January 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

I might give that a try on the next shave. Thanks, Clint. I found that razor very interesting and really enjoyed the first use.

 

Thanks, Clint! It is nice to get a few comforts of home when on travel or at the gym.

 

Great use of shadows, Troy!

 

I would agree with everything you have said. Now that I am a few hours past my shave, I still feel a bit dry. Still a great performer, so I won't stop using it because of this, but I will likely not skip the PSB again.

 

SOTN January 5th


Merkur 34c
Astra SP (3)
Arko
Satin Tip The Purest
Crown King scuttle
Homemade lime AS and Nivea Sensitive ASB

The combo of the Merkur and the Astra is almost as good as it gets. Super slick Arko lather, but since it's a little drying I followed up with my homemade lime AS and some Nivea PSB. Face is still feeling smooth 12 hours later. Have a great day my friends!

Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk

 

I really enjoy the AC style razors. I look forward to following your journey with the Hawk.

With luck, I will be able to get some longer motorcycle trips in this year, so I am paying particular attention to what different folks use.

 

January 6 - PAL and brush focus

Rockwell 6s on plate #3
PAL Gold Thin Hollow Ground carbon steel (3)
NIB Surrey Premium Badger Shave Brush
The Eternal Tub of TOBS Avocado Cream ( croap )
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Lavender

The Surrey is a surprisingly big brush. The knot is about a 24mm, but the brush part is about 3 inches long and roughly the same diameter when bloomed. And it has approximately the same amount of backbone as a jellyfish. A lot of poof; no scritch. Despite this I was able to work the lather on my face after bowl lathering by applying a simple technique I recently read in an early 20th century barber's manual: instead of holding the handle and "painting" with the unsupported bristles, cradle the handle in the palm of the hand with two or three fingers outstretched along the "backside" of the bristles and then apply the lather to the face. In effect, the fingers supporting the back of the bristles become a rigid external framework, providing all the "backbone" necessary and requiring the bristles to provide only the poofy softness.

Used this way, the Surrey worked very well. I am not sure if it will wind up in my permanent rotation, but I am certainly prepared to use it for awhile before finally making up my mind.

The PAL carbon blade did very well in the Rockwell 6s set on a medium plate 3. There was absolutely no roughness or tugging today, just smooth sharp slicing of the stubble. That might be because it has smoothed out over the last couple shaves, but the feeling was so different from yesterday that I think it is due more to choice of razor. The Rockwell design seems to support the blade more rigidly right behind the cutting edge and also expose slightly less unsupported cutting edge than either the Tech or FatBoy. An extremely thin cutting edge like that on these PAL "hollow ground" blades therefore simply has less room to flex and vibrate in the Rockwell.

I should know more after tomorrow. I plan to use the PAL in the Gillette Black Beauty adjustable. If it is back to more tugging, then I will know the difference today was the razor. At the moment, however, it seems to me that these PALs work superbly in the Rockwell 6s, not too badly in the FatBoy, and are barely tolerable in a Tech.

For today in the Rockwell 6s, a single diagonal pass with the PAL gave me a DFS+ overall, approaching BBS in spots, with absolutely no nicks, cuts, weepers, irritation or complaint from the alum. Not bad for a 60 year old blade.

 

SOTD/ Cleaning Den Focus


Mongoose B3/ Kai Captain (2)
Whipped Dog 30mm HM
MDC
Thayers Lavender
The Veg

***Anyone who is interested on a review of this soap I did one here>>>> http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/martin-de-candre-original-review.51778/


Up on the chopping block today is Martin De Candre Original (Lavender). As I said my focus this month (possibly next month as well as I want my choices to be informed and all that good stuff) is to rotate through my soaps and see what will be staying in my den and what, once empty, will not be returning.


Overall great shave today. The MDC is almost fool proof to lather. I mean for Pete's sake it basically lathers itself. 15 seconds of loading the brush resulted in more lather then I could use in a week (ok not really but you know what I mean). 2 passes resulted in a drama free BBS. The shave went off perfectly. Great cushion and my stubble didn't stand a chance. The soap is outstanding.....but.... I get the same result from a stick of arko...or MWF....or Tabac...or any other soap that doesn't cost you an arm, a leg, and your first child's soul. While this is a perfect soap to me, my initial thoughts are once this tub is empty I am not sure if it will return. This one is still up in the air but right now it is leaning more towards a final farewell.

 

Thank you for the info about floppy badgers. I've got two that I want to like but lacking boar or synth like backbone they only get used for creams. Even then that paintbrush style of application isn't what I want. I'll try the cradle and support style next time.

