July 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

One of the sad parts of creating such voluminous mounds is...you can only apply so much and have only so many razor passes. Inevitably, a good deal of it goes to waste....

 

Friday, 2 shave focus shave of the month. I have added to my focus of straight razors and will just use my Rasurpur western kamisori and Dovo Bismarck. So far I feel the most comfortable and get the best shave from these 2 razors. Since I have to shave again tonight for some social activities I went straight only for the shave. I got a weeper on the first pass which is unusual. 3 passes and clean up, still just short of DFS and a little more irritation than usual. Maybe the lather was not runny enough?

Proraso Pre Shave
Super lather AoS tallow + Castle Forbes Lavender
Simpson Tulip 3 Super
Rasurpur Kamisori (western grind)
Dry Gulch strop
Alum block to keep my fingers dry
Speick AS
L'Occitane Cade ASB
MDCI Invasion Barbare

TGIF

 

Day 2 - 30 Days with Maggard MR11 OC!


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Day 2 on this blade...I really like it. The Stirling MITA face lathers wonderfully after a fifteen second load. This razor made quick smooth two pass work of one day stubble. I am loving this razor and blade combo. I would definitely recommend this setup to a new shaver in a heartbeat. Alum was super quiet, finished with TSD Exclusive 2x Iced FW-type AS and my face feels awesome! It's really good! Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a super Friday!
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Here is my gear ready for use:
1956 Gillette Super Speed Flair
Vulfix Super Badger (660) brush
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Proraso Sandalwood cream
Aqua Velva after shave







My shave today:
Shave #1 with my 3rd Shark Super Stainless blade. Nice BBS results, an extremely nice shave. Very close, smooth, no nicks or weepers. No irritation. 2 Full passes: Pass 1: WTG on my face, and XTG on my neck. Pass 2: ATG. At this point, I already had a DFS. Then lathered up again from the bowl for touch up of my typical spots. Great shave!

 

I would guess that razor benefits from a very shallow angle of attack.

Peaks like egg whites!

I pledge to go strop free in July.

 

My shave today:
Shave #2 with 3rd Shark Super Stainless blade. Nice BBS results, a very nice shave. Very close, smooth, no nicks or weepers. No razor burn.
Two full passes: Pass 1: WTG on my face, and XTG on my neck. Pass 2: ATG. At this point, I almost had a DFS. Not quite as close as yesterday at that point, but I'll put that down to technique.
Lathered up again for touch up of my typical spots. There always seem to be 5 or 6 spots that remain and a couple of them are tough to get. I think it may be because once I put lather on those spots, I can't feel any whiskers and I suspect that for the most part the blade just glides over them.
About 30 minutes after my shave I hunted for strays and found 3 tiny spots and figured out the grain. To my surprise, two of them were mapped correctly. One of those is just in the hollow below the jawbone and I know I haven’t gotten that area flat. I'll try stretching my skin to compensate.

 

Phoenix Dbl OC Focus Day 3:

Homemade PS Oil
WD High Mountain Badger 30 mm
Cella
Phoenix Dbl OC
Stirling Unscented PSB
The Veg

Today was my first day of using The Veg. I am still trying to decide if I have been chosen or not. The initial whif of urinal cake almost did me in, but I proceeded, and the urinal cake smell is dissipating.

Tried the razor with a Gillette Platinum blade this morning, which is not one of my favorites. But, the razor performed well. I got a good CCS this morning.

 

30 day rule
MDC Face Lathered w/ Stirling Glacial Obsidian
Ladas blade
Slim Adjustable set to 7

3 passes and a very nice finish to the shave

So, I figured out how to face lather while using two different soaps. When using a soap and a cream, I usually put the cream on my face, load the soap on the brush and build the lather on my face. But I was stuck on how to do it with two soaps. Basically, I rubbed the Stirling on my face as if it were a stick, loaded the brush with MDC, and mixed the two on my face. It worked like a charm. I dropped the puck of Stirling into water for a few minutes before using, which helped a lot. The end result was exactly what I had hoped for.

