​

That has to be a new record! Impressive. Does it actually still cut or does it feel more like grating?

November 22

Feather Artist Club SS
Feather Professional (5)
Semogue 830
MdC scented
Two passes plus touch-ups
Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Floid Vigoroso

Goals
Further develop my two-pass shave technique by practicing the basics
Break in and get more experience with the Semogue 830
Get more experience with MdC

Have a great Sunday!

11/22/15

Gillette Super Speed Y3
old straight
Vulfix Super Badger (660)
Soap Smooth Bruyere
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Pinaud Clubman Original

Soap Smooth Bruyere and shave #1 with the 5th Gillette Silver Blue in my Birth Quarter Super Speed.
Ran hot water in my scuttle and then reduced the temperature and added my brush to soak. After a bit I squeezed out the brush and dumped the water in the outer chamber of the scuttle. Since the Soap Smooth is a heavy paste and the sampler container is small, I scooped a peanut's worth out and put in the palm of my left hand. I hand lathered to the point where I had a nice amount of proto lather, then transferred as much as I could to the scuttle. The rest I wiped on my face and neck. I added a small amount of water and began lathering. In no time at all I had a huge amount of lather. I added a little more water and the lather got smoother, but also got to be so much it felt at one point I was just moving it around. When I thought it was ready, I checked the slickness, took a picture and then wet and lathered my face.

Yes, you can see it can't you? I've been on the fence about using the Straight that the FiveO put in since I got the Travel Box.
Since today is likely to be my last full day with the box, I thought I'd take the plunge. A few days ago I looked at it with a magnifying glass and noticed what appeared to be a small spot near the edge that might have been rust. I don't have a strop, but the Travel Box has a Rolls razor, and one of the sides of the box is for stropping that blade. I took that side off the box and dragged the blade back and forth across the leather leading with the blunt edge. I wasn't sure of the proper angle, so I used something like 25%. Did about 10 swipes in both directions and checked again. I couldn't find the spot. Checked the sharpness on my arm and it took off some of my hair without any problem, so I figured it was good enough for a trial run.

Unfortunately, the lather on my face was a little dry and the surface wasn't smooth but a little lumpy with holes in the surface that should have been smooth. I added a little water to the brush and went back to the scuttle for a bit. I should have rinsed off my face, but I didn't. Tried to work the new lather in with the old but that didn't work as well as I'd hoped. I ended up putting a couple of drops near the base of the brush and using that side to smooth out and paint my face. That worked out much better than I'd hoped and decided it was ready. My first strokes were with my Super speed to make sure that I had the protection and glide I needed before trying the straight. I set the straight down just shy of flat at the bottom of my right cheek near my ear and shaved up. The blade dragged and tugged so I stopped after about a half inch. I added a little water there and smeared the lather back on the area. I started again and the blade still tugged. I went with short strokes all the way to finish that swath. Next I shaved my right jaw line, then XTG on parts of my neck (going from the jaw down). I checked the result and there was still quite a bit of stubble everywhere the straight had been, but no blood or irritation. I decided that I'd continue the shave with the Super Speed. The rest of the shave was uneventful, and I wound up with a BBS. The Pinaud Clubman was mild when I put it on, but seemed to sting a bit once it began to dry. But the sting did not last long. Still plenty of lather, probably enough for another 3 or 4 passes:

A nice BBS from the GSB in my Birth Quarter Super Speed after some slight reduction courtesy of FiveO's straight (which he describes as an old French Faux frame back). The Soap Smooth Bruyere has a strong sent when you open the container. It is supposed to smell like pipe tobacco and vanilla. It doesn't smell like any pipe tobacco I've ever experienced. Actually, it doesn't smell like pipe tobacco to me at all, but the aroma is pleasant and stronger than some of the others I've tried. Once lathered, the smell is lighter, but still present and enjoyable. After lathing my face and going back to the bowl to improve things, I noticed that my face started to get warm. At that point I wondered if I might have a reaction to the oils in this soap like I could have had with the Mystic Water Lime, but everything turned out fine. One tentative conclusion that I've arrived at from this shave: If the container is too small to get your brush in, a peanut's worth of shave paste is far too much product.

