CHANGE OF PLANS!!!!!
If you didn't see this coming yet, you aren't paying attention, or you just have a life, one or the other. Or both. But I'm modifying my focus for the rest of the month in order to finish the year with a
bloodbath bang! Since I'm known for my brevity, I'll be as brief as always. In other words, get comfy, pull up the popcorn and read on.
On November 4th, I was minding my own business, probably polishing a razor or hunting an exotic blade, and I got a PM from @
Drygulch . The subject was "How willing to take one for the team are you?" The only item in the message was a link to an Etsy site featuring a number of Soviet straight razors by a seller in the Ukraine. Well, of course, I have to check them out and Adam and I continue to talk about them, discuss how they look to us, and we decide that we will each purchase one of these beauties. He handles the negotiations with the seller, gets us a good price and the process begins. Adam contacts @
HolyRollah about honing these pieces of modern art, and after some discussion about how difficult honing Russian steel is that gets arranged as well. So, the slow boat delivers them to Adam, then to Kevin, then Adam sends my red handled lovely to me along with a surprise of the Rabbit. The strop I had already had working with him. In the process a couple of things are said. Apparently, according to Kevin, honing both razors was a chore, and he compared the softness of the Soviet steel to aluminum. Not good. Also, with no spine on mine it provided additional challenges as well. Adam's comment to me when he shipped you've already read today about it going to the only person crazy enough to shave with it. But, of course, I could just be getting it to own a piece of Soviet shave technology with no plans to use it. I think I just heard everybody in unison say "yeah right".
Now what would make me willing to try this horrid piece of history out for real? Yes, I do like to try the impossible and I do like to see how bad things can be before they can't be used. All part of the three T's, as we all know. I asked earlier this week how defective a tool had to be before it truly couldn't be overcome by technique. (Nice little bit of foreshadowing, yes?) Well, I now have the tool at hand to answer that question. A number of razors and blades I've used could be called defective, but nothing compares to this. No spine, bad geometry, perhaps a sharp edge after hone that will last a shave or two but we won't know until it's tried now will we. Oh, we're not even sure it can be stropped properly. So, to end a year that began on January 1st with a 30 day Rule and has been followed with a full 12 months of practicing and proving Technique Trumps Tools, I will be attempting not one, not even two, but three shaves with the Soviet. If even the first shave is successful then I think we can raise the bar very high for what is and isn't defective. If I get two or even three it may pass as either a modern day miracle, or certainly the proof that Technique can conquer a huge area of deficits in the equipment.
Here's the modification to my schedule then. Because I have never used a traditional straight I need to work some technique on it. I'm hoping my experience with the AC's and even the Durham Duplex have given me an edge on the learning curve. I want to take 7 days to use the Rabbit in order to smooth out any issues and get the feel under my hand. When I used the pain sticks my shaves usually leveled out and improved consistently after about a week. That way I'll have the best shot at having a solid technique when using the Soviet. I'm cutting the 12 blades down to 10. I'll start with the Rabbit on Monday Dec. 21st. I'll be keeping the xmas shave in place on the 25th, finishing with the Rabbit on the 28th. Then, the 29th, 30th, and 31st will be D-days. On January 1st, assuming I'm not still recovering in the hospital, I'm ready to go on another focus that will be less about TTT and more about new tools. It's been a fun and fruitful year learning and experimenting with TTT and I will never lose my passion for it. But I do think I'll find an answer as to the limits of Technique before the year ends.
Just in case, I'll be putting a "shaving will" together as well. More on that later. Here's another picture of the two razors so you can perhaps get a better look at how they compare. Now, to determine how much vodka I need to have in the house to celebrate or provide sterilization for the wounds.........wonder if they have it in kegs. Hmmmmmmm......
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