March '16 - 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix and Discussion Thread

SOTD
March 10, 2016
Prep: Hot Shower. Noxzema
Razor: iKon ShaveCraft Short Comb
Blade: Personna Lab Blue
Lather: Tim's Signature Soap
Brush: RazoRock Boar 26x64mm
Post: Thayers Rose Petal WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: Folsom & Co. Muir
Wonderful way to start my day. Tim's Signature soap is very nice! A great blend of lavender, pine, tobacco and love. The RR boar is a beauty of a brush. Pulled out the iKon SC Short Comb and I'm very happy I did, smooth yet efficient.
Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try

 

Injector focus
Second day with the PAL on the medium setting an I got a very nice shave. It did take more passes than I am used to to get a BBS. I'm going to dial up the aggressiveness tomorrow to see if I can cut the number of passes. This is a fun razor.
SOTD
Route 66 Retro Spice
Doug Korn brush
PAL Adjustable
Chick blade (2)
Alum
Thayers Witch Hazel
St John's Bay Rum
Have fun!

 

Sometimes I need the hard lesson to learn. Thanks for the tip.
I'm a mess making shaver. Lather and water all over. Me, the sink, the floor. I hate to leave moisture in my metal gear. I don't keep my hair long enough for a blow dryer, but I'm considering one for my razors.

 

Razor: Gillette Super Speed Black Tip (X3) 1952
Blade: Wilkinson (5)
Brush: Jayaruh JR #45 Walnut Honey Comb Handle. Knot is an Ace 24/70mm Synthetic.
Soap: Route 66 Cavendish
A/S: Fine L'Orange

Working up excellent lather with Route 66 soap and JR-45 brush. The Cavendish shave soap is lightly spiced cedar wood mingles with notes of bergamot, bay and fir; nicely balanced with the slightly sweet, warm aroma of Cavendish cut and cured tobacco leaf. Good stuff.

 

I am the same. They call it wet shaving for a reason.
My post shave routine for my razors:

1. Dry my hands, the outside of the scales, and the blade on a towel.
2. Dry the inside of the scales with a square of TP, paying special attention to both sides of the pivot.
3. Strop 10 laps on linen, and 10 laps on leather to fully dry the edge.
4. Put the razor in a place it can dry fully for at least 24 hours.
5. If going into storage, wipe the blade with mineral oil and put in case.

 

Evahs
GSB(3)
Cremo
WD 20mm Synthetic
Pinaud Special Reserve

I did a quick one pass to clean up after last night's misfortune. I ended up not shaking out the brush enough and getting too much water in the lather. it was thin and drippy but slick enough to spare so I used it. XTG to even everything out. I decided to try the Special Reserve and I'm not sure I like the heavy cedar smell. I'm giving it a chance to wear but I'm not thrilled yet. I may skip tomorrow completely to let my skin heal. I feel a little raw under the jaw from last night still and the Pinaud burnt like fire.

 

Rinse the blade with hot water before you dry it post shave. It will warm the steel and help it dry out completely.

 

March 10, 2016
The month of March with my two Schick E razors.

Skipped my shave yesterday because my shave with the E2 the day before was that good. First time I’ve skipped a weekday shave!

So onto the Canadian Schick E

Hot Shower
Razor: Schick E (Canada)
Blade: Schick (China) (1)
Soap: Route 66 Bourbon Jungle (Thanks @Douglas Carey )
Brush: Rubberset 400-4
TSD Witch Hazel
Myrsol Plastic Shave



Two-pass shave - XTG, ATG

Almost the same routine as the E2 - just pay attention to angle, pressure, and each stroke and this razor delivers. feedback seemed slightly louder than the E2 as well as a bit less of a bite on my chin. Nine hours later and Im still sooooo smooth.

I’m liking these E types.

btw - if you haven't tried Route 66 yet - you might consider trying some. First and most important to me - the lather can be nice and slick, providing all you need for a comfortable shave. But, if you're disappointed that your favorite soap scents don't last very long - if all R66 soaps are like this one (Bourbon Jungle) the scent will stay with you all day. I personally detest overwhelming scents , but this one is just there in the background, still, 9 hours later. (ymmv, but I'm thinking I may have to try other scents from this brand...after NB '16 of course!)

Cheers!
RT

 

@Rufus T. Is that an original knot in your Rubberset 400? It looks very tall!

