. The soap was super easy to lather and provided a great slick lather. I really like this scent as well. For those of you that have not tried the TSD soaps, you are missing out a truly great product that also supports the forum. Finished off with a CC Bay Rum and I am ready for the day.

 

I would say that is the right way to say it. Hope you find your styptic pencil.

 

Good looking setup. I'm getting used to my Slim, however, I haven't gotten to #9 yet. I'll try #8 today. Have you tried a Wilkinson blade in your Slim? TSD soaps are great!!!

 

Outstanding picture with excellent tools. How's that SC? Great looking razor stand. Did you make it yourself?

 

8/14/15 SOTD (Shave 8 of this focus)
Two days’ growth
Prep: Hot shower
Razor: Ontario Cutlery Co. 5/8 Spike Point
Strop: Drygulch Chromexcel/ Linen
Soap: The Holy Black Gunpowder Spice
Brush: Omega 1066 Boar
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, Thayer’s Witch Hazel
Aftershave: The Holy Black Whisker Whiskey Gunpowder Spice

Not a great shave today, even though I ended up with BBS on the face and DFS on the neck for smoothness levels. The soap gave me a much better lather today, after I worked more water into it. This was one of the first soaps I used, but am not liking it quite as much this round. It is slick, but doesn’t seem to have as much cushion as some of the others I have used. Scent is awesome. The aftershave was bracing, and has a long lasting scent. I will probably keep the aftershave in the rotation, but will not order more of the soap once this puck is done.

This razor was my first attempt to take a razor from dull to shave ready. I seem to have gotten it from dull to sharp, while not getting the smoothness I needed. I learned today not to assume a spike point won’t bite you, just because it is a little rounded. Managed to get four cuts on my neck I didn’t even feel on the first four strokes with the razor. One of them left a flap of skin I had to trim off. Any sane person would have put this razor down at this point, and grab one that was actually shave ready. I didn’t.

I completed the S/N pass, and half of the N/S pass, but the razor was pulling pretty bad, so I went to a pasted strop to try and refresh the blade. It helped a little, but not a lot. I did XTG on my chin and jaw, and finished the N/S pass. The alum was more effective than coffee for waking me up, but did nothing to slow down the blood coming out of my neck. I tracked down and found my styptic pencil and got the blood stopped. Lots of irritation on the neck and chin post shave. We will call today a learning experience.

 

30 day Focus - Day 13
MDC Lavender Face Lathered
Rapira Stainless Blade (Day 1 on blade, Day 1 on Rapira Stainless)
Slim Adjustable set to 8
3 passes

I switched to the Rapira Stainless today. It is very hard for me to tell if one type of Russian blade is better than the other because they seem to be so similar in terms of smoothness and sharpness. The exceptions to this are the Sputnik blade, which seems to be less sharp and less smooth than any of the other blades, and the Ladas blade, which seems smoother and sharper than the others. Today was a very nice 3 pass with excellent results.

 

Thank you Doug for the kind words. I have not tried a Wilkinson blade in the Slim or at all that I can recall. The best shaves I have had with the Slim were with Feather, Gillette Yellow and Voskhod blades. My problem with the Slim is even at 9, I find the razor to be rather inefficient razor for me and my beard. It's just too much work to get the results that are easily achieved with my other razors such as the New LC. I'm sure it is a YMMV thing as so many people really like the Slim.

 

Can I hear us all say "OUCH!"?

 

OUCH!! I take my hats of to you guys with the SR. I am not sure I would survive the experience of trying to master a SR.

 

If you can shave with an SE like your Mongoose, you can shave with a straight. It just takes a lighter touch. This morning was a case of me not respecting the razor enough. Straights are just better about reminding you that you need to respect them than safety razors.

 

AUGUST FOCUS = 1958 EXECUTIVE

"Houston we do not have a problem."

Setup: 1958 Exec (5), Astra SP (1), WD Silvertip, Stirling MITA, Barbasol Pacific Rush AS

After a serious "brain fart" the past couple days I had a very nice CCS shave this morning. Dropped the Exec to 5, put in a new Astra and took my brain out of the equation and things went well. I didn't chase the baby, I didn't even try to get extra close, I just took what the razor/blade gave me and was happy with that. I think (oh no, my brain...) in this focus month, in addition to getting to know my Exec better, I've been trying to get a really nice shave with only 2 passes (XTG, ATG). The reason for this is that I shave 7 days a week and I thought 2 passes, rather than 3, would be easier on my face. I think (there goes my brain again) that with 2 passes I'm actually irritating my face more because I'm trying harder. I think (oh crap, not my brain again) I've analyzed this situation to death and need to just shave.

So thanks to all the advice and getting me back on track. Now I'm clean shaven, not thinking, looking good, got my golf knickers on and I'm off to the country club for a charity golf outing.

And always remember when trouble presents itself: "There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation." W.C. Fields

 

I wish Douglas!
This is actually a photo of the gear of @mrchick !
I posted it to call out the brush that he and I have in common.



Though now that you mentioned it....hey MrC, would you put me on your DIY list for one of those razor stands as well? Thanks!

 

I've only had it a week. It is a great bowl latherer. I do not like it as a face latherer. I use a badger for that.

 

The SC is actually a Leresche #51 and I love it. The rack is actually a test tube rack. I have one six and two twelve hole racks. They work great!
Eisco Labs Premium Wooden Test Tube Rack, (6) 22mm Holes, 9.5" Long https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I13ZNIC/?tag=thshde-20

 

Yikes!

 

Great, thanks for all that info!
Good review on the brush. Perhaps i'll use it come winter when i break out my scuttle and do some bowl lathering.