August 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

I am sure his son will smell better.

 

Day 22 - 23 August 2015

30 Day Rule - Phoenix OC


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Not my best work today. Got a bit cavalier and nicked myself on the corner of lip. Annoying, because it was flowing into my mouth, but painless. That's the bright side of erring with a sharp DE blade, they are sharp enough to cut cleanly. I think the Russians gave Neal the day off and sent it my way. Other than that little hiccup, it was the usual goodness from this kit. La Toja is in the running to be a staple. It's very nice. Alum was mostly good, ISZ is the fixer, and finished with the Veg again. Spent the day with Mrs. Samurai, even got to hold and interact with a litter of ten German Shorthaired Pointer pups, age eight days. Wildfire smoke is still horrible here, but the weather is nicer than it has been. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a sterling Monday!
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Thread Hijack: Pile of puppy!

Far left will come live with me in October! Mrs. Samurai snapped this today, as I was examining the facial markings and ticking on the feet. All 3 puppies pictured are male, born the 14th.

 

And what setup do you recommend for shaving a new puppy? Cute pups!

 

Mild.

 

What breed?

 

German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) - they are largely liver ticked coats. These however have the same father as my current dog. They are pure but express the recessive black and white pattern. My main attraction to this breed is their loyalty, intelligence and trainability. This breed is also known as being very quiet, and only barks when it counts. They come from a local gun dog breeder, bird hunting is a big activity here. These dogs are used to get the birds into the air and retrieve the kill. Even though I don't run my dog for pheasant and chukar currently, this pup may actually get to live the life he was bred to lead. Mrs. Samurai has given her blessing and commitment to all that. It will really depend on how the pup develops. Either way, he's gonna be my companion for the next 10-15 years, and I am excited. My current GSP is nine, and I decided to get his half-brother to keep him active.

Edit: they make great household family dogs, very gentle with kids normally.

 

A fellow member here has set forth a plot by which I will be testing a FB in November. It's going to be nice to see your impressions first. I have only used a Slim thirty or so times, so basically still a newbie with adjustable razors myself.

 

Ah, I was on late tonight and just saw your FB post. With all the razors I have to try, I would have offered you mine to borrow. But I'm glad you found one!


"A fellow member here has set forth a plot..."

A plot you say? Well that sounds omnibus!

 

That is a most wonderful offer! However the wheels are turning...you know how things are on TSD, random FW bottles, the Raffle, secret Santa, themes, games, general shenaniganisms ...wait til March. I am just finishing up my first year on TSD, there is nonstop action. But, for now, it remains a plot....and we're not divulging any other ideas other than I cancelled my FB WTB notice after only a few hours....and that I will be using one for "No Variation November". Oh yeah, I won the straight in the raffle today...so that's three consecutive thirty day rules with a @HolyRollah tuned SR in my future. So 1/4 of 2016 is SR to give it a fair shake of about ninety shaves, probably enough to either get it or quit it. Very excited about my shave calendar!

 

I was thinking of doing that. Thanks for your support.

 

Thank you for the kind words.

 

Cute pups.

 

1959 E3 Gillette Fat Boy
Vulfix Super Badger (660)
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Noxzema
Proraso Sandalwood cream
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

Shave #1 with the Rapira Swedish Supersteel in my '59 Fat Boy set to 6. Very comfortable BBS with little effort.

2 Full passes: Pass 1 WTG on my face and XTG on my neck. Had more whiskers than yesterday at this point, but the pass was so comfortable on my face that it felt like there was no blade in the razor. Pass 2: ATG. Very comfortable aside from nicking a mole on my neck that had no whiskers anywhere near it. Operator error. At this point I had a DFS boarding on a BBS shave. Did cold water rinse for the first time before touch up. Intent was to try to wake up the remaining whiskers with the idea of having them stretch out their necks for the guillotine. Seemed to work pretty well. I brought home the baby with very little effort. Aqua Velva was pretty quiet today. It woke up a hint of some whiskers, but after drying, my face was BBS.