I hope everyone has a great Lord's Day!

SOTD
November 22, 2015
Prep: Hot Shower. Axe Energizing Face Wash Boost
Razor: Gillette Aristocrat Junior #49
Blade: Personna Lab Blue
Lather: Gingers Garden Rose Petals
Brush: RazoRock Plissoft
Post: Thayers Cucumber WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: Gingers Garden Osmanthus
Gingers Garden Rose Petals is spot on! I absolutely love this soap/scent. The Gillette Aristocrat Junior is heavy, well balanced, and fairly aggressive. I'm a big fan of the Plissoft.
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE

I'll shave my head later on today with the same setup minus the Aristocrat, I'll use a Atra cartridge.

Aristocrat Focus November 22:

Homemade PS Oil
Frank Shaving Pur-Tech Brush
Stirling Gatlinburg SS
Gillette Aristocrat
Stirling Unscented PSB
Stirling Gatlinburg AS

I had a decent shave this morning, but did get a little irritation and redness on my neck. I will probably give it a bit of a break tomorrow morning and keep the it to one pass. Hope everyone has a great Sunday.

Sunday, November 22, 2015
​

B-3 Mongoose w UFO Titan Fine XL
Feather Pro Super#6
@clint64 Rubberset 400 Druida Manchurian
Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber
Alum, Witch Hazel +Menthol, Whipped Shea Butter
Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber Aftershave​

Two passes plus clean up resulted in a near baby butt smooth shave everywhere that counts. Restored Rubberset 400 with Druida's knot had no trouble whipping up another CF primo soap. Finished off with a splash of Ghost Town Barber aftershave. Have a blessed Sunday everyone.


​

11/22/2015
Razor – Schick Type I
Blade – Chinese Schick (1)
Brush – Ever-Ready with TGN Finest
Lather – TSD Yin Yang
Post - Witch Hazel and Fine L’Orange



My face was still a little tender from yesterday so I took a break from the focus. I wanted a solid mild shave this morning and needed to be presentable for my daughter's 16th birthday today. So I reached for the Schick I1 and one of my softer brushes. Whipped up the TSD Yin Yang into a nice protective lather and started shaving. I went with a normal 3 pass shave with no touch ups and didn't chase the baby at all resulting in a very good shave for today's festivities. I'll be back on the focus tomorrow. I hope everyone has a blessed Sunday.

Another great photo. I am still amazed at how #9 turned out.

An ugly duckling turned into a beautiful work of art. Il Maestro del 400!

Wishing your daughter a Happy Sweet Sixteen Birthday. Have a great day today! arty:

I have a TGN synthetic knot I have been using this month. My biggest complaint is that it doesn't splay well on my face, in fact air pockets in the brush send out little bits of lather as I try and splay it. My badgers and boars have no issues splaying on my face. Are any of the other synthetics good at splaying?

Just be careful standing it up.

Thanks Mark.

I think you should go with straight razors.

I have a TGN and have the same issues. It really is a matter of the fibers used. The TGN knot is a 3rd generation. Having used a couple of 4 generations brushes and knots, they do splay much easier. This is a great reference thread that explains in detail the different generations.

http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/the-four-generations-of-synthetic-fibers-clarifications.37568/

Yes!! The RR Plissoft splays nicely, the Plission does also. I agree the TGN has a lot of backbone.

I only have two synthetics, a Frank Shaving Pur-Tech (courtesy of @Boojum1) and a Stirling. I like them both, but they don't splay quite as well as the natural brushes I have. I don't get the issues you describe, though, and I can get a decent splay out of each. They really have become my preferred brushes, and they just have more back bone than any of my badgers and are softer than the boar I have.

That's on the agenda

Forgot to post yesterday's shave. I went back to the pain stick. I did a two pass shave, fourth or fifth one on the blade. Got pretty good reduction on my face, not so much on my neck. My skin does weird things when the seasons change, including making little mounds of dry skin that flake off. This razor is fantastic for planning those right off and giving a smooth level (and scabbed) surface. Ended up with six or so pretty good weepers on my chin. I am going to park this razor for another year and go back to my straights. If it doesn't work out next year, it's going to a new home.

I got to near BBS easily. The blade will get a day 22!