July 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Thank you, Clint. One of the best for sure. My opinion on a favourite between this one, a pre-war Tech, an Aristocrat Jr, or a Flare Tip would probably change weekly...

 

Razor: Blackland Sabre w/ Hempel Ti
Blade: Personna GEM (7)
Brush: El Druida Cocobolo w/ Druida Manchurian
Soap: Oleo Soapworks Montrose Beach
A/S: Folsom Capri
Bowl: Symmetrical Pottery Dottie Blue Lt. Purple bowl

I finished my 30 aftershave and SE focus. Although I enjoyed most of my SE razors I got the best weeks shave with the Mongoose B2. The aftershaves are harder to pick one over the other, but here was my top 5 final list. Most liked left to right.


It was a great 3 pass near BBS shave this afternoon.

 

Looks like the sun came out Amigo.

Solid top 5 listing for aftershaves.

 

Thank you Clint. Yes a very nice sunny day. Hopefully the same tomorrow.

 

Great picture, Doug! That is a nice spread of AS.

 

I have to get on a plane for work early tomorrow morning, so I shaved tonight with a Stirling sample from the Pass-around, as I won't have time for a morning shave. First, let me say I have TONS of Stirling in my den now. It is my go-to soap, has tons of great scents, performance is always excellent, and they don't have a single fruit based or summery scent that I don't love. Having said that, Ben Franklin is, to me, a really peculiar scent. Hard to nail it down, but I get "dusty pickle juice". It's not off-putting to me, just weird. Thankfully they make about a gazillion other scents I like.

I also pushed the GSB one Shave too far (it's been somewhere over a week now) and paid the price with a tad rougher shave than usual. You'd think I'd have taken the 10 seconds necessary to swap out blades but apparently I am easily and mightily distracted by the smell of dusty pickles.

 

30 July 2017 OLD Blade Focus Shave

Pre: A large quantity of Hot water, soap from the puck and a hot towel
Razor: 1911 Gillette Single Ring OLD Type
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
Brush: Omega 10098
Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap
Post: Hot/Cold water rinse, alum block, cold towelx2, Dominello Vitali Calming Post Shave Moisturizer
After Shave: Herself's favorite, Aramis

This morning's shave kicked off the blade audition week for Rapira's Platinum Lux.
Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap was the choice for soap. Since there were no time constraints, a leisurely 3 pass shave ensued. This piece of Russian steel coupled with the OLD delivered a BBS shave. This caveat though, every blade breaks in nice on Sunday. But how it performs the rest of the week tells the tale.
Since Herself and I were going to the fleamarket and would be in close proximity, I reached for my old standby...Aramis. It paired up great with The Fat.
So now I was looking good and smelling better.
Have a grrrrrrrreat day!!!

 

July is over already - Unfocused

TSS/ Gingers Garden Acqua di Florida
30 DC LE Cypress & Cashmere brush
Osaka Suribachi bowl and Cool water
Schick J-1 & Personna II Twin blades
Alum, Osage Rub, M&L Florida Water


Hot? Yep, humid too. Made my lather with cool tap water and this tallow soap that is the match to the AS/cologne. I've read it's near Bay Rum, but I get citrus & Coca-Cola. The Schick takes well to twin blades. It's light weight, long handled, and easy to find the sweet spot. Three passes + clean up, rinse and the alum block was cool with no fuss. I enjoy the double splash of Osage Rub followed by Florida water. Ought to see how they blend in one bottle...
A refreshing calming cooling DFS no-error experience.
Good Shaves Y'all!

 

Y'all are making me want to try the Fat. I have encountered very few soaps that I had a hard time getting a workable lather out of. Of course, it may be a case of ignorance being bliss. I tend to treat all of my brushes and soaps similarly and face lather 95% of the time.

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I have yet to encounter a Stirling product that I flat out dislike based on performance. I have scent preferences, but performance is always way up there for me.

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Unfocused Monday:

I had two good shaves with a Rocnel SE-G and a GEM blade so today I decided to go with a Feather blade. I made sure I had the blade locked but think I may have set too far forward. First, there was tugging and then blood, multiple cuts and 3/4 of the way through the first pass I gave up on the Feather loaded Rocnel SE-G. Fortunately, I had a TI straight razor stroped and ready to go. Stuck with just 3 passes due to the Feather damage. I think I just had the blade far forward in the razor producing a very unpleasant and dangerous angle.

