February 2019 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Looks great and those shovel heads are fun razors.

 

February Favorites!!

February 2 and 3

Razor - 1960 (F4) Gillette Toggle (9)
Blade - (2,3)
Soap - Stirling Ozark Mountain, Bay Rum
Brush - Jayaruh #54, #46
Post - Alum

You're kidding right? I seriously didn't post my shaves from Saturday and Sunday?!?! I realized late this afternoon that I missed Sunday's. However, in looking back - no Saturday for me either. I've been here. Reading, some replying, liking, the usual stuff.....and wondering why things seemed a bit quiet. Apparently my age has taken another giant leap ahead!! Sheesh.

Anyway, Saturday and Sunday here you go. Toggle both days, Sharp Star, two very fine Stirling scents, two incredible @Jayaruh brushes and two nearly perfect, if not perfect, shaves. Ok. I'm caught up. Back with tonight's in a bit.

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I was born in the year of the pig so Happy New Year! From all us Pigs!

 

Special delivery today. Well, not literally, but it was a special item in the box. The Gillette Travel Razor, c. 1920's in Sterling Silver by William B. Kerr & Company arrived. Very cool piece. It has two minor dings on the bottom, just a bit of plate wear on the cap, but otherwise is in great shape. The initials on it - no idea who they refer to - but I've learned in the past week or so that it was common in that era to gift razors specifically commissioned by the "elite", or for special clients of the upper class hotels etc. In fact, entire custom sets were commissioned and are quite rare. I'm hoping to show you one of those in the next three or four days (and that's all I'm going to say at this point).

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Dim the bulbs in the shave den, Neal.
Here's the older version of the tune since, well, you know.

 

February Favorites!!

February 4

Razor - Kampfe Star
Blade - (1)
Soap - Stirling Iced Pineapple
Brush - Stirling 24mm Badger
Post - Alum

Here's another favorite, thanks to the fine enabling of @wchnu . The Fuzzmeister got me a bit hooked on Lather Catchers and I found this absolute beauty hanging around looking for a good home. I got some Treet Super carbon blades to go with it, got out the Stirling Iced Pineapple for Menthol Monday and the Stirling brush to lather it up. Outstanding lather. Got the razor loaded and had a bit of a time getting the handle to tighten up enough to not work loose. I also noticed the blades are discolored. Not rusty, but definitely discolored. A bit concerned going into the shave. This is only one of several packs I've bought of them, but all 5 blades showed stains.

Lathered it up and went to work. First pass wasn't horrible as I feared with the blade. Although it wasn't as smooth as I know these blades can be. And, by the time I finished the first pass I knew I had a blade issue. It just wasn't cutting right. So, double checked the pack and found the issue on all of them, then got out a CVS carbon and loaded it for the next two passes. Success! That LC just went to work on that blade and made all kinds of noise and got me all kinds of smoooooooooooth. Definitely a great finish. No blood, just smooth and the alum only bit a couple of times. I'll take it any day of the week.

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Love it!!! I have packs like that. I guess they got damp somewhere along the way. Sometimes it is not the edge so they are good to go....sometimes not. Great looking set up!

 

very cool..

 

Yeah all 5 blades had the stain to the edge at points. Oh well. I'll open a new pack and hope for better.

 

Happy New Year Keith . I think I was born Year of the dog.

Very nice Gary !

Great setups Neal . Excellent choice of gear.

The Treet I used today had a few miles on it and was showing tarnish so I stropped it on my belt about 10 tines each way. Either got lucky or something but the blade shaved like new.

 

thank you patrick..

 

Oh, the facelather was likely not the culprit, it was the prep in the shower. I have no trouble facelathering and have been doing it for years (not a newb at this), I just greatly prefer to build lathers in a bowl and then apply them to stubble that's already been softened with a shower prep. I just went a little gung-ho on the triple face scrub and extra hot water. I have a Semogue 610 that's a great size for facelathering and is well broken in after the last few years of steady use. But my fave is the SOC and my Captain's Choice bowl. That way I can tool around blending soaps and creams for a little more variety.

I was actually diagnosed by a specialist (I waited eight months for the appt.) as having acquired some allergies that I didn't have when I was younger. After the test it was determined that at age 58, I'm now allergic to bananas, apples, peanuts, pork, beef, 4 different types of lawn grasses as well as "pressure sensitive skin". So if I leave my legs up on the coffee table while I'm watchin' a show, and the edge of the table digs in for a while, it's Super itchy and Red when I move it. I've gotta take a low dose prescription anti-histamine every day or I get so itchy I could just freak. So extended periods of abrasion such as facelathering can give me some problems if I over do it but I generally haven't had a problem with it. Just prefer the bowl.
And the doctor warned me about hot water and suggested keeping it "luke warm", but as you know it's been pretty cold here and I couldn't, but should have resisted.

 

Nothing to be jealous of!

When I was a kid growing up on the rural west coast of BC, I read everything on Sasquatch/Bigfoot. I still want to believe...

 

I gotta local source!!

 

They did that sometime in the late 60's or perhaps the 70's. Some folks from that era knew how many grams (metric) were in an ounce (imperial). Or so I've been told.

 

Livin' the GOOD life down there!

 

5 February, MMXIX A.D.
Fatboy February

Bonus Late night Samurai Edition



Monday was a no shave day. No reason really.



Have a great Wednesday!

 

I could easily see someone here using that mug and brush just for fun. The mug would make a nice ice cream bowl.

 

Thank you, Joseph!

 

Indeed I am.