I was about to add...Play the fight song!!

You're right! What's the worst that could happen?

Two months late! Instant classic.

This will probably serve as notice of intent to the 30DC...

I'm gonna need to swap some cash for a paddle strop in early December...

Just saying...

Why stop? What's the worst that could happen?

Borscht cures all. Well, maybe some vodka, but I am telling you, beets are good for recuperation.

Well-done photo, Seth! Rapira! Long live the cartel.

It's really crazy how if you substitute 4WD trucks for the cars in Soviet photos, it looks like north central AL.

In Soviet Russia, barber comes to you...

1. Yakuza are ruthless, not crazy.
2. Kogatana is merely the toothpick used when one is drinking copious Sake and Soju, whilst eating the goat and yam based mountain cuisine of extreme Northern Honshu island in Japan. What's the worst that could happen?

I started my shave today with the shavette same as I had been. Then I thought "self, this is the day you said you would do a partial XTG pass with the shavette" So I told myself "You're right but the Proraso is a bit dry, and the blade is on its last day and is a bit draggy and grabby. Should I change blade or wait for tomorrow?" Nah, Whats the worst that could happen?" Now my inner monologue Has an english accent because well its my inner monologue and I can make it sound how I like and somehow I remember my great grandma in her very proper english schoolteacher tone telling me what I should and should not do while I was very very young. It had to stick somewhere. That last sentence of inner conversation didn't sound right. I heard the Russian National anthem playing behind it and the pleasant english accent became rough and tinged with the sounds of Mother Russia.

So I did what any 30day thread goer would do. I dipped my brush in more water in an attempt to moisten the lather some more and went at that 2nd pass with the shavette. I think I got carried away because next thing I know I've completed the 2nd pass XTG with the shavette. Sanity returned to me and I touched up around the jaw and chin with the Super Speed but then it fled again.

I thought, "I wonder how that new alum stick would feel on my face today? I see a few places where the blade chattered but only one has blood so it could use the alum, right?" I rubbed it in and except for 3 small cuts on my right sideburn area and a small slice on the right side of my chin it hardly tingled. Well, I couldn't leave it alone so again my inner monologue started up. "Hey look some yellow Listerine. That started out as an aftershave right? I don't feel like nivea or clubman and I hate the fusion balm so let's give the listerine a whirl."

I have to say its not too bad. very cooling and chilly. It stung the cuts less then clubman would have but it left my face feeling dry. If I can ever find glycerine at the local stores or remember to grab it when I travel some I may have to add some to the Listerine and see if that helps with the dry feeling. I even like the scent very fresh with the menthol and eucalyptus. I hope my next shave has better lather and a new blade but other then that It was pretty good.

I rate it as a DFS in closeness but the 4 nicks make it lower then normal. I had a slight slice on the right side of my chin that wass because the razor started to twist from the slick tang and heavy handle. I tightened up to keep it but I moved slightly forward (less than 1mm) and it bit me. The dry lather caused the other 3. I started at my ear with a XTG stroke and first thing the razor chattered and skipped on my face. It hit me 3 times and I can see the places it cut in but none of those bled or stung much when I alum sticked them or when I listerined them. I'll try not to get carried away tomorrow and I will change the shavette blade. The blade in the SS still feels great so it gets to stay. I'll also have to pay better attention to lathering so its nice and wet instead of the thick dry sticky mess I had today. By the touch up it felt fine but I added water everytime I brought the brush back to my face. I ended up squeezing at least 2 passes worth of lather out of the brush right before I rinsed it out.

On a side note, I found an old swedish camping axe in the back of the closet. Should I attempt to hone it?

It might be narrow but the blade is about razor length. Isn't there also a hair pin and chopsticks in some of those swords? I think the orient made the first Swiss Army knife and the Swiss just made it smaller and added hinges. First my Chinese Mess knife and then the Japanese swords with little knives and picks and chopsticks.

What do we have from Russia?



I'll accept that.

November 23

Feather Artist Club SS
Feather Professional (6)
Semogue 830
MdC scented
Three passes plus touch-ups
Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and CC Bay Rum

Goals
Further develop my two-pass shave technique by practicing the basics
Break in and get more experience with the Semogue 830
Get more experience with MdC

This was my first three-pass shave (WTG, ATG, ATG) shave during the November focus. I'm near BBS in most areas and DFS+ around my mouth and chin. I missed one little patch on my chin. The Alum and CC Bay Rum were a little warmer than usual. All things considered, it was a great Monday morning shave. I satisfied my curiosity, and I'll return to two-pass shaves tomorrow.

I'm thankful for my 30-day brothers here on TSD and the friendships we've developed over the past year. Happy Thanksgiving week!

