February '16 - 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion Thread

Great picture! The Gatlinburg scent is one of my favorite Stirling scents. It is definitely the most outdoorsy of all my scents.

 

Focus: NF Brush #7 - Feb 12
New Forest Tambootie wood handle w/ silvertip knot​

Another one of the five wood handles that Peter made.
This morning it was one of the Tambootie handles.
The silvertip knot is probably the densest and most luxurious of the seven NF brushes I've gone through so far in the focus. No scritch what so ever and it was a pure pleasure to use.

I'd rate it an 8.5/10 which is, I think, the highest rating so far.

 

Wait, what?!
Doesn't everyone use lip gloss, er, balm?

 

It's about the exact same model, except I found mine new, the etsy one is 'well used.'
There's some on the bay as well.

 

Nice one Adam!
Maybe we should start a club?

 

I'm also a big fan of Ozark Mountain. Another great outdoors scent. I want to try the Texas on fire. It sounds like it will be another good one.

 

SOTD February 11, 2016
Focus day 11

Prep: Warm shower
Blade: Wilkinson Sword (3)
Razor: Maggard MR1
Brush: Satin Tip 'The Purest' synthetic
Lather: Proraso Red
Post: Witch hazel splash, Nivea sensitive balm
WTG, touch-up

Continued good results with this combination of goods. CCS with no irritation. My face feels pretty good. I'm using a good bit of balm because the winter season is not kind to my skin and everything tends to be dry. I've started using a little of the balm all over my face. I used to put a different type of lotion over my nose and forehead area but I've moved to just using the Nivea all over. That seems to work pretty well.

I think the consistent results I'm getting means that my technique is improving each day. It's quite rare to get a nick or weeper at this point. My pressure is generally good despite a few occasions where I have to remind myself to back off. Using a set of products in a rule-type fashion has been good for me. The elimination of variables and constant shifting of soaps and blades and razors really helps you hone in on technical skills. So my Tuesday-Thursday combos have aided in getting good shaves.

Tomorrow I will switch up the products and go with a different combination. Have a great Thursday!

 

Day 9 - Repeater focus

Much better shave today with the type B. Between the performance of MWF and gettting the angle right I managed a decent DFS thats still presentable some 12 hrs later. Maybe there's hope for this type B yet.

 

February Focus - German blades

February 10

Razor - Merkur 23c
Blade - (1)
Brush - BoS Omega 10066
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Post - Cold rinse, Alum, The Veg

On to the fourth blade of seven. A couple of you have already mentioned you love this blade and I've seen very good reviews of it in SoS posts and others. It's the Bolzano Superinox, which, of course, would mean super stainless. The Italian Inossidabile also appears on the blade. Interesting that a German blade would have an Italian word. Does the Axis live? Out of curiosity and the desire to be thorough I looked the word up and it has two definitions. It is an adjective and means 1) stainless, inoxidizable and 2) hardy, indestructible. Interesting. A hardy, indestructible blade that won't rust. Pretty fitting as long as it lives up to the billing.

BoSFat for the lather. No problems there as usual so it's off to the races. First pass WTG was nice. Not quite as smooth as the Wilkinson or the Timor perhaps but really not a problem. It seems to offer a bit more feedback but I'm fine with that. The effectiveness seemed a bit less than the Wilkinson as the first pass didn't finish quite as smooth as I was expecting. Still not bad. Second pass XTG was also a good pass. Can't say it was great. Seemed like the feedback was a little more than I'd like but there were no cuts/nicks/weepers. Just more of an awareness there was a blade going across my face and throat. Finished the second pass with a DFS. Not terribly far from BBS but not as close as the Wilkinson. Did a complete ATG and G-Slide third pass and finished with a very near BBS. Can't call it totally BBS, though, as I can detect a couple of areas not quite there. Very close though.

This blade, by the way, is made by Feintechnik GmbH in Germany. Rating it is a little difficult as I can't say it failed in any significant way. Well, at least for the performance. And, the alum was quiet. So no irritation in spite of the added feedback. I think in order to be consistent I have to take a half stein off for missing the BBS, no deduction for blood since there was none and I see no reason to deduct anything else. So, 4.5 steins to start. If the blade improves with age as some do I'm in for a treat. If it stays the same I won't complain. If it starts downhill we have a problem. We'll see over the next two days.

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I am looking forward to seeing it.

 

Nice travel kit, very classy.

 

Sorry to hear it's worse. Back to basics time?

 

Day 41 - 90 Day Intro to SR
10 February 2016



Ralf Aust 5/8
L'Occitane Plisson Synthetic
Route 66 - Lumberjack
Alum
TSD ISZ AS under Pinaud Clubman​

What a day! Up at four am with a sick dog, dental work for a crown at 10, then a full day after that! Good news! Being tired like that made today's shave so enjoyable. The Route 66 once again provided the flawless lather and cushion, and the Aust mows it down like it's just not funny. This is by far my favorite of the two that I have, this razor will do near BBS in one WTG stroke on my cheeks. It has held its edge wonderfully since I got it fixed from my noob damage. The other is a smiley blade and I am still learning it, but I got this Aust down now! Great shave today after all that! The dog is feeling ok now, and I am no worse for the wear and ready to jump back in the game tomorrow morning. Other than that...all is quiet in Broncos country.​

Have a terrific Thursday!
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Yes Paul! I was fortunate the day I bought it, my local Walgreens stocks Clubman, and that particular shipment was all anniversary bonus sizes. I figure it's just about the best AS one can buy at Walgreens, though they carry OS, AV and Skin Bracer in my location.

 

The Aust just sings at a low angle for me. My WD likes it a bit higher. I am starting to understand what @HolyRollah was talking about when he mentioned there was a great deal of variation in SR blades.

 

Which of those two razor models do you find the most natural for your skill set?

 

Kerry- is the razor designed differently than a US razor? Why do you think it's better? I've only tried a 53 US ball end Tech, so I have no way to compare, but I am intrigued.

 

Sharp is ironically not the sharpest blade out there, but is quite smooth. Your early tastes in blades are similar to mine.

 

Nice work! The things you learned about blade angle are universal across all razors. The level of effort and cool factor versus real world results are something only you can judge. In full disclosure, I've never used an old SE razor, but they have a reputation for being a bit toothy. I applaud how well you've done on such an unforgiving blade type, all done very early in your conversion to traditional shaves! Kudos!

Slight irritation does not have to be a part of your shaves. How can you possibly judge tiny differences, while clearly defining the areas that need work, all without guessing?

Alum. It's the gold standard. It separates the perfectly acceptable from the acceptably perfected. It never lies.

Some here use it literally as positive reinforcement of technique through cool refreshing sensation. If you truly shave well, the alum will feel soothing, as if you're moving a cold, smooth stone over your face. It could also be called positive punishment when the technique slips. If you stop in to a local pharmacy, look in the antiperspirant/deodorant shelves. You will likely see a product that is a crystal block or stick for use under the arms. If the specific ingredient listed on the packaging is Potassium Alum, and this ingredient alone, it is one and the same as barber's alum. This product provides one of the only truly objective methods, albeit in an indidual way, of affirming perfect technique.

 

Thanks for the advice and encouragement I have 3 alum blocs that I use every shave. It tends to sting on the top sides of my head it's just one area that I struggle to transition from the side to the top when agt. I must got atg here to achieve bbs but the irritation is gone within an hour so I've kind of just come to accept it. Perhaps I need to build in technique here but I've tried everything from short strokes to skin stretching. I am hoping an adjustable may be the key. Or maybe a straight in 10 months time