Sure glad it got there Jason. If I remember correctly you hadn't tried the Astra SS before. Not sure if you'd tried the Israeli Reds but they're quickly becoming one of my favorites. I just wish I'd put in a few more.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Y'all are better equipped for it. We will get a cold snap like this but it don't hang around too long.

I hadn’t tried the Astra Blues, but did get a tuck as a gift from Fendrihan on a recent order. The Israeli Reds are new to be, though. Thanks again!

Wow! Just beautiful, Jason. @MrEE did a great job!

We're getting a light dusting of snow right now.

Welcome aboard, Chris!

I have a long-time friend that collects very old hand planes. He lived in Wales for a few years, so many of them came from there. It's quite interesting learning about the different ones in his collection. He uses a few of them in his wood shop also where he makes furniture.

Very cool, Sir. There is nothing like an old handplane restored and in your hands.

Chris - enjoying learning, whatever the subject

I'm sorry, Chris. My name is Charlie. The only Sir we have 'round here is @Primotenore.

If I can get a photo or two of some of my buddy's hand planes, I will post them. Here is a photo of a cherry dining room set he recently built for his Bride. He loves to build pieces with complex angles. She and his two daughters keep him busy with projects.

I am in for December, not sure if I will have time to keep up with all the posts but I will report on my focus.

I am a four pass shaver, I find that the gradual reduction approach greatly reduced the amount of irritation I experienced while bring me very close shaves. Some times I did a fifth pass, WTG again and found it left my even smoother. My hypothesis is that doing the ATG pass left some of my skin pulled up and rough. So my focus this month is to see what impact changing up the order of my passes makes. My usual order is WTG, XTG, XTG opposite direction and ATG.

Today I kicked things off with a sharp Riga Razor, CK-6 and Shavemac brush. Todays order was XTG, ATG, XTG opposite and finally WTG (2,3,4,1). The first pass felt a little rough, but usually the lather on my first pass is thicker than I like it. I felt like I would end up with irritation but at then just a tingle from the alum. Final grade: Smoothness A and Irritation A, so excellent but not epic.

Chris, welcome to the 30DC. This thread got me kickstarted with straights and the focus really helped. It takes a while to the skill down but it was well worth it to me.

Great looking shave and a really interesting hypothesis! It stands to reason, that with a feather-light touch, that this would work! I look forward to your conclusion!

Great shave Keith! I found better ways to straight shave when I change the routine. For instance, I do an upside-down back-hand stroke from my ear toward my nose along my jawline and parts of my neck. It really helps to give me a BBS or near BBS on my neck. Hopefully, your change in technique will facilitate a better shave for you.

1st December 2020.




​

Shaving recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower / Cussons Imperial Leather ~ Arctic Ocean & Icelandic Moss Shower Gel.
Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face.
Yardley ~ English Lavender Bar Soap + Nuage Menthol shaving Oil.
Brush : Fine 24mm Synthetic.
Face Lather.
Soap : Fine ~ Fresh Vetiver.
Blade: Euromax Platinum half blade. (3)
Razor: Yaqi Katana.

Post:

Cold Water Face Rinse./Homemade peppermint Lavender, +eucalyptus, Tea Tree Oil Witch Hazel Mixture./ P&G ~ Old Spice Original ASL./Boots ~ Fragrance Free Moisturising Lotion.

Greetings,

Early morning shave,

It's been a while since i last added the fine fresh vetiver soap to my soap rotation and forgot how good of a lather this soap gives in a short space of time.

A enjoyable 3 pass + pick ups near BBS shave with no errors to report...Finishing to the shave off with a small dollop of Boots ~ Fragrance Free Moisturising Lotion.

My face is feeling super smooth & smelling divine.

Stay safe, and enjoy your Day ladies & gentlemen.

After many years in the military, both active and Guard, everyone s sir or ma'am.

Chris - enjoying learning, whatever the subject

Terrific shave Barry. Have a wonderful day.

December 1st
Razor: HomeLike CT☆PT .69
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux(2)
Brush: Yaqi PurpleHaze
Pre-shave: PAA Cube
Soap: PAA Cavendish
PAA Galactic Witch Hazel
PAA Star Jelly
AS: PAA Cavendish

Good morning!

Awesome shave to start the day! Three passes for near BBS. Completely silent alum.

One more shave with the HomeLike Start .69 to finish off my Neglected November theme before moving on to what I consider my more Decadent razors on Thursday. The Start is a wonderful razor with little to no blade feel and an angle that's easy enough to find and maintain. The .69 baseplate is the mildest of the four that came with the razor yet it gives an equally excellent finish as the larger gap options.

Have a great day!



Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

This is very interesting, Keith. When I finish with an ATG pass, especially on my cheek, it always makes a "scraping" sound. I think? What's going on?
I am going to try ending with a final WTG pass. I will report my results.

Thank you, Joe. Take care, and have wonderful day too.

they look awesome Jason..nice work..

Beautiful setup Keith! I'm interested to hear about the results of your focus. I've obviously tried to go with fewer passes. Perhaps I will give a 4 pass straight razor shave a try this weekend.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk