DECember 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

If anyone has a "soap roach clip"....I'm thinking @Bama Samurai is the guy.

 

I checked Cartel archives as I couldn't remember either. Because I did a video intro for the month it wasn't in my saved intro in the official files. January is, of course, our anniversary month around here and last year I mentioned in the video that some were doing a theme with shavettes. Obviously we'll be doing the anniversary stuff again in January. As for any other theme........I'm open to suggestions if anyone has an idea. Shavettes isn't a bad one to start the year on but we aren't stuck with it.

 

Not a chance it would be more Topaz Platinum -- I didn't terribly like them. Most decent blades I can get nearly a week worth of shaves from, but not the Topaz. In fact, that's why I finished off this hundred pack -- I decided to use them as "2 and out" and just use them exclusively until they were gone. Which they will be in two more days. Yee haw!

I won't be buying another 100 pack anytime soon though -- I have 100 packs of PolSilvers, Voskhods, Rockwells and vintage Gillette Platinum Plus plus bulk boxes of a couple hundred Personna Lab Blues and about 400 Israeli Personnas and a few assorted sample tucks of others (oh yeah, and about 600 vintage Pal Gold Thin Hollow Ground carbon blades) still standing between me and blade bankruptcy. DE blade bankruptcy that is: last time I checked I had about 200 SE Gem PTFEs and over 800 injector blades too. If the manufacturers ever stop making blades, I figure I will still be set for life.

 

I don't know. Just a quick add of the numbers you threw up there shows around 1600 DE blades. I'd say you're still a bit on the low side.

 

Posting this tonight, as I’ll be on the road for a meeting out of town quite early in the morning:

DEcember 15th
British Aristocrat Jr w Nacet (1)
Stirling Bay Rum
TGN Finest Fan
Thayers
Chatillon Lux Gratiot League Sq

If you will, allow me a moment of soapboxy self-indulgence-

Last fall, I decided to search online for a new brush and a soap to use with my Mach 3. I stumbled across Fendrihan’s website and discovered the whole world of shaving with a safety razor. That led me to searching for websites for reviews of razors, brushes etc. I ordered an EJ89lbl, a blade sampler and few soaps. A few TOBS and the TFS Mastro Miche, if memory serves. I had used a body shop synthetic brush with soaps for a few years, but decided to upgrade to a badger (WD High Mountain, now in a Cypress handle).
One thing led to another and I found myself viewing some wetshaving forums. I read a comment, seemingly innocuous at the time, that said something like ‘there is great information at Badger and Blade, but the guys are nicer at the Shave Den’ (true story). I went to the Shave Den site and lurked for about a month. I discovered the 30 Day Rule/Focus thread that seemed to be a good place for me, as a newbie with a DE, to learn something.
Anyway, a year ago today, I decided to join up. I am far from a Luddite, but it was the first online forum of any type that I had joined. For what its worth, this makes it my one year TSD anniversary.
A year later, I honestly can’t remember what it was like not to be a member of the ‘30 DC’. Even though I’ve never met any of you in person, and geography would make it unlikely that I would ever get to meet more than a few of you, I feel like the interaction with this group is a constant highlight in my day. I guess what I want to say, and it took a long winded intro to get here (hey, the theme this month is DEcadence!), is Thank You.
Someone can pull my soapbox from under me now.

Have a great day all!

 

Thanks for sharing that story. It’s great having you around!

 

Great soapbox! Thanks for climbing up on it! Oh, the picture's not half bad either and the gear and products you show are at least passably acceptable.

So when did you decide to start making your own brushes instead of buying them and about how many have you made now? There seem to be quite a few different patterns that show up in your photos. Btw, with all the brushes you have made, do you have a favorite kind and brand of knot now?

 

Thank you Gentlemen. Rinocerous smells like well-worn leather with some rum added. It is another winner from Zoologist, well blended, has some interesting complexity and is wearable in most situations.

 

I guess I made my first brushes around the end of Feb/ beginning of March or so. I ordered a badger, boar and synthetic from TGN and made 3 handles for them.
Why? I guess I saw the brushes in all the photos and thought ‘I can do that, I think’ and pulled out my lathe. As you know, The LE came a month or two later.
Doug asked me a similar question about a favourite knot and I said I didn’t know. Right now? For face-lathering, the TGN Finest Fan is tops. I love the look of it’s handle as well, but wish it was a little heavier. Bowl lathering- I’d go with the WD HM badger or my new Omega pro. Love em both. I guess that puts the synthetics after them, but the tuxedo is awesome too.
How many have I made? Getting close to 35, I guess. 24 LE handles and the 5 in different styles I made for myself. I’ve made, or have committed to make, 5 extras for 30DCers over top of the LE. I wont make any more 30DC handles with the painted tops as they were a LE. Have also made 3 bowls and have committed to make 3 more. I have only agreed to make bowls and handles for people on this thread, fwiw. I’m no pro and haven’t wanted money for them, but have worked out trades recently (not for the LE or bowl pif, obviously) as an acknowledgement that these turnings do take a chunk of time.
Overall, turning shaving products has become one of my favourite parts of this hobby, no question.

 

That's a lot of woodworking projects in quite a short period of time.

You know, I remember seeing some antique shaving stands over the years. From before the days when people had indoor plumbing and then large bathrooms with big permanent mirrors in them. So a gentleman would shave in his bedroom or dressing room, using his pitcher and basin for water, and he would need a mirror and a place to store his shaving gear. The shaving stand would have a decent face-sized mirror in a wooden frame pivoting on supports so it could free stand on a table or dresser and the mirror could be swivelled vertically to the perfect angle for viewing while shaving. Usually the base of the stand had one or two small drawers to hold straight razors, etc.

Just throwing that out there in case you ever tire of brushes and bowls and want to move on to actual shaving furniture...

 

Thanks very much. I'm changing my setup today, so I'll load a new blade.

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Thanks Charlie.

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I think it’s a great idea! @jtspartan What do you think about something like this?



I picked this one cause it has a lot of lathe work. I know that building 25 of these is gonna take you some time, but as long as we could start getting them sometime in January/February, that would be great.


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Great shave mug Neal.

 

Congrats on the first year with TSD. You are part of the reason TSD is such a nice community.

 

December 15, 2017
OneBlade Genesis
Modified Gem PTFE (2)
“Tres Amigos” Simpson CH2 Synthetic
Oleo El Caballero
Captain’s Choice Bay Rum


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I can truly say that I am happy its Friday. First it is the end of a long work week for me. Second and more importantly, Asha will be back home from school for the winter break. She's had a very busy semester so I am looking forward to spending time with her. Nothing eventful with the shave. Everything just worked well together and another automatic near perfect shave this morning. I hope everyone has a Fantastic Friday.

 

Gem Clog Pruf
Gem Stainless (2)
Semogue BC Mistura
Stirling Electric Sheep
Superior 70

A very nice, irritation free shave this morning. Enjoy your day.

 

Excellent picture and setup with a beautiful brush Amigo. Have a great time with your family. Happy Friday !!

 

December 15

Weber SS
Voskhod (7)
Simpson Chubby 2 Super
Jeeves of Hudson Street Private Study shave soap
Alum, Thayers Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and CC Bay Rum

 

Charlie.