 

Friday shave
Dovo Ebony Spike SR
Store bought 2" x 23"black latigo strop
Old Spice mug as a scuttle/lather mug
24mm 52mm WD HMB brush
AOS lavender pre shave oil
AOS sandlewood cream
AOS post sandlewood balm
Astringent
Clubman original

Started off with soaking brush, warm rinse, pat dry.
Add pre oil. Followed by hot towel.
Strop blade 20x
Ring out brush, dip in cream, dump mug, lather up in mug, paint face.
Single pass with SR. No problem. Took @Drygulch advise on chin stretching.
Pressed for time, quick re-lather, and final pass with my old style 1918 open comb Gillette with new dorco blade.
Rinse with cold water, pat dry, astringent, pat dry. Post balm and finally splash of clubman original. DFS. Having great success with my SR focus.

 

07/03/2015
Razor – Mongoose B2 with Triad SS Helix
Blade – Feather Super Pro (3)
Brush – Rubberset 400 with Omega Boar
Lather – Mitchell’s Wool Fat @SDK
Post - Witch Hazel and Floid Vigoroso Sample



Another great shave this morning. This is only the 3 or 4 time I have used MWF. I got a pretty good lather with it this morning. I am sure it will improve as I work with it. Finished off with Floid Vigoroso from my sample pack.

 

How did you like the Floid Vigoroso?

 

I like it alot. I find it very similar to Myrsol F/Extra but I prefer the Myrsol more.

 

I'm continuing my stainless blade focus into July. I had 18 shaves with Big Ben blades in June and then switched to Gillette Nacet razor blades. I just completed my 13th shave from this box with one blade yet to use. I have 4 razors I am using - Weber, Gillette New LC and SC and a Fat Handle Tech. Next up will be a 10 pack of Astra Superior Stainless blades. This should take me well into August if not September.

 

Plan for Friday late afternoon!

30 Days with MITA and Maggard!


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Next up in the blade trial from the @Bobcat PIF box is Gillette 7 O'Clock SP. In the AS rotation, today will be AV Musk, an American classic. I will be a little scarce until Sunday, spending time with family and close friends on this Independence weekend. I hope everyone is well, and has a great weekend!

Have a great Friday afternoon!
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Razor: Gillette Blue Tip SS
Blade: Feather (2)
Brush: Every Ready 100T, Boar
Soap: TSD Coconut
A/S: TSD Coconut
Day 3.

Another great shave this evening with the Every Ready 100T combined with TSD Coconut Shave soap. Loaded up extremely well with a good lather. The Blue Tip although a very mild razor works well with the Feather blade at the right angle. (YMMV)
Hope everyone has an Outstanding 4th of July. God Bless the United States Marine Corps and the Untied Sates of America.

 

July 3rd, SOTD (Shave 2 of this focus)
Two days’ growth
Prep: Hot shower
Razor: “Caveman” Cattaraugus Cutlery Co small razor
Strop: Drygulch Chromexcel Horsehide/ Linen (10 linen/ 10 leather pre and post)
Soap: The Shave Den Lime
Brush: Spalted Maple Brush with Badger Knot
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, Thayer’s Witch Hazel
Aftershave: The Shaveden Aftershave Milk Iced Lime

Good shave. Second one with this razor. I like the maneuverability of the small blade around facial hair, but miss the full width of the blade for getting my jawline smooth. One cut today, as I was straightening up the ends of my mustache bars, none while actually shaving. Did N/S and S/N, with touchup on the neck. The size of this razor makes it very difficult to get the spots on my neck. If I grow my beard out again, like in my avatar, with the chin and neck shaved, this will be a perfect razor. Brush is awesome, soap is great. I think I prefer alcohol in my aftershave, but I want to use up this sample of the Milk. I have full sized soaps and Splash aftershave on the way to me now. (Purchased on June 30th, I am still in!.)

I am playing a little bit with my stropping routine, but am hesitant not to strop at all. I have dropped the number significantly, both pre and post shave. One of the things I enjoy with SR shaving is the stropping. I might play with it a little more and try no stropping after I get to know these razors better.

