DEC 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

What is the benefits of the Alum block?

Im also stumped on the diferences between AS splash, balm, and milk. Some clarification would be awesome y'all.

 

Alum is an astringent, antibacterial, coagulant and learning aid. I feel that it makes my skin "tighter" and helps seal up any stray weepers. It also causes a burning sensation in areas that have been scraped up by the razor blade, providing instant and tangible feedback with regard to blade angle and pressure.

Splash- alcohol based, traditional
Milk- thicker and more moisturizing
Balm- gel-like and smoothed onto face

 

The alum is an astringent and has some antibacterial quantities. It also provides some nice, instant feedback in the form of a sting for when you over exfoliate your skin.

AS splashes really do much of the same, but most of the have some scent. If they contain alcohol, they will also provide some feedback. They can be moisturizing as well. Most of the balms I have tried do not contain alcohol, and often have something like bees wax to act as an emulsifier. They usually have some specific skin moisturizers. I haven't used any milks, so I'll let someone else chime in on these.

 

Appreciate the info, I'm currently using the Nivea AS Balm for this 30 day focus but debating on trying something diferent next month. Whatever I choose it has to have a lotion/moisterizing form to it. My skin dries out bad.

 

Barbus: Obscure Slovenian AS

 

Also you can use an Alum Block if you have a razor that has a slippery handle, rub your finger tips on the block and it will add some grip.

 

Thank you all for the well wishes!! I slept the entire day away, and I don't feel guilty.

 

Charlie, thank you. The Super Speed is pretty cool razor. It was my first vintage razor after starting out with a Merkur 34c. I find the SS to be on the mild side sort of like a Slim on 3. It's not nearly as efficient as your New LC. I just enjoy it for a smooth and comfortable drama free shave.

 

I Skipped shaving today I thought about it but I totally slacked today

 

December Focus

The Twelve Blades of December!

Hard to believe we've almost put this year to bed. Wow. Where did the time go? But, here we are and as a gift to everyone here I'm offering up my shaves with twelve blades that have never touched my face, randomly paired with twelve of my DE razors. Two shaves with each setup to finish on Xmas Eve. So, sit back, get the fire burning and enjoy what I hope is an enjoyable month of further proof Technique Trumps Tools. I hope for that....my expectations aren't as optimistic.

December 4

Razor - '46-'47 Gillette Aristocrat
Blade - (@)
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Silvertip
Soap - Proraso Green
Post - Cold water, Alum, Proraso

Day two for the Dorco Prime. Does anyone besides me think that Dorco is a very unfortunate name for a company....or anything else for that matter? Just sounds stupid to me. Anyway, on to the second day to see what happens with this blade. Definitely not a top of the line blade but yesterday wasn't bad. Derby level so mid-tier on that shave. Today I have the Wolf Whiskers badger and Proraso Green in a tub to give it a menthol kick and help it out.

First pass pretty unremarkable, just like yesterday. Second pass XTG and I felt a creeping sensation on my neck. The Proraso menthol/eucalyptus beginning to chill? Or......the dreaded irritation. Rinsed good and checked it over. Still needed a third pass and my neck is turning a bit red. It isn't the menthol. It's the blade. Went ATG on the third pass and Gillette Slide on the neck and I feel the irritation now. No doubt about it. And, the finish today was less than yesterday. The feel tonight confirms that it was a barely DFS. Definite drop in performance while adding irritation on day two. Alum confirmed the irritation with a nice consistent burn over the whole area. That takes the Prime out of mid-level for me. It's a one-shave wonder that I wouldn't bother putting in a razor again. I'm too old and have too few shaves left to waste on on a sub-par blade. Sorry, but this blade passed it's prime when it came off of the production line.

Tomorrow should be interesting, one way or the other. It's the '47 Super Speed, a great razor but the blade is the Gentle Man. What do I know about this blade? It is a double edge razor blade with a platinum coating. That's it. Nothing else. Don't know where it comes from or anything else. This could be interesting. I'd be open to hearing any info any of you might have on this blade. I'm hoping the Super Speed is able to compensate for any likely weaknesses on the part of this blade.

