March '16 - 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix and Discussion Thread

Razor: Gillette Super Speed Black Tip (X3) 1952
Blade: Wilkinson (6)
Brush: Jayaruh JR #45 Walnut Honey Comb Handle. Knot is an Ace 24/70mm Synthetic.
Soap: Route 66 Cavendish
A/S: Fine L'Orange
Busy day same shave products as yesterday. Had a DFS!!! Hard not to whip up a great lather with this brush and soap combination.

 

SOTD 3/11/16
Razor: Union Cutler Co. KA-BAR 5/8 Round Tip
Strop: Drygulch Leatherworks Chromexcel Horse/ Linen
Soap: Jeeves of Hudson Street Cherry Blossom
Brush: Hand Turned Tulip Wood, TGN Best Badger Knot
Post: Cold Water Rise, Alum, Thayers’ Rose Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Fine La’Orange Noir

Another razor back from being cleaned up. This one is from the 1920s, and in really nice shape. The scales look amazing. Two pass DFS, no irritation shave! I’ll take it. This is my third shave using the Jeeves of Hudson Street soap, and I have tried it with my Badger, Boar, and Synthetic. Great lather with all three, and outstanding performance. Glad this week is finally over.

 

March into Artist Club Blades

March 11

Razor - Feather SS
Blade - (4)
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Soap - Tabac
Post - Cold Rinse, Alum, Nivea Original Balm, The Veg

Well, well, well. For those who have been hovering near the screen waiting for a little mayhem.....this morning was the day. I'm blaming this one on @Bama Samurai for mentioning Ivan yesterday. Apparently word got to that sneaky Bolshevik and he showed up just long enough to interfere this morning.

The lather was great, and the start of the shave as good as it's been lately. Nice smooth first pass on the fourth day of the Kai Original and I lathered and went for the second XTG. Well, that's when Ivan apparently ducked in the room because I had just set down for the XTG nose to ear on the right side, started the stroke and somehow led with the tip. Yeah. That is not a recommended procedure. The tip came slightly around while the heel end stayed motionless creating a nice slice just under the skin. I've had this type of cut one other time with the pain stick only with a Feather Pro blade in. It is a very unique and unusual sensation as you feel the tip actually running under the skin as it filets its way along. You expect to see the cheek dangling free but you end up with a very bloody mess of a slice that actually tacks down and stops bleeding without too much extra effort. It's just that feeling of the tip running where it does that kind of tightens up certain other parts of your body every time you think about it again.

I stopped long enough to cold compress and then lathered again to finish the shave. I didn't have any other incidents but I finished with a quick XTG all over and called a CCS good for the day. To close up the cut I just used another cold compress, styptic, and applied a small bandaid. By the time I got to work you could see the cut but it wasn't bleeding anymore so no real worries.

In hindsight I think my mistake came as I started the stroke because I was thinking of changing angles. I aimed the razor to go straight across from nose to ear but was thinking about a diagonal run instead. See, there's where Ivan got in my head. My hand said do it the way I have been doing it, but Ivan said, just at the last possible moment, "no, try an angle". The problem was my hand responded by twisting the razor in an arc. Once again a reminder that those voices in your head telling you to go ahead and let that technique slide a bit today are NOT your friends talking.

I'll be going easy tomorrow on that area I'm sure, and if I get my hands on Ivan...........:bang:

 

So, how did it go today?

Sorry about bringing up Ivan yesterday, but we gotta get back to normal.

Do the angles differ much from a straight?

 

Earliest I've ever decided this. An "Aggressive April" it shall be. Break out all the aggressive DE, injector and straights. You won't catch me using a Tech, not in April, it's all about gap, exposure, radius and...

