January 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic&Discussion Thread

What the heck was I thinking? I am gonna shave with a straight in 2016, stitches or not. Let's do this...and stay the course! The 30 Day crew never quits, never surrenders, and today is no exception...

Day 11 - 90 Day Intro to SR



Whipped Dog "Sight Unseen" 5/8
L'Occitane Plisson Synthetic
Route 66 Lumberjack
Alum
TSD ISZ AS
Pinaud Clubman
​

Yesterday was pretty below average. I finished a great SR shave with the Aust, then went to my garage to listen to the Seattle NFL game, carve some wood... And end up in the ER. It was my left hand, so that is good, but I wasn't sure if SR was a good idea today...but I channeled a little Ivan, and asked myself, "what's the worst that could happen?" Well, it all worked out. This was my first usage of this razor, I found it to be sharp and smooth. I was able to complete two passes and was near BBS everywhere but the chin and jaw corners, reached for the 59 Fat Boy with a Feather and cleaned it up for a full BBS. I will use this razor for ten days now, and then back to the Aust to see which blade suits my face best. @Douglas Carey - the Route 66 is the best small batch soap I encountered in 2015. The lather is so thick and slick, and I love the lumberjack scent. Alum felt pretty good, this razor ain't all that pretty, but it is a fine shave. Hand is less swollen, back to the grind tomorrow. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a great Monday night!

​

​

 

Sounds like good solid advice, that can't be argued with. I will take it on board. It was largely that I found a loop hole in the no straights for a year rule my wife has implemented.

 

I am glad you've finally come to your senses and started passing out Voskhod to newbies! Nice work!

 

Full disclosure: I've not used a shavette, but my reading has led me to believe it is a different technique and skill set than straight razor. I intentionally skipped shavettes as not to "poison the well" for straight shaves by learning shavette technique first.

 

Really glad your healing up. This chap Ivan seems to talk a lot of sense.

 

It's doing great. I have to wear a finger splint for the first couple days, then I'll be able to just use a normal bandage. The guys from last year will recall, I burned my right (dominant) really badly, and shaved left handed all month in March 2015. If you want a challenge try that!

 

I'm confused...where is you razor in that pic?

 

The dark side is proud.

 

Outstanding attitude. I love the quitters never win, and winners never quit.

 

Don't tell Vince but it's tied to the tail getting a great view!

 

Jan 12 Focus Shave 9

Big shave today, huge brush and a big heavy Hart Steel 7/8

Today's razor is a Hart Steel finished with Shapton 12k, CrOx then Fe3O2, diamond. The shave felt very smooth and the blade sharp.I did 4 passes and the only blood was from a nick on my ear. The alum confirmed the smoothness, just a tickle and the bonus was I finished with BBS.

Irritation A Closeness A Smoothness A Keenness A-

I am not sure I can tell the difference between the different treatments of the edge but one think I do notice, my technique has improved. I have allot more consistence in my results. Today's blade was smoother than yesterdays with the only difference being the diamond paste finish and the 7/8 is bigger and heavier... and the QCS

QCS Fougère
Simpson Polo 12 super badger (This brush is huge)
Large Whitehead scuttle
Hart Steel 7/8 Shapton 12k CrOx, Fe3O2, diamond
Dry Gulch strop
Speick AS
L'Occitane Cade ASB
Houbigant Fogère Royale

 

Shavettes are the most aggressive least forgiving shaving tool there is... if you want a challenge it is a good choice. My first and second shaves with a shavette left me blood, scarred and delayed my straight razor journey by a year.

The blade exposure may look the same but it is not even in the same league regarding aggressiveness and requires a completely different technique.

 

I like to set my Futur to 6 (but not with a Feather blade). It is one loud razor. Enjoy, the Futur is one of my top DEs.

 

I'm one of the chosen. It leaves the urine smell in the bottle. My fiance thinks its a very mild flowery scent. Her exact words were " Yummy and sexy smelling"

 

my Semogue is M favorite brush. I forgot which model I have but it was a very cheap wood handled one 14 something I think. It releases tons of lather but I have to shake pretty hard to get the extra water out before I load up. Then when I add water I just dip less then a half inch of the tips in a bowl of warm while I'm face lathering.

 

I do 20 laps on the green side clean the blade 20 on the red , clean the blade then 40 on leather. I end up doing that about once every 5-7 shaves. My beard is rough on blades it's got very thick hairs and its fairly dense as well.

 

Shave Five of my focus, and I was a bit rushed, once again, but I managed to get another great shave! I do a three pass with touchups, and I just have to run through my mental list of problem areas (anything I'm forgetting?) before the final cold rinse. After January ends, I will take February off and return to random selection and whim shaving, but I plan to inaugurate my own system of focus months periodically through the year.

Such a great way to really fine tune my shave.

 

Shavettes are less forgiving and more likely to bite then straights. To this day I have only once cut my face with a straight but shavettes bite me regularly. I have cut myself more with safety razors then I have with straights and I've been using straights a long time. Stick to the DE/SE razors for at least a few months before trying straights and save the shavette for after you are comfortable with the straight.

 

Tuesday, January 12, 2015

Blackland Blackbird
Gillette Silver Blue #1
Rubberset 400 #3 Omega 10066
MDC Original
Witch Hazel + Menthol, Whipped Shea Butter
Fine Platinum

I began shaving with much trepidation today due to the mixed reviews of this razor. This is a solid razor with good weight. It’s heft did most of the work and I had no trouble keeping a light touch. The long handle is a perfect fit and has a great grip even when soapy. My shave today was two passes +clean up, closeness A and irritation A+. The razor left very little stubble for clean up. The angle was easy to maintain throughout the shave. The Blackbird is one cool razor and a great DE shaver. The honeymoon period has officially begun. Finished with a splash of Fine Platinum. Have a terrific Tuesday you all.