Decided to take a new puck of I Coloniali and grate it, photographing my procedure:
Here's the new puck. Notice that it is dryish and doesn't fit well in the clay container.

Puck removed:

(Never cared for these shapes)
You'll need a box grater.

Additionally, if you own an espresso tamper, that'll make this process easier.

Grate the puck, using the finest side.

My wife said to me: "That looks like cheese"
Now we start the pressing process. You can use your fingers to get it started, then I cover the soap with plastic wrap and press it with the tamper.

All of the product pressed back into the bowl:

Ready for a good blooming and lathering.
The grating reveals the moister parts of the soap. I think Randy, your puck is in dire need of moisture.

Wonderful picture, Jim!

Thanks

Thanks Terry.........it is not a bad shaver.....just aggravating to get the blade lined up.

Thanks...I do not have a case or papers for mine. I bought off of a whim on E-bay. I was a little concerned when I got it. The razor states on the base plate 22 karat gold plating but the razor was oxodized and resembled oxidized brass but it did polish up great. Before picture below.

Osage Rub and Pinaud Clubman?
Yep, that combo works great!!!!!!
Outstanding Shave today!
Carpe Diem y'all!

I look like that most of the time.

Congrats!

Perry......looks great how do like you like your Feather Weight shaves? I have a few that I will try out one day. I also aquired a "Hussy" razor yesterday. It has not come it yet but I wanted to be part of that exclusive club. I believe you have you have one.

Luckly we have mouth bit respirators. No fit problems. woo

I am at a place called Westlake chemical now.

Thanks!! Life is good

Thanks!

Your outta the will again.

That's terrific, Danny! The Hussy is a wonderful razor. It looks strange and you think "how can someone shave with that" but if you keep the top cap right along your face you are rewarded with the proper angle and it is quite efficient. The Featherweight is a lightweight razor (hence the name) and is pretty mild. I enjoy it along with the Pushbutton and G-Bar for mild and effective GEM shaves. I like the G-Bar the best of those three but I've never been disappointed with the results from the Pushbutton or Featherweight.

Can't wait to hear about your shaves from those once you try them!

Yesterday's shave posted today:

Thursday morning January 16

Supply Co Single Edge v2.0 injector / a blade (4?)
Simpsons CH2 Chubby Synthetic Bristles
Fendrihan Lavender Sandalwood soap sample
Alum and TSD Lavender Milk Aftershave

Two passes to a DFS. It was a good shave, no issues, no drama.

Thanks Perry. I have some single edge blades coming from Aaron @ordinaryshaver and I will be breaking one of the Gems out. For some odd reason I could not turn the little Hussy down. I was the only bidder and I don't have a lot of money in a what appears to be a fun little razor plus it came with the box.

January (SR) Focus

I Coloniali~~Rubberset 400/3~~Portland 1905 9/16~~Alt Innsbruck
SR #5 (Missed yesterday's shave)
So, it's clear that I am making progress. Why? Here's a breakdown.
Stropping progress:
I have slowed the speed of the strokes down, paying particular attention to not raising the spine-edge one iota.
I am pivoting on the spine consistently. It's not unlikely that I was doing the opposite before.
Angle progress:
I tried the 2x spine-width. It's tough for me to judge if that was achieved, but I can say that
"riding the cap" no longer applies to SR shaving.
I have also noticed that one side of the blade is definitely sharper than the other. I am hoping,
that when my 2 new strops arrive, leather/poly & linen, with the aid of some abrasive substance,
I can bring this edge back to where it needs to be. We'll see.
Back-tracking to the lather, Randy @BaylorGator has been struggling with his puck of I Coloniali.
I posted above my grating process and today's results were outstanding.

Notice the lovely sheen; micro-bubbles and soft peaks.
You're looking at a 40 second (post-bloom) load with a total of about 1Tbs of added H2O.
Plentissimo for 3+ passes.
This is a high-quality soap, which someday will reach unicorn status. It's already fetching prices 3x higher than original price.
I hope that Randy works it out. Don't trade it yet!
BTW, Mark @Boojum1 would probably not trade one of his gorgeous brushes for this soap.
If I though he would, I would have made that offer a long time ago.
In fact, I still might, seeing as I still have a refill puck stashed...
Mark, are you listening?
Back to the shave. The dragging hasn't completely subsided, but has lessened.
Downward and left-right passes were pretty good.
I was actually able to make an ATG pass here and there.
I could have stopped there and called it almost a DFS, but I prefer the BBS, so I did finish
with a buffing ATG pass with my SS/Polsilver.
Only weeper was from the Super-Speed! How ironic is that??
One of my favorite soap/scent pairings is I Coloniali and Alt Innsbruck.
It's truly a match made in heaven. ​

Thank you very much my friends! This has been a hard month for sure.

January 18th
Razor: IBC/Timeless Bronze SB
Blade: Feather AC Professional/GSB (3)
Brush: 30DCLE V1.*
Pre-shave: Stirling Mentholated
Soap: Soap Commander Fortitude
PAA Star Jelly unscented
AS: Soap Commander Fortitude

Good morning!

Great shave to start the day! Took my time with the shavette this morning and ended up with a near BBS face and DFS neck. No blood and just a light tickle from the alum under my chin. The Timeless Bronze did edge the sideburns.

Soap Commander Fortitude today. One of my favorite scents. Nice slick lather.

Have a great Friday, gentlemen!


Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

It sounds like the planets have a aligned for you. Great pictures and congrats.

January 18, 2019

Blackbird TRIAD Ti
Gillette Platinum
Envy Shave "Eight Ball" Supreme White Two Band
MDC Original
CRSW Juniper AS
ADP Ginepro di Sardegna

Another great shave with the Original Blackbird. Three full passes left only the right jawline and neck for cleanup. MDC BB still won't quit. Only 2 or 3 shaves left. Amazing stuff! I will continue my FOCUS on MDC this month, rotating among the Citrus, Vetiver, and Fern. Nathan Clark's Envy Shave Supreme White Two Band can suck up some soap. Easy mountainous mounds of creamy rich lather scythed close by the BB. The fresh scent of juniper today alla CRSW and ADP.. Smooth and revived, I'm as ready for the NEEDLE as I'll ever be. Have a great Friday friends. TGIF!

​

Beautiful set up Mark.