Until then, enjoy your Friday night and Saturday!

 

Didn't get a chance to reply yesterday to this but mine can definitely be different shortly after the shave compared to several hours later. I like to judge my shave after several hours because I think my interpretation of the closeness of the shave can be quite different. Right after a shave I find them almost universally smoother than if I wait a couple hours to give stubble time to come out.

As for Aftershave there can definitely be a difference from immediate application when it is at its strongest compared to allowing it to set for 30 minutes to an hour or more when I can accurately judge how I like it.

For these reason I try not to report my shave until later just so I can judge and rejudge before posting.

 

Congrats on 100!! Have enjoyed reading your posts and living the straight razor life vicariously through you!

 

Feel better soon!! Whiskey and honey was my uncle's solution for a cough. Of course whiskey in some form was always his solution.

 

The TSD Aftershave Milk is great stuff! Lots of scents available too. It has several oils, aloe, witch hazel, and shea butter. Good stuff.

 

December 30 Day Focus--Gillette Executive and Stirling Kong

December 4

Razor - 1958 Gillette Executive Adjustable (WTG 5, ATG 4)
Blade - Gillette Silver Blue (4)
Brush - Stirling Kong
Soap - Stirling Spice
Post - Cold water, witch hazel, old spice


A great shave today. Seemed very smooth. Today I switched the first and second pass and went more aggressive on the first pass compared to the second pass. I think it is an interesting comparison with yesterday which was the reverse. Today's shave was very very nice with no irritation at all. However, it was not as close as yesterday. A DFS shave but not BBS.

Going to continue my progression through the levels and will continue adjusting the first and second passes to see if I can reach a consensus on what effects varying the levels will have.

 

Samples are a good way to try the TSD aftershaves.

 

Definitly gonna be trying samples of creams and AS after the new year.

 

Dec 5 Shave 3

It is the tropics here so I need something stronger than off so today I used Arko. The CJB pain stick was kinder today, just one small nick and two weepers. 3 passes and checked the irritation. Not to bad just a little stinging. Closeness was hard to rate, some parts I missed and others BBS. A much improved shave over the last one with the CJB.

Irritation B+ Closeness B+

Arko stick
Vie Long white horsehair fan
CJB with Feather Pro
Alcolado Galcial AS
Castle Forbes ASB
Sunscreen and bug repellent.

 

12/5/15

Gillette New LC
Rapira Super Stainless (2)
Vulfix Super Badger (660)
Mitchell's Wool Fat
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Pinaud Clubman Original

Fifth day with Mitchell's Wool Fat and the Rapira Super Stainless in the New LC. Same prep as before: small amount of hot water on the puck while the brush soaked. Dumped the bloom water in the scuttle, swirled the brush in the soap for about 20 seconds (yesterday I did 60). I added water once to the brush as I worked the lather in the scuttle. The lather exploded and made me wish I had a larger bowl. Now I had that yogurt consistency that I’ve seen others talk about. The soap went on nice and smooth and provided great protection.


2 full passes: Pass 1 XTG. Very good reduction. Pass 2: ATG. Did small amount of touch up where I could feel stubble. Picked up a tiny weeper by the corner of my mouth, but it stopped without any effort. A cold water rinse and very minor touch up and the baby came home. The Pinaud Clubman stung, showing that I had chased the baby a bit more aggressively than I probably should have. But you couldn’t tell looking at my face and neck. Afterwards I had enough lather for a pass or two.


Another nice BBS from the Rapira Super Stainless in the New LC with Mitchell's Wool Fat. I had plenty of slick lather with a nice consistency throughout the shave. I don't know if 20 seconds is the right amount for me to spend in the Fat container, but I'll stick with it for a while and see how it works over time. Tomorrow I'll follow the same procedure except that I will be face lathering. What do people usually do with bloom water when face lathering? I hate to just dump it.

I hope everyone has a great Saturday.

 

I pour the bloom water in my hand and rub in on my face so as not to waste it.