June 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Great shave, Mark! Fantastic photo.

 

SOTD MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2020

Hope I’m not being blasphemous to you straight razor devotees, but stropping is a pain in the petoot! I get the whole back-to-the-roots, traditional, manly art thing, but frankly, I prefer picking up one of my many safety razors and just having at it! My Auto Strop and Streamline sets all contain strops, but it will be a cold day in Hades before I would ever use them! The argument about getting a closer shave with a straight razor is so much bushwah! My select group of 17 safety razors all deliver confident BBS shaves whenever desired.

So what’s the appeal? It must be mastering the skills to deliver a close shave while flirting with the potential danger of slicing up one’s face. The Kampfe Bro’s., King C. Gillette, and Henry Gaisman all became quite wealthy by offering men an alternative to this masochistic pursuit. So why do it? After seven decades, it’s overcoming my tremors through strapping three lb weights to each forearm. In my case, mastering this skill is something this great grandpa sees as a challenge, one both his SWMBO and neurologist are opposed to. Now all I have to do is figure out how to fit a powered polishing wheel into my den. FORTY STROKES EVERY MORNING BEFORE I BEGIN!!! PUHLEASE!!!! I HATE STROPPING!!!

Back to this morning’s shave! Two very slow, very careful mug passes (WTG, ATG) with the Dovo, left me with an almost DFS on the mug and a very minor weep under my Adam’s Apple which disappeared after the application of Humphreys WH. The SS Supply made very short work of the remaining facial stubble. In the past when shaving, I would lather up both mug and noggin for every pass. Since incorporating a straight razor into my routine lathering is done separately for mug and noggin. The Chel preshave is great stuff, and I won’t say anything more about my Nancy Boy products except to say that I'm about halfway through the shave cream. The Supply again completed my two pass noggin scrape with its usual aplomb, leaving your happy narrator clean, refreshed, cool, and velveteen! VBBS all the way!

RAZOR: Dovo Special and SS Supply Injector
BLADE: Schick B-20 Proline
PREP: Cold water rinse and Chel Cooling Gel as a Preshave
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar
CREAM: Nancy Boy Signature w/ 6 drops of M-Bomb
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH and Nancy Boy Signature Scent Cooling After-Shave Gel.

 

Thank you Andrew!

 

Excellent shave and perfect match with the brush Jim!

 

Thanks, Joe!

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Well thank you Bill! Unfortunately, it is out of financial necessity that I sub. Otherwise, I would be retired.

 

Beautiful gear and lovely shave Clint!

 

June Focus
Jabonman~~Mondial~~Barbasol FH/Polsilver (Poland)
I am going to do a short focus using my Barbasol FH and 4 different Posilver blades.
I'll continue to use the Jabonman, which you might have noticed I have used all month.

I'll begin with my oldest Polsilver. Made in Poland.

They are double-wrapped and the Wizamet logo is clearly visible.

Here's the blade, itself:

I chose my Barbasol FH, because of its extreme weight. Any missteps can result in a cut or nick.
Besides, yesterday's shave with a Feather blade was less than optimal. I know there's a better choice for my skin.
The blade proved very sharp and smooth. No tugging at all.
Two mini-weepers performing a fool's pass on my neck, the same spots as yesterday, so I will attribute it to the pass.
(they don't call it a fool's pass for nothing)
I'll reserve my smoothness judgment, until I have used all four.
Good results today. ​

 

Love it Mark! I just smile when I see Stirling soaps used by others and of course by me too!

 

Great shave, Maestro! The Polsilver is a great choice for the Barbasol. I use it in mine. Hope you enjoy your day!

 

Excellent shave Jeff! Mmm! You hate stropping. Well, pretend you're Alfalfa and start singing I'm the Barber of Seville. Lol! Seriously, what are you going to do when it needs to be honed?

 

Awesome shave and post Maestro! I enjoyed using Polsilvers because they were smooth and sharp. By the way, I thought a fool's pass was ATG strokes on the stache. Didn't think it applied to the neck.

 

Aside from the stropping, it sounds like you're enjoying using the straight razor. I'm glad you're overcoming the obstacles to get you there!
Great shave, Jeff!

 

Fine shave, Joseph!
Each time I hear "Fool's Pass" mentioned, it makes me think of somebody describing a dangerous trek in the mountains.
I've used the two Polsilver blades on the right of your picture and remember having great results from them. I'm curious to hear of your upcoming results of the focus..

 

Why buy a new one, of course! Just kidding! No, there’s a guy nearby who hones straight razors. Twenty bucks is what he charges. Honestly, I’ll probably only need to have it honed once or twice. I expect to get through with this straight razor thing as soon as I feel I can shave comfortably with one. I just enjoy safety razors too much! I now get where King C. Gillette was coming from when he attempted a straight shave on a train. It’s just too much bother for me.

 

Thanks, Andrew! I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m enjoying it. It’s a skill I’d like to develop, but not one I expect to use frequently. I just enjoy my safety razors too much! Honing and stropping is just too 19th century for me! BLECCHH!! I enjoy the 21st century a great deal, and don’t feel the need to travel backwards in time. More power to my friends like the two Joes; the Maestro; Bill Morgan; my son, Ben; and Chris (BamaSamurai) . I’m doing this because it’s one of the few things I never finished after starting.

 

My modest setup.
I am trying to have a small display of in-use razors and brushes, one good example of each type, brush material and DE razor style
Some kind of fit more than one category

Brushes

• Edwin Jagger Best badger
• Omega Boar
• Vie Long Horse hair
• Razorock Plissoft Synthetic Monster

Razors

• Rex Ambassador; closed comb, adjustable -all things to all people. A great razor . Were there to be only one...
• RR Lupo, aluminum; closed comb - a great touchup razor. For shaving I use a titanium handle.
• RR Wunderbar Slant; super efficient, no forgiveness
• Above the Tie Slant S1 (closed )/S2 (OC) S1 is mild but good ratio of efficiency for it's mildness. S2 not yet used yet but supposedly more aggressive/efficient.
• RR Old Type Open comb, good daily driver, not a stainless head however. Maybe too mild for me.
• PAA Ascension Double Open comb (adjustable). fairly aggressive, especially if opened up a bit.
• (not on display, out on loan, Rockwell 6c, Model T, RR G37)

Of the duplication I may delete,

• Wunderbar Slant , too finicky for me,
• RR Old type, (as PAA and even the ATT S2 are open comb.) However the head is so cheap might as well keep it around.
• Vie Long Horse hair brush, replace with horse hair that does not knot, or keep it as that's typical of the material

As mentioned, this month learning and comparing the Slants and the Boar/Horse brushes
Good examples? Any suggestions of better examples? Any not novelty types missed?

 

Take care, my friend, and we'll see you soon.

 

Beautiful photo, Jim--hope the shedding trickles to a stop; it's a wonderful brush!

 

Thanks, Tim!

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