 

January Shavette Focus

Route 66 BSHop & Ever Ready #150
Weck Sexoblade, Personna blade
'46-'47 Aristocrat, Voskhod blade
Alum block, S.C. Respect lotion


Highlighting an Ever Ready brush that a TSD member is seeking, this small boar with it's vintage knot produces plenty of Route 66 lather. A quick very warm water soak, load on moistened Barbershop Hop puck, and into the Japanese suribachi bowl granted just right slick, wetter is better, cushiony lather. I keep wondering when this shavette blade will tell me it's done. Made of injector thick steel it lasts longer than a 3-5 shaves DE blade. I'm getting brave on my jawline & chin as the handling becomes comfortable. Still trying to work in an East-West pass on my neck. The North-South I've got everywhere. Cleanup and buffing with the Aristo afforded a CCS that's my minimum goal. With cool temps reaching closer to The Gulf I'm appreciating lotions over alcohol based splashes. I may shop the matching Lime & Patchouli soap.
Good Shaves Y'all!

 

Love seeing everyone's kit. Some really great things here.

So far this week, my shaves have been pretty good. CC London Skies lathers up nicely and leaves a nice lingering scent through the morning. The Treet blade hasn't been grabbing or sticking, though it doesn't seem to get quite as close as some other blades without additional passes. I'm finding that the Envy knot only lathers lightly in the bowl, but when put to the face the lather explodes. I have a colony of ants hanging out having run to escape the rain. I'm working to remedy that, but for now they're sharing my morning routine and are holding my razor for me.

This morning I got up early to give myself time before work to shave with a straight. I just received this one and it has a 5/8" blade and jimps, plus its quite a bit nicer looking. The shave was amazing - much different from the smaller razors I started out using. I found the razor was easier to handle and the jimps on both sides of the tang gave a nice stable grip. I could really hear the whiskers get sliced with this one, it gives all sorts of feedback. In the end, no nicks and only a mild amount of razor burn. I rubbed alum on to help and at first thought the shave wasn't very close, but soon realized the alum was what made it feel that way. Driving to work people probably thought I was some psycho constantly rubbing my face too feel how smooth it was as I flew down the road like a maniac. Halfway through my day now and it still feels pretty smooth.

One thing I've noticed is a few spots on my neck seem impossible to get clean of whiskers. The bottom of my neck at my shirt line always seems to have stubble no matter how much I shave it and right down the center from my chin down, a section about one or two inches wide. I can go over it as much as I want, but I never seem to get it free of the whisker. The straight this morning seemed to do a better job, but nothing like the rest of my face.

 

Welcome @leitmotiv ! So many new members to the 30 Day Crew, if this isn't your Premier Post, blame it on my OldTimers disease.
With the resurgence of straight shavers, and lots of interest in shavettes, plenty of current open blade shavers to offer tip and tricks to help you develop your best technique.
If you are new to straights, use your previous razor be it DE,SE, or cart to take care of the difficult spots. With perseverance you will get to a full shave soon.

 

I'm a little late to the party, but this month I plan to focus on the process of loading the brush and making great lather from two of my most difficult soaps. Mitchel's Wool Fat & Mystic Waters Vetiver & Oakmoss. Both have been very difficult for me to lather in the past and both are very well known as very good soaps in some circles. I must admit that I followed someone's advice and soaked the MWF for a long period of time and have already gotten a few decent lathers from it, but this month will be all about the lather. I will rotate through some brushes including my Omega 10012, Jayaruh #66 synthetic, Jayaruh #94 with a 24mm high mountain badger & possibly more. I would like to end the month with a commanding feel of how to load various brushes and create great shaving lather from my most difficult to lather soaps. I'll post up my reports as time allows. Great Shaves!

 

Straight razor shaving isn't difficult. Even a stooge can do it.

 

A bit of cooperation helps, team effort!

 

Thanks for the welcome! I especially considering you're the one who invited me to this thread...

You're forgiven

... what were we just talking about...?

 

Maybe if I can't be heroic, I should aspire to entertaining instead!

 

Razor: Gillette Aristocrat 1947 (Birth year razor)
Blade: Feather Platinum (6)
Brush: Fendrihen Silvertip Faux Horn Handle
Soap: Route 66 Sea & Citrus
Aftershave: Pinaud Citrus Musk

A very, very close and near BBS shave tonight. Everything worked well together this evening. I kind of wish I was golfing today, but you'd never know.

 

Too funny, Doug. Do you guys have Ice Courses Tourneys or anything up there just for grins?

 

I used to go ice fishing.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10202820406617074