Techniques Trump Tools (even Derby)


@swarden43

 

Yeah I will admit I was really getting a bit paranoid. Too many good shaves in a row with a pain stick. I know I've improved with it but yeah, gotta stay in reality-ville. The angles on the Feather SS are a bit different than a straight yes, at least for me. My normal angle for the pain stick is probably 25-30 degrees. That is created by the width of the spine as well as the design of the lip on the head with the SS. The CJB comes down flush as you get to the blade which allows for a smaller angle. Since the CJB was cloned from the Feather DX that is no surprise. The rounded lip on the SS was an "improvement" added when they changed head styles. Too shallow an angle on the Feather SS and you don't get a decent pass.

When shaving with the Rabbit I typically held probably more of a 15-20 degree angle and got a great result with that.

 

An agressive DE will turn a Derby into a really fine blade!

 

Noted on Pain Stick angles. I'm down around 20ish with a full hollow straight.

@Holy Rollah - are you doing the pain stick this weekend, per chance? Seems like I read that somewhere.

 

If it all comes together, FatTip Grande and Derby will open the betting window on April 1st. Right now, bbs is the 3-2 fave ahead of dfs at 4-1 and ccs at 11-2. The dark horse here is Rapira shave at 13-1.

 

I may have trouble sticking to my focus. I want to use the Evahs razor all month but it shaves like a very nice tech. Mild yes, hard to injure yourself yes( I did it), but removes hair so much more than it feels like it should. My major problem sticking to it is that tomorrow I'm supposed to have my pain stick and blades come in the mail. I also have Route 66 samples coming so I will be shaving tomorrow unless regardless of how sick I am.

 

If I can stand the wait I may do a painstick for aggressive April. otherwise is rolls, SE, Fat Boy turned to 9 and, Russian plastic handled tech like razor. those are my aggressive razors. The Russian has enough blade gap to drive one of these through.

 

Skipping my evening shave, even going to break my focus. Just for a day, though. My Fat Boy has been eyeballing me from where I set it down. I'm expecting mayhem and violence from tomorrow mornings shave. It should be glorious!
Then back to the straight. Hey this is a focus, not a rule.

Hoping tomorrow will be a Canoe day.

 

(makes popcorn)

9?

 

I have a FB, Schick G, maybe a FatTip, and a straight or three. It's on.

 

I never thought my Schick G or Old Type were very aggressive. I have those and a Schick B as well. I also have straights but they are so forgiving that I find it hard to think of them as aggressive either. Might just be my long years of using them before I knew what a cartridge or disposable was like.

 

How do you determine aggressiveness?

 

WTG & XTG @5, ATG @4 using a new Feather.
My straight focus is going very well, but I want to be as BBS as I can do.
The Canoe is a gift from my Lady Friend who suggested she may stop by for a visit.

 

Aggressive razors to me are the ones that feel most likely to bite me. Its very different then an efficient razor that feels very mild and still removes massive amounts of hair. The G was the first razor I got a BBS out of and the Old type has never felt like I was going to get bit or burnt. My shavette for instance, is much more aggressive then my straights. My hollow ground straight is much more aggressive then my 1/4 hollow.

 

Mild razors that also don't remove much hair are vintage techs. I really don't like those. but a superspeed is both mild and efficient. Again its one of those YMMV things.

 

March 11, 2016

The month of March with my two Schick E razors.

Left early Friday morning on a road trip with MrsF from Seattle to Oregon. Just a late-night, quick note on this morning's getaway shave.

Hot Shower
Razor: Schick E (Canada)
Blade: Schick (China) (2)
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Omega 48
TSD Witch Hazel
Proraso Green



Two-pass shave - XTG, ATG

With @RyX calling me out on the Rubberset, I realized It was time to shake up the kit a bit. With spring in the air I went back to my first brush and Proraso Green. Took me right back to the time right after my first-ever 30-day rule. I had 'graduated' and was able to mix up my tools. My choice was the Proraso.

Reminded me how easy this soap is to lather. Just a few swirls on the brush, then onto my face and - boom - lather for everyone. The great shave reminded me how far my shave technique has come.

Kudos to the 30-day Grand Poobah @Bama Samurai and all the 30-day diehards for bringing me through! Anybody just starting out needs to listen to these guys - even if you have to put up with their shenanigans!

Cheers!
RT