Nice BBS shave from the Rapira Swedish Supersteel. Very comfortable. During my first (WTG) pass, it felt as though there was no blade in the razor.

 

Thanks, you're right, I shouldn't. But it's hard not to chase the baby a little bit, he's so cute! But I do need to know when to call it quits for the day. This will come with time. - I hope

 

Phoenix Comparison Focus Day 23:

Homemade PS Oil
Stirling Synthetic Brush
Mitchell's Wool Fat
Gillette Ball End Tech
Stirling Unscented PSB
TOBS Sandalwood AS

This was the second shave with my Ball End Tech, and it was great. I don't remember the last time I used this razor before yesterday, and I am wondering why. It is just smooth and easy going.

I also used Mitchell's Wool Fat for the first time this morning. Lots of lather and slick. I really like the scent. Most of my soaps and creams are scented, so the few I have that have a classic soapy smell really stand out. The post shave feel does seem different as well. All in all, this was a good start to the work week. Have a great Monday!

 

SOTD
August 24, 2015
Prep: Hot Shower. Axe Energizing Face Wash Boost
Razor: Mongoose B3 Dr. Bomber Handle
Blade: Feather Professional
Brush: Stirling Synthetic
Lather: Knockout Shave S'more
Post: Alum. Thayers Cucumber WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: Country Club Southern Oud
Nice shave. This @KnockOut Shave S'more is fantastic! The scent, oh boy, good enough to eat. But don't. I'm experimenting with my angle usage of the Mongoose.
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE

 

8/24/15 SOTD (Shave 13 of this Focus)
Two days’ growth
Prep: Face Wash
Razor: Wade & Butcher 5/8 (pre 1890) with Worm Eaten Scales
Strop: Drygulch Chromexcel/ Linen (20 linen 20 Leather Pre, 10/10 post)
Soap: Barrister & Mann Lime, Lavender, & Cedarwood plus M-Bomb
Brush: Omega 1066 Boar
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, Thayer’s Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Mandom

This shave was to set a baseline for the next one. A large part of my focus this month has been on honing straights to shave ready. One of the items on my list was taking a shave ready razor and seeing if I can improve the edge. I will shave again with this razor on Wednesday, after touching it up with my finishing stone. In future focuses, I am going to limit myself to two razors, so I can get to know them better.

Shave was good. This is a heavier razor than some of my more modern ones, and the weight makes it easier to use. No tugging, but some hesitation on the chin and jaw line. This razor is hollow ground, but doesn’t seem to be quite as thinly ground as some of my other ones. It makes a different sound on my face and the strop. Did N/S and S/N pass, and a half pass on my neck and jaw line. I need to pay more attention to the angle at the base of my neck; I got some irritation there from being close to a 90 degree angle.

I highly recommend the Omega 10066 Boar brush for a cheap and easy to use brush. It is a no thought, easy to use brush that makes great lather in a bowl or on the face. After a year and a half, I finally used up my first container of Thayer’s Witch Hazel. I have some unscented that I will be adding EOs to for scent. Got my first use of Mandom aftershave in today. I immediately roundhouse kicked the door to the bathroom open, and went to make a steak for breakfast. Good stuff. Made my face feel good and smells good too.

 

Great photo.

The best advise I received on angles and the Mongoose is "if it drags you have to much of the razor on the face so drop the handle a little" The perfect angle does change a little for me with the different blades. The other thing I discovered is that I get better shaves with the Mongoose using longer strokes unlike the shorter strokes of a DE razor.

 

08/24/2015
Razor – Gillette Slim J3 set on 9
Blade – Feather (1)
Brush – EJ XL STF
Lather – B&M Latha
Post - Witch Hazel and Myrsol F/Extra



Another very good 3 pass near BBS shave with the Slim. Finished off with with a splash of Myrsol F/Extra.