View attachment 248654
View attachment 248655
SOTD FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 2, 2021
Today I shaved with my newly arrived Ellis & Allan 8/8 Stubtail, a 200+ year old razor with an interesting history. Glen Mercurio masterfully assembled and honed this razor from what was originally, a standalone unsharpened blade. Camel bone scales, amber wedge, brass pins and inner bearing washers along with custom beehive outer washers by Austin Kennedy transformed this cleaver-like stubtail blade into a a magnificent antique shaving tool! But what was even more interesting is the blade’s history.
Richard Ellis and John Allan, good friends and former apprentices to John Galt, formed their General Mercantile Company in Richmond, Va. with Mr. Galt’s support in 1800, a partnership that lasted until it’s dissolution in 1824, a delayed victim of the Panic of 1819. During that time Mr John Allan adopted the three year old orphaned child of the actress, Eliza Poe. The little boy’s name was Edgar Poe, thereafter changed to Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe’s stepfather John Allan moved his family to London in 1815 to source British merchandise for the company, an example of which is this old blade. Enough history, back to the shave.
This old Edgar Allan Poe stubtail shaves like a champ, although the grip took a bit of getting used to. It's much heavier and larger than any of the other straights in the den, weighing in at 255 grams (9 oz) and measuring 7 inches from scale end to stubtail end. The mug shave was a completely silent three pass effort. This blade will definitely take some time to get used to. It’s size and length make going across the grain on my neck a bit of a challenge. I was unable to achieve the level of smoothness I like on the neck as a result. Fortunately, I’d selected my Eclipse Red Ring for my dome shave, and cleaned up my neck with it before its usual excellent two pass ATG Dome assault. The Red Ring is just an incredibly awesome, efficient shaver which left your somewhat frustrated narrator refreshed, clean and velveteen smooth.
RAZOR: Ellis and Allan Stubtail 8/8 (Mug), Eclipse Red Ring (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE LE Aluminum Handled SynBad Knot #005
SOAP: Wholly Kaw King of Oud
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Osage Rub.
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