January 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

So glad it worked out! If I had to use nothing but Magic forever...I'd be ok with it. It's one of those nice surprises we're cheap doesn't equal awful. The Magic won't last forever, but at $12, if I break or lose one while traveling every year or so, it doesn't really hurt much.

 

Very nice narrative. I envy you guys in the Southeast and your fun weather. We're just having cold rain and fog. I'd rather have a shot at chasing a real storm but, I'm strange that way. When I used the Magic I was surprised at how well it performed because, like you, my first impression was "cheap". Really a nice tool, though.

 

Agreed. I would miss the variety, but if all I had was the Magic and some Arko I could get along rather smoothly.

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You'll see three Shavettes in my January. A Leopard, the Magic, and today's Parker. The Parker and the Leopard are essentially the same design.

I'm thinking the Durch West Indies in a walled compound would be a nice start at an alternate reality as a tuna fishing redneck.

 

And that's what we like to read! Dial on nine? Check. Voskhod? Granted. Quiet Alum? Proof is in the pudding.

 

Hero!

 

I hope your first lesson sets you on the path to success!

 

Be careful, you'll wake up in a bathtub full of ice in a Gorky warehouse. Then, you'll realize that in addition to a raging hangover, you're now short one kidney.

Tactics without strategy is the noise before the defeat. -Sun Tzu

 

While trying to unstick a stuck adjuster on a recently aquired Fat Boy I discovered they go to Eleven!

The red bit that the numbers line up to is a spring that clicks and holds the adjuster in place.

Without it the adjustment is smooth. By pressing the spring, it's possible to go past nine.

I don't know if this is advisable. Only one way to find out. I may have found a new way to fold DE blades in half for use in a shavette.

 

Whew... finally found my way to page 10.

This will be my maiden voyage for the 30 day focus. New game for a new year seems like a good thing. It will help me to forget the year of suck that was 2016... maybe.

I will try this focus out with the same brush, razor and blades, but will probably switch out soap at least weekly. The DE razor will be my main, but as a sub-focus I will intersperse my straights when possible, hopefully at least once a week. I don't want to be under pressure getting ready for work in the morning with a straight in my hand, yet. I haven't decided if I want to do evening shaves - I would still have to shave some new stubble in the morning.

AR-15 Edition 40s Super Speed
Treet Classic
Dual unsightly-sight-unseen SRs
WW Illiad w/Envy knot
Country Club London Skies
Mikey Lee Sandlewood Pre-shave Butter (for SRs)

 

Welcome aboard! Nice Super Speed and I love the choice of the Treet Classic. Carbon all the way! Looks like a great month for you. Glad to have you along!

 

Wouldn't be the first time.

 

I'm in.

Good ideas all around.
I'm using Route 66 soaps all month and a different brush each day.

 

1 01 17



2 01 17

 

January 3 2017 - brush out

EverReady 1912 SE / Gem PTFE (2)
Now-nameless drugstore boar brush aka "Old Reliable"
The Eternal Tub of TOBS Avocado croap
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Original

I started the shave with a final brush loss.

In a moment of incredible weakness, I mailed my brother my brand-new, never used, totally NIB Paragon Sianico 25mm blacktip synthetic brush as a belated Christmas gift. His old badger brush was looking ratty last time I saw it. He had mentioned recently that he now shaves with a cocobolo-handled M3 made by a local custom woodworker and I thought the Sianico's Central American mahogany handle would match it nicely. Oh well .. Someone once described A Christmas Carol as a story by that Dickens fellow in which a worthy banker degenerates into a mawkish, sentimental old fool. I guess these fits of degeneracy overcome us all now and then.

On to the shave... This was only the second time I have ever shaved with a Gem-style SE, so having everything else standards from my November Rule was comforting. Old Reliable whipped up tons of good lather from The Eternal Tub and it was off to the races.

Important safety tip for 1912 razors: ALWAYS check that the blade is seated properly behind the blade stops BEFORE starting to shave. The blade is only held against the blade stops by some sort of springloaded catch (a springloaded hinged top cap on the 1912 EverReady). Even if you don't touch the blade between shaves yourself, if the spring catch has slipped for any reason, the blade can slide past the blade stops and sit crookedly with the edge projecting past the safety bar. This results in a shave that is less than ideal.

Fortunately I noticed the blood from the cut on my cheek before I proceeded with my neck shave. And here's another vote for "riding the cap": even a blade with one corner jutting out crookedly past the safety bar gave me only a very shallow cut while riding the cap; if I had been "riding the safety bar", I would now need stitches for my budding Frankenstein facial scar...

Two applications of the styptic pencil after the alum bar rub stopped the bleeding, and other than that, it was a good shave with quiet alum elsewhere. I'm not sure the 1912 is going to become one of my favorite razors though.

 

Welcome to the 30 day crew. Very Cool Super Speed .

 

Fantastic photo effect.

 

January 3, 2017
Timeless OC .95 Gap with Windrose SS
Feather (3)
“Los Tres Amigos Dos” CH2 Synthetic LE
Route 66 Twisted Tweed
Witch Hazel
Floid Black

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Back to the real world and work today but at least I can start the work week with a great shave. As expected the CH2 Synthetic easily whipped up the Twisted Tweed into a rich slick lather. I changed things up and went with 2 passes, XTG & ATG, followed by minimal touch ups. The smooth close shave confirmed this combo can provide a shave that rivals those from my Cobra Classic. I finished the shave with a splash of Floid Black from a sample pack. I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.

 

Sort of an action shot! The Blackbird delivered again. The biggest challenge is that the close shaves I've been getting with the BB and Feather combo almost make it where I don't need to shave every day. That not really a bad thing!

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It is great to have you in here. I think you will enjoy it.