 

3/10/16
Gillette Birth Quarter Tech
(Y3)
Feather (1)
Vulfix Super Badger (660)
Mitchell's Wool Fat
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Pinaud Clubman Original



This morning I had the first of 3 planned shaves with a Feather in my Birth Quarter Tech. Typical 2 passes with good reduction. A nice smooth shave, but I didn't quite get the BBS I would have liked. The Clubman stung a small amount on the neck, but settled down quickly.

I hope everyone had a nice Thursday.

 

Thursday Shave

Cold water
Pso-Homemade mint oil
Razor-Gillette Flair Tip SS
Blade- Gillette Sharp Edge (3)
Brush- RazoRock Plissoft
Soap- Kiss My Face Mint
Thayers Witch Hazel
ASB-Nivea Sensitive

Identical shave to yesterday. I'm really liking this Kiss my Face, it creates a ton of lather with just one pump and I love the mint scent. The RazoRock Plissoft feels great on my face. The Flair Tip worked great. I did 3 passes today, WTG, XTG and ATG. The Gillette Sharp Edge left me with a DFS but it just isn't comfortable. No real irritation, it just seems to be rougher than a Feather. I'm going to try a Rapira for my next shave.
As for the focus this month I did another round of bowl lather. I get an insane amount of lather using this method, my mug is just about an inch too tall where I have to grab the brush by the end but it's doable. I'll try my other "new" bowl next shave as its a little shorter. Have a great evening folks.

 

It sounds like you are making great progress. My favorite blade in a Flare Tip is a Feather. Have fun finding yours.

 

Ah, keen observation.
That's the condition I found it in. I liked the brush and patina of the handle just as I found it. But I sent it to Brushmeister and Rubberset 400 reconditioner @clint64 who had the same opinion and didn't need to convince me much to leave it as is.

Since I got it back in January I've been using it almost exclusively. It has some scritch to it but a soft enough face-feel for my mug and the bristles absolutely suck in the water. So when I face lather I hardly have to add water to a basin-soaked brush. I just shake off the excess and off I go.

 

March into Artist Club Blades

March 10

Razor - Feather SS
Blade - (3)
Brush - BoS Omega 10066
Soap - Tabac
Post - Cold Rinse, Alum, Nivea Original Balm, The Veg

Well I have to say, this blade is pretty amazing so far. Three days without a major injury. Only the first two nicks on the first day and that was due more to my adjusting to the sharper blade than the blade being harsh. Today was another amazingly smooth shave with the blade and again highly effective. Still not a bad pass in three days. I did do a full three passes and suffered a bit of extra irritation for my trouble. Seems like I can't avoid it totally with three passes though it is less than day one. The key seems to be keeping pressure OFF of the blade.

Finished with DFS and threw on the Veg to make it a profitable day!

 

ShaveSecret PS oil & J.B. Supreme Cream
Omega Pro #98 & 5" Suribachi bowl
Simmons 6/8 The King & Lucky Tiger AS

One day I'll forget to use Shave Secret, that will tell me if it's doing any good. It may contribute to post shave moisture as I haven't felt any soaps have caused dryness. Jack Black cream is OK, but I really couldn't whip up a lather and it clung to my blade. I think I prefer Cremo. Can't complain about the straight as it gives smooth irritation free service. Soon after these were made, they started calling them " Keen Kutters". Loosing the DE cleanup has caused me to rely on getting all my shave from the straight. I'm enjoying the improvement! No noise from the alum. Lucky Tiger AS &Face Tonic has little or no alcohol. I like a little bite from my AS. Another product I won't do again.
Good Shaves Ya'll!

 

I left the original knot in mine as well and like it a lot. It's one of my favorites.

 

I've been entranced by that model. Especially with the tall loft original knots. I don't like the ebay prices for the 400's. One day I'll find one in the wild for the right price. I'm currently rotating a couple Omega boars, my original newbie VDH boar, and A Vulfix badger (Thnx @BigCabDaddy , how's that G-Slim?).

 

When is Ivan coming out?

 

I've got that sucker locked down at the moment. I say that quietly though, lest I jinx the whole thing!

 

24h DFS? Rubberset? Super Aggressive E's?

Looks like this shaving thing has worked out! Glad you're back in the mix!