Irritation C- Closeness B

Razor: Rocenl SE-G Feather blade
Strop: Drygulch black latigo
Brush: Thäter sliver tip
Pre: Proraso
Soap: QCS
AS: Lucky Tiger, Speick ASB
Scent: Amouage Jubilation XXV

 

Time to straighten up!

July 30

Razor - Magic Shavette
Blade - (1)
Soap - Truefitt & Hill 1805
Brush - 30 DC LE
Post - Alum

I'm naming tonight's shave the honorary @Bama Samurai shave. The Magic Shavette was a gift from Chris along with the blades, the T&H soap also a gift and since he started the 30 DC, he's ultimately responsible for there even being a Limited Edition brush for the group. So there you go!

I haven't used the Magic in awhile and had to get it in during my month of straights. No issues at all with the soap and brush, and the shave appeared to be coming along nicely until the end of the first pass when I noticed blood on both cheeks. Seems I made the same mistake twice, once on each side. Apparently I set down a bit too vertical as I was overconfident in my ability to accomplish a BBS in two passes with this setup. The small cuts eliminated any chance of a BBS, but I still ended with a very nice DFS in two, and alum quickly stopped the bleeding. You live, you learn.

One more day in July! For those who are early birds on the thread each month - I may be a bit late in getting it opened up. I'm working on it, but it may be tomorrow morning before it appears. I'll let you know as soon as it's up and running!

 

I could quickly and easily whip up the most beautiful, luxuriant lather you ever saw with MWF. After the first pass and rinse it was like I had spread super glue on my face. Everyone touts the slickness of the Fat, but I couldn't find it. I tried every possible ratio of soap and water. Different brushes, bowl....no bowl, daytime, nighttime, lit candles, rang gongs, road a bike door to door handing out tracts, you name it. Love the lather, enjoy the clean subtle scent, just couldn't make it slick. I will concede that the closest I came was when I face lathered, but still nothing to shout about.

 

Also a reply to anyone reading who feels a connection to this recurring thread:

I am honored to read the words of @NCoxSTL , it's pretty amazing to look back over all the months and see the progress everyone has made. He's actually been the facilitator for as many days as I was. Congratulations, newbies think it's you now! Hah!

We were awful back then, and we bled a lot! But somehow, it was really fun. However, the only reason all this still exists is because of all the guys that started as practical newbies alongside me. GDC, my mentor in all this, had laid out a pretty good way to learn shaving, and I am proud to say that you gentlemen have ingrained it into the culture of the forum. The reason that this thread stays vital is quite simple. It's ok to come in here not knowing how to use the tools. It's ok to ask questions, and you guys always help the new converts. I also feel like our cart shaver to SR conversion rate is running about 50%. That says something in and of itself. Lately, forum moderation and the toll of daily life in Denver has kept me occupied, but this thread becomes first stop again August 1. I will celebrate the spirit of 30DC with Arko August and Derby blades. Thanks for the kind mention, and thanks to everyone else who plays a role. I've probably benefitted from being here just as much as anyone else.

 

Wait....you mean I'm the "old man" around here now too?!?! Too young for that!!! Yes, we really were a bunch of newbies back in those early days. Anyone who decided to switch to straights was considered something of a radical who just liked pain. As you say, the conversion rate is high for this group. Amazing what you can do when you take the time to really learn the technique and then apply it daily to perfection (or as near as you can get).

Having said that, here's the good news, I assume - my expected delay on getting August started turned out to be a false alarm. Yep, still gotta finish out July tomorrow but........HERE IT IS BOYS AND GIRLS......THE AUGUST THREAD IS OPEN!!!!!

 

This thread is where I was invited when I first joined the Den, and it's the majority of my interaction here precisely because there was no pretense here and I could fail miserably and be honest and learn without ridicule, and then succeed with great support.

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The old, "Forgot to flare before landing" nicks. I have had my share of those.

 

Thanks very much Jim.

 

^^^

 

HOOAH! @Bama Samurai