15th October 2022.

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Fri 14th October

Stirling Syn 26mm
MWF
Occams Oren-3dot
Kai CT Mild Pink [ 1 ]
Flood Vigoroso A/S lotion
3 Days growth presented no problems for this Razor/Blade combo.A nice comfortable Shave with a Top Notch finish.

10/15/2022

Growth: Two day beard.
Prep: Warm shower: Stirling Sheep bar soap
Pre: Washed face with Stirling Glacial unscented pre-shave soap then reapplied before lathering.
Brush: Rudy Vey 25 mm STF
Lather : Razorock XXX Italian shaving soap
Blade: GEM Personna SS (D8)
Razor: Blackland Sabre
Base Plate: L2 with shims
Handle: Blackland Sabre
Post: unscented Stirling witch hazel and PAA Mysterium Serum

I was wondering how I could squeak out a little more efficiency out of the Sabre L2 plate and decided see how the L2 plate would work with shims. Since I don't have any used GEM blades and I was not about to destroy any brand new GEM blades, I took three new box cutter blades and cut off the cutting edge and the spine using my Craftsman rotary tool (Sear's version of a Dremmel) and a cutting wheel. I decided to cut the spine area off so that the shaving GEM blade would keep the same angle when shimmed without me having to remove the spines of new GEM blades just to use a shim. The Sabre top plate could support even more shims but I figure three shims is as many as I would use for a shave in any razor.

Even though I had been trying out cold water shaving, I decided to go back to warm water rinses for this shave. I did that since my first cold water shave was with the Sabre L2 plate and it was not very good or pleasant. (My second cold water shave was with a more efficient razor and it was a great shave).

I did the first pass with one shim going WTB. That left quite a bit of stubble in the mustache and chin areas. It was slightly more efficient than the L2 plate by itself, but I was looking for more efficiency.

The second pass, I used two shims and went Outside-In for the mustache area, E-W on the chin then a W-E pass on the chin (so that was a third pass for that area). I went my normal ATG on the neck. Two shims probably put the Sabre into medium aggression territory for me. Not too much blade feel but even more efficient from my estimate.

I then did a tiny bit of touch up with three shims to see how aggressive that would be. I really didn't need to do much touch up but I was curious about three shims. Three shims was a little too aggressive for me. Too much blade feel.

The overall shave was BBS/BBS-. This was the best shave I have achieved with the Sabre.

I think I will try full shaves using each shim level starting with two shims as the additional directions for sure cut down more stubble no matter the shim level.

The shims worked well. The side posts on the top plate along with a tiny bit of the center blade hole top kept the shims in place and away from the edge of the shaving blade. I don't know what kind of steel these box cutters are made of so I am making sure to dry them very well so they don't rust. Once I have some used GEM SS blades, I may cut them down so they will be more rust resistant. The spine of the shaving GEM blade is unsupported by shims but I did not notice any issues. If it becomes a problem I may put some shims under the GEM spine.

Lather Catcher Sunday's Cold Water Shave

Cold Water Rinse
Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap
Jayaruh #30 Silvertip Badger
Superior Lather Catcher
Personna GEM SS PTFE
CWR
Aqua Velva Musk AS

The Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap lathered well with the Jayaruh #30 Silvertip Badger brush. Two passes and touch ups with the Superior Lather Catcher and the Personna GEM SS PTFE Blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse I finished off with Aqua Velva Musk AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Sunday 16th October
Ever Ready 1914 - Gem Stainless Coated #5 - Truefitt & Hill West Indian Limes - Yaqi Robin - Osmanli Lemon Cologne - Aloe Vera Gel

10.16.22
SOTD
Soap: Fine Santal Absolut
Brush: 3D Printed Made Rite 203
Razor: 3D Printed Open Comb
Blade: Schick Injector
Post-shave: Fine Santal Absolut

Love it.

Happy belated Birthday Jim!