11/23/2015 - back to the NOVember routine



- Stirling preshave soap
- D.R. Harris Sandalwood
- Semogue 620
- Mühle R89
- Gillette Silver Blue (#2)
- Tüff sensitiv Rasierwasser

Since there are basically two methods of soap lathering - the wet and the dry one - I gave the dry method another try today, just out of curiosity. Still doesn't work for me though, at least not with this combination of brush and soap. I hardly got enough lather for one pass and it wasn't great at all, so I decided to start over with a pretty much soaking wet brush. Much much better! Creamy, thick lather - and enough for a two-pass-shave with some touchups.

I'm so familiar with this setup now that I don't have any problems with achieving a very close to BBS shave in just two passes. That's funny though - since the R89 was my first DE razor and a few months ago I thought it might not give me the close and smooth shave I wanted (that's why I bought the Merkur progress). But now I know that it was just my lack of technique. This razor does as good a job as any other.

If I aim for absolute perfect BBSness I'd still have to do a third pass (or do a lot of touchup work that would qualify as a third pass), but I only do that if I know I dont want to shave the next day.

Finished my shave today with a cold water rinse and my favorite After Shave - Tüff is one of the few East German products that survived the reunification, and I'm glad it did. Not only does it work great, it is also very inexpensive.

To sum it up: irritation A+, closeness A

Have a great day

Great Photo.

Aristocrat Focus November 23:

Homemade PS Oil
Frank Shaving Pur-Tech
Mitchell's Wool Fat
Gillette Aristocrat
Stirling Unscented PSB -- Mentholated
Clubman Vanilla AS

My neck was feeling it a bit yesterday, so I kept my shave to a single pass on the neck and a two pass on my face. The change threw off my shave a bit, so I would rate it a CCS on my face and SAS on my neck.

We finally have temp in the 30's this morning in SE Texas, and it feels great. Combine that with today being my only day of work this week, and it is a fantastic Monday. Hope everyone has the same.

11/23/2015
Razor – Wolfman OC with Triad SS Helix
Blade – 7 O’clock Blue (1)
Brush – Rudy Vey with TGN Finest
Lather – Soap Commander Passion
Post - Witch Hazel & Captain’s Choice Bay Rum



Using Soap Commander Passion in a self made shave stick again today. After rubbing the stick around my face, the little Rover whipped up a great slick lather. Loaded the Wolfman with a new 7 O'clock Blue from @Rufus T. and got started with the shave. From the first stroke the blade was very smooth which is not always true of my Feather blades. I went with a traditional 3 pass shave and touch ups around my chin. Didn't get the baby but very close. I would grade this shave as A- for closeness and A+ for irritation. Finished off with a splash of CC Bay Rum and I am ready for the start of a short week. Hope everyone has a great Monday.

SOTD
November 23, 2015
Prep: Hot Shower. Axe Energizing Face Wash Boost
Razor: Gillette Aristocrat Junior #49
Blade: Personna Lab Blue
Lather: RazorRock The Beach
Brush: CK Switchback 400 24mm #2 Dura Synthetic Knot
Post: Thayers Cucumber WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: Myrsol F/Extra
Nice shave. This soap has one heck of a crazy scent. I like the #2 knot much better than the #1, backbone like a boar yet soft as a feather. The Aristocrat Junior performs flawless. I'm finding more gear that I haven't used much or never, it's nice not chasing the shaving rainbow.
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE!

After my less than stellar shave on Saturday, I pulled the blade from the pain stick and went back to my beloved straight razors. Also had two new pieces of gear to play with on today’s shave. Working with a new type of strop for me, with polypropylene webbing instead of linen. The leather is American Bridle leather from a tannery in Pennsylvania. The poly is a very different feel, but seems to have worked just fine. The leather had as much draw as my oiled Latigo strop, and worked well. I also sent one of these strops out today to get feedback from another SR guy. I will keep using it for a bit to get a feel for it. Also got to try Sterling soap for the first time, courtesy of @Norcalnewb. The barbershop scent is awesome, and the soap lathers really well once you get enough water in it. Because I was trying a new strop, the razor had been stropped around 100 times on the poly, and 200 times on the leather. The edge was very keen, and just wiped the whiskers off with the lather. The only spots I struggled with were the ones I had leveled part of my face off on Saturday. Didn’t really get the whiskers smooth there, but didn’t reopen the cuts. The Alum and Clubman with M-Bomb were attention getting, but no swear words. Two and a half pass shave, overall DFS, Closeness B, Irritation B-.

How did you like the Stirling Barber Shop?

It is awesome! The smell is the best barbershop I have tried so far, and it lathers really well. I did have to reapply the lather for the second half of my second pass, as it started to disappear. I am looking forward to trying it with one of my badger brushes next month, and I bet I will have no trouble getting a smooth long lasting lather.

Last nights shave is just a little rough today. I'll need to shave in a few hours. The cuts at my right ear are not noticable and they still haven't bled any. The smallnick at my chin looks really good too. Hardly a scab its much smaller then it looks while it was fresh.