shux....blank screen-was that Jack doing the Skin-Bracer?

My longest bike tour has been 14 days on the bike for miles each day. I have found that I can hold higher milage days for the first 2 or 3 days at most but then I have to slack off to a more relaxed pace. Big mileage days are much easier on the expressway which I hate. Back roads or mountain roads just soak up the time but are much more fun to ride.

Yes... it's working on my computer.

Would you agree that the first and last days are the worst?


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Had a feeling it might be Jack....I don't know why I get a lot of blanks. :-(.

I have a couple of Plissoft style brushes and a Tuxedo as well, so this is the basis for my comparison. I find I probably like the Tuxedo over the Plissoft, it has the same amount of backbone to me, but is softer and not quite as springy. Honestly, I like the Cashmere better than either of them. It is softer still than the Tuxedo. It may not have quite as much backbone, but it still has plenty for a good face lather. The biggest problem with the Cashmere is it is a little more limited is size availability.

We're just over 2/3 of the month, and Up To No Good continues to hold a comfortable lead. My vote isn't going to win this baby

Thank you.


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Thanks, Andrew!

No worries. I just wondered. I live 30 miles from Sturgis and the Bike Rally brings thousands and thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts to the area. As to whether or not you should ride clockwise or counter-wise on your retirement ride.... I dare you to make that decision the moment you pull out of your driveway.

She did. She did the rosemaling (i.e. painting). I was looking for a background and thought of this big plate she has hanging in the kitchen. She wasn't home at the time so I didn't hear any complaints.

That doesn't even sound fun... not if all you're doing is pushing yourself the whole time.

Thanks, Jared. I wondered if maybe the blade could be the problem. But I didn't look at it. Once the shave was over I just removed it and dropped it in the blade bank. So, no it's not a dumb question.

I don't want to step on Jim's @Norcalnewb toes. An unsolicited opinion, because you know what they are worth? I have a Tuxedo & a Cashmere from APShaveco, and what I believe is a Maggard Sunrise.
They are set respectively in a a B-400, 30 DC LE, and a Jayaruh handle. Performance is very similar at building lather, though the APShaveCo's are just a little softer. If / when I do put together another synthetic brush I'll look at a Tux Fan set deep because these three bulbs have different handles, but work much the same.
Yaqi Quarter Moon knot.

January 2018

Shavettes and Jeeves January!

January 22 - Jeeves Samples Day 5

Razor - 1959 (E4) Gillette Fatboy
Blades - (3)
Soap - Jeeves of Hudson Street Velvet Jacket
Brush - 30DC LE
Post - Alum

Bagging the sample in the bowl and then putting the bowl over a steaming mug of water brought the Velvet Jacket out of hiding tonight. Thanks to my wife for the hot water suggestion. Very nice tobacco/bay leaf scent with a bit more emphasis on the baby leaf. Enjoyable scent but not directly up my alley. Still, no complaints, and if you like that sort of thing you should really enjoy this soap. The lather was perfect again with the LE brush bringing it to life. Fatboy and Voskhod is a no brainer and the baby is in the house after three full passes. Added the third just because I was enjoying it too much.

One more to go starting tomorrow. Forget the name at the moment and it's up in my cabinet. Guess it will be a surprise! Have a great rest of your night and a fantastic Tuesday!

​

With this crew it's not a terribly surprising thing that "up to no good" would be the winner. Not saying we have a bunch of shady characters here. Loudly, anyway.

That is a really nice picture, Neal. Glad you got more out of the soap today.

Menthol Monday, up to some real good!

Chris @americanshamrock Peppermint Patty Cream
Jack @Sparrow SP→2 Black Pure Badger Brush
Tom @twhite '46-'47 Gillette Aristocrat
Feather Hi-Stainless Blade
English Leather Aftershave


While thinking about a menthol Monday soap, I recalled this experimental cream that Chris @americanshamrock sent out to a couple folks to test. It's scented with a strong dose of peppermint and maybe I'm imagining the dark chocolate. The menthol level is "don't get it in your mouth" chilly. Even in a warm makeshift scuttle it's quite cooling. Being a cream I elected to use a badger artistically crafted by Jack @Sparrow and fitted with a dense badger knot. Since I was being inspired by items come to my den through trades, I used the 'Crat that set Tom @twhite on his journey to The Dark Side. He was clearing out DE's and I sent him several SRs in trade. Great slick lather with an ingredient still covered by a N.D.A. applied by a brush fashioned in Japan and swiped away by a Mad Scientist/Engineer in Cali. Good stuff! Three easy passes, a little touch up on my corners, and I'm DFS. A splash and a half from the too large restriction in the AS bottle and I'm settling in.
Good Shaves Y'all!

I also got to try @americanshamrock Chris’s soap. I LOVE IT. I am trying to make it last. I hope he starts making some more. I will buy it in a heart beat.


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A cool picture, with a good write-up, Rick. That is a beautiful chunk of Cypress as well.

It's good stuff. Very slick residual and smells good enough to taste! If he goes commercial and starts selling it, he'll have to list the ingredients. Then I can ... nope, can't talk about it.

Between you, Jason, and Jim @Jayaruh I sent off cypress knowing I'd get a brush handle in the return mail. When I arranged a trade with Jack @Sparrow there was no expectation. He did a wonderful job of producing a unique shape. It's not symmetric like a turned handle. More like a cashew nut with the skinny end snapped off. Sounds odd, but it fits my hand well. Just like the brushes You and Jim made from the same wood they are Special Pieces!

Monday January 22 just before midnight - Menthol Monday

English Gillette 1949-52 Aristocrat Jr #51 or #53 / vintage Gillette Platinum Plus ( 1 )
30DC LE Maple Cashmere synthetic brush
Proraso Green cream
Alum and Osage Rub

Today was my first shave with my newly identified English Aristocrat Jr razor. For Menthol Monday I abandoned Jeeves January in favour of products with a real menthol kick. Proraso Green contains both eucalyptus and menthol in relatively mild concentrations. Osage Rub also contains eucalyptus and menthol which makes it a perfect match -- except for the concentration which isn’t mild at all.

The 30DC LE brush did its usual excellent job whipping up the lather and the Proraso Green, of course, is a quality product for slickness, protection and all those other good shaving cream properties.

The Aristocrat Jr was a pleasure to use. It is a well-crafted, solidly built razor that just feels right in the hand. One pass was all I really needed but I did a second anyway just because. The result was a high-grade DFS with no kick from the alum. I got the kick from the Osage Rub instead with menthol in eye-watering intensity.

I am cleanshaven and very wideawake, ready for my shift.