Sunday Schick shave, OCtober 16th 2022

Razor : Schick injector adjustable M3- Mfg 1970-72, well built and designed adjustable that works well, it will take all the Schick blades manufactured over the years that other models will not, it is designed also as a unisex razor IMO because of the handle length. Great shave this morning.
Blade : Kai Protouch Proguard modified- A interesting blade that prevents digging in reducing nicks & cuts. The longevity is about 6 decent shaves and then tossed. This blade works well in a AC shavette also, especially when learning how to use a shavette I have found out. Great blade!
Soap : Mitchell's wool fat, nice clean mild scent when dry but comes more alive when wet in the lather is my findings with this classic soap. I Cut a few slivers of soap & press in bowl and with a squeezed damp brush start stirring brush until paste is formed and add a few drops only and stir.......until you get the lather you like 1-2 minutes later for myself. Apply to a wet face works well for myself.
Brush : Yaqi "Barber pole" 24mm 2band badger, excellent lather generator, pillow like soft tips, nice splay scrubber + great lather painter.
Pre shave : (Dedicated Cashmere synthetic)Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser with a dollop of clear Aloe Vera on the cleaned beard area.
Prep : Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups. WTG(7) + ATG(8) + pickups(9 settings).
Post shave : Razorock Irish countryside AS with witch hazel + a dollop of CeraVe moisturizing lotion(scentless).
Results :CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + no weepers= excellent shave with Schick injector M3 with a modified Kai protouch blade.

Have some great shaves!

I love the Fat.

Ooooo, an open comb version.

Sun 16th October

Cyril Salter. MS ED2band
P & B Citra Royale
Occams Enoch
Kai Captain Titan Mild Pink ( 4 )
Tuff Green A/S Lotion
I have not used The Enoch in a while.I enjoy shaving with it but struggle a bit to get the cutting angle right so a Shave can take some time.

Menthol Monday's Cold Water Shave

Cold Water Rinse
C.O. Bigelow Shave Cream
Jayaruh #277 Silvertip Badger
Gem MMOC
Personna GEM SS PTFE
CWR
Osage Rub

The C.O. Bigelow Shave Cream lathered well with the Jayaruh #277 Silvertip Badger brush. Two passes and touch ups with the Gem MMOC and the Personna GEM SS PTFE Blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse I finished off with Osage Rub. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

MMMonday, OCtober 17th 2022

Razor : Micromatic OC- Mfg 1939-41, mid to upper mid range, built to last and with good technique a person can receive some nice close shaves. I also used a RIGS spline shim for addition testing.
Blade : Gem Personna SS PTFE(7) very sharp, great longevity, smooths out nicely, predictable + safest razor blade to handle IMO.
Soap : Razorock XXX - nice unique clean scent + excellent lather qualities.
Brush : Razorock Plissoft 24mm synthetic, excellent lather generator, cloud like soft tips, great splay scrubber + excellent lather painter. Used this brush a lot when I started traditional wet shaving.
Pre shave : (Dedicated Cashmere synthetic)Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser with a dollop of clear Aloe Vera on the cleaned beard area.
Prep : Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups. WTG + ATG + pickups.
Post shave : Razorock XXX AS with witch hazel + a dollop of CeraVe moisturizing lotion(scentless).
Results :CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + 1 chin weeper= excellent shave with Gem MMOC with a Gem coated blade.

Have some great shaves!

Kampfe Bros Star Lather Catcher Razor
Gem (de-spined) w/Adapter Blade
Rubberset #3 Boar (restored) Brush
Speick w/M-Bomb Soap
Sea Breeze Astringent
Speick w/M-Bomb After Shave

10.17.22
SOTD

Soap: Noble Otter- Barrbarr
Brush: 3D Printed - Ever-Ready 400
Bowl: 3D Printed
Razor: 3D Printed - GemTR v1
Blade: GEM Personna SS PTFE
After-shave: Noble Otter- Barrbarr

Very smooth shave today with the Schick type L and Cella whipped up with a Zenith boar. Aqua Velva lotion was a great finishing touch.

Tuesday 18th October
Gem Junior - Gem Stainless Coated #6 - Lea Classic Cream - Zenith 507 - Lea Classic AS - Aloe Vera Gel

Tues 18th October

RR 400. SE ED2band
Ach Brito Mogno
Occams Hiram Commander
Schick Proline ( 5 )
Pitralon Classic A/S Lotion

A most pleasant Shave today with thus bulky looking Razor, which is very tactile and agile once in the hand. Without any hassle an extremely close all round finish was attained. I actually brought this to replace my King Cobra and it
delivers far better Shaves.

Wed 19th October

The Grosvenor 404 mixed
Vitos Super Red
Hiram Commander
Schick Proline ( 6 )
GB Grey Flannel A/S lotion
A very late Shave to save one in the morning as we are out at 6,driving to Midlands for a Funeral. Such a long lasting Shave with the Hiram yesterday it was the obvious choice.