January 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Thank you. First time for me. I'm actually enjoying getting up in the morning a little early and having a quiet shaving session before a busy work day. This might become a habit on the road. The Dark Side has a firm grip

 

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Wolf Whiskers with Envy White Two Band
Cold River Soap Works Lavish
The OneBlade
GEM SS PTFE #5
Chatillon Lux Champs de Lavande
Terre d'Hermes




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The Route 66 samples I got all seemed very lightly scented when I first got them. I actually took them out of the paper cup and put them in my Seaforth mug to lather them. Once I had them in there and had worked a good lather the scent came on stronger.

 

It would have to have a very firm grip to get me in the habit of getting up early. Or going to bed early for that matter. I have considered altering my days to hit the pillow an hour earlier and get up an hour earlier. So far the bat in me has won that battle.

 

I thought the same thing at the time. Figured he had tagged it for some reason. Duh!

 

Happy Anniversary January!!

January 10

Mostly Shavettes

Razor - Magic Shavette
Blade - (1)
Soap - Arko
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Post - Alum

After two fine days with the Racer Super Stainless and Fatip it's time to switch to the Magic Shavette with Racer Saloon Super Stainless. Of course it's the same blade, just pre-snapped and packaged for shavette use. I wanted to compare how the blade compares from an aggressive DE and a shavette, and really am not even sure there will be anything different to feel. But, as a reminder, with the Fatip and DE blade the Racer delivered near-BBS level shaves. It was smooth if a bit extra sharp feeling in the aggressive Fatip, and I had no blood or other problems. Really a blade I could use in that razor without a problem.

I loaded up the Magic and grabbed the Arko stick. Whipped up a fantastic slick lather and went to work on the right side. That's the side that always works best because I am right handed. I found the angle pretty easily and even pushed it out just a hair. Honestly - it was smoother feeling than in the Fatip. The right side finished up no problem on that first pass. Switched it to the left hand - you know - the one that is often used only for holding my beer if my right hand is busy - and - surprisingly it went very well. The face was smooth again and the angle was easy to hold. Went to the neck and felt a little out of sorts but nothing too bad. In fact, it appeared that I was going to finish with a perf......wait a minute.....is that blood? A slight nick? Or two? Now it's starting to run a bit. Hmmmmm. Well, let's wash off and see. Ahhhhh, there you go. Through no fault of the blade I found a small slice just under the jaw line where I no doubt failed to adjust the angle right, then a small nick under that. It appears to be a corner punch. Small problems producing big blood. Went to my desk and forgot that SWMBO was in the room as I turned to leave. She saw a small river of blood running down my left neck and immediately jumped up to the rescue. This in spite of my assurances it was, after all, nothing really. She calmed down, I returned to the sink and hit the bloody spots with a cold compress, then re-lathered and managed to complete a second pass with XTG along with WTG to finish with a DFS. Blood was still trying to run but was slowing up.

All in all I have to say I think the blade performed as well or better in the Magic than the Fatip. Something about that fully adjustable angle, I think, makes it easier to keep it smooth and working right as long as you know what you're doing. Now, if only I could train my left hand to be as smooth and sexy as my right.

Alum was quiet on my face, pretty hot on my neck. Typical for most of my shaves that my neck is a bit more irritation. In this case, though, I had clearly adjusted something more than I needed. Not the worst irritation I've had, but more than it should be. I'll try to smooth that out tomorrow.

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Hmmm... Neal as a bat.... Something like this?

 

Close!

 

Be careful, if that drawer reaches criticality, Fukushima might look like a campfire.

 

Feather may be too sharp, at this point, for that NEW geometry. You may, however, find that in the coming months the range of blades that will produce good results should increase. I vote bail on Feather for now, I will get better later.

 

1. Totally concur on Magic. It's a hidden gem of the pro Barber world.

2. Try pressing a marble sized ball of R66 in to a bowl. It's about 2-3 shaves worth.Then place a half tbsp of water on it, and hit it with a dry synthetic until the water is gone. Wet face, build lather on face. R66 really shines with open blades when face lathered. It will solve your sample cup size issue. I also love the skinfeel post shave of R66.

 

Second time in two days using a razor for the first time. Schick F, a little more mild than the E or G. Very easy to use. I noticed I am using both hands now, regardless of razor type. Have clients on site this week, so am doing daily shaves, along with some beta testing for a new soap. Had a good two pass shave, with touch up. Got a DFS, and the razor is mild enough that the alum was quiet.

 

Cool Schick! I've not seen one of those before up close.

 

I really appreciate you pointing me towards the Magic. It's nothing fancy. But it just plain works.

I almost always face lather. I peeled the paper on the soap back a bit and loaded with a slightly damp brush, the lathered on a wet face and added water slowly. Lather was terrific, and that was the most irritation-free shave in a while. I mean dead quiet. I am pretty well settled on purchasing the Bourbon Jungle from the scent profiles, but Rum Runner is in the running. I need to lather and use both. I assume all will function similarly as far as lather is concerned. But it is great soap.

I also got a stick of La Toja that I used in tonight's shave, and it was surprisingly fantastic. I think the Route 66 will be my last soap purchase now for a while. I have enough that I like that I can stop experimenting and just enjoy for a while.

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A Journey Down Route 66
10 January 2017

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Voskhod brings the sharpness that is top notch, but if you've been reading this thread for more than 5 minutes, you know this is true. The usual Route 66 awesomeness ensued. The Bourbon Jungle found its match with AV today, making a mental note that I liked that combo. Truthfully, Bourbon Jungle would match with most old school drugstore AS, which is cool because I love that stuff. Out on the prairie we had some 60+ mph gusts and mild fifties in the winter sun. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.
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Have a wonderful Wednesday!
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That's great about face lathering! Have you tried an actual straight?

 

I have this guy that I found in a local antique store and bought on a whim for a song:

It needs some cleanup and to be sent for a good honing. Then I need to invest in a strop, etc. I've been debating it but have put it off because I've been concerned about being able to keep it shave ready without a large investment. I have loved shavettes and think I would like the shaves with a straight. I suppose it's time to bite the bullet and see.

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It is a Boker Extra Hollow Ground, Solingen, I think early 20's.

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Hard to know exactly by that photo, because though I can fly an SR like a jet, I don't work on them myself...that blade looks like it should hone up just fine. You want a straight spine, and little visible wear from honing.

Paddle strops are a compromise choice that saves bucks, and there is no need to learn to hone or buy stone if you just wanna shave. Honing is a different skill and activity. However, the pragmatist in me says if you're DFS+ from Shavettes, it will be automatic, and you will like it. There is some cost, and the maintenance routine is why I went Ronin and started using Shavettes most all the time. The open blade experience and performance is, for me, unmatched. I am totally Dark Side for life, even if non traditional.

 

Good steel