 

Independence Day Shave
Saturday, July 4, 2015

Mongoose Shave #9
Shower, Stirling Soap - Clubman Smooth, Neutrogena Face Wash
B-3 Mongoose with UFO Red Bronze
Feather Professional #2
Druida Barberpole Manchurian
Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber SS
Alum Block, Stirling Black Ice Witch Hazel, Unrefined Shea Butter
Fine - American Blend
Brooks Brothers - 1818

What a wonderful holiday shave today for the Red, White, and Blue. The Ghost Town Barber and the Barberpole Brush whipped up an incredible mountain of thick and creamy lather. Druida’s Manchurian knot had enough lather for four passes. The first pass today was a combination of WTG and XGT. The UFO Godzilla has a better grip than the Jurgen Hemple SS but isn’t much lighter. The second pass was AGT and XGT and left little to clean up. No runs, no hits, and no errors, if you know what I mean. The Goose comes through with a Star Spangled BBS Shave. The Stirling’s Black Ice WH gave a super cold and refreshing blast. Let that cool for a while before applying the Shea Butter; super cool followed by super soft and smooth. Finally, some Fine American Blend and Brooks Brothers 1818. The perfect finish for a Saturday/Holiday shave. Have a great day gentlemen and be safe with the Fireworks!

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Saturday July 30 focus 3rd shave.

Again with the Raspurur kami. It was a hot day so some menthol was in order. 3 passes with SR and there was the good, the bad and the ugly. The good, the 3 passes felt like I removed more stubble than usual and less irritation than normal. The bad, a nick by my ear, my arm blocks my site (thats my excuse and I am sticking to it) and 1 weepers. The ugly, for someone unknown reason I put the razor upon my face at a near right angle and before I knew I cut myself. The upside, it is clear the razor still has a good edge. I need the shave to last today so I did the fourth pass with a DE. BBS - the blood and light irritation.

The next 3 SR shaves with be with my Dovo.

Proraso Pre Shave
QCS Ice Key Lime cream
Etsy silver tip
Rasurpur Kamisori (western grind)
Dry Gulch strop
Alum block to keep my fingers dry
Homemade vodka-menthol AS
L'Occitane Cade ASB
Creed Millisime Imperial

Have a great weekend!

 

30 Day Rule - July 2015
Razor - CJB/Gillette New LC
Blade -
Brush - Omega Pro 48
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Post - Cold Water splash, Alum, Nivea Original Balm, Styptic and a few cuss words.

Okay, so we have established after two shaves that I'm rusty with the CJB. Fortunately, the Feather blades are not. However, they are amazingly sharp and unforgiving as another day of blood proved. I also remembered, a bit too late probably, that when I start a pass with the CJB and have that nervous feeling that causes me to hesitate, it's time to put it down and grab the DE. That's what it's there for.

Lather is great still with the 48 and MWF. However, one other change today from yesterday was the location of the shave. I normally shave in the shower but have always shaved AFTER my shower at the sink with the CJB. Thursday, though, I tried it in the shower and didn't have a horrible experience, though I had to adjust the grip due to the wetness. Still, a couple of nicks but not a bad return. The passes were, overall, very smooth and slick even on some clean up with it. Today, however, I returned to the sink and found the lather felt less slick and the blade seemed to stick a bit. I realized, again probably half a pass too late, that I hadn't put enough water on my face prior to lathering. MWF is slick, but if the face is too dry no lather will perform as well as it can. So, I'll start wetting my face just prior to lathering each time from here on out and stay at the sink so the grip stays the same.

Total passes with the CJB today? 1.5. Then I finally, after counting 5 nicks during that time, picked up the New LC and finished it off. Ended with a DFS, not the best but not bad. The alum was quite insistent that I was an idiot today, and I actually skipped the Nivea and went straight for the Veg. If it's gonna burn might as well make sure it burns enough to remember the lesson. I did go to the styptic first though to stop a couple of nice ones. One was a rehash of the worst one yesterday. Everything calmed down over time and I went to work looking not much worse for wear. I'm off the next two days (an amazing thing to happen in my line of work) so I'll have time to set things up a bit better and focus on improvement in technique from hydration to grip and angle. I'm looking forward to two more concentrated shaves with more focus.

Happy 4th to everyone!

 

Mark, I did this today with Tabac and Pen's BB. I rubbed the Tabac on my face like a stick and then swirled my brush on the Pen's for a few seconds. Terrific stuff. Glad it worked for you!