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

Day 1 of my 30 day rule.


Oh synthetic brush how I hate to love you and love to hate you sometimes. Not sure if I am regressing to noob status lather wise or if its because Catie's Bubbles is a super soft/croap like soap or what but getting the lather right took longer then the actual shave. Loaded my brush for 30 seconds or so and picked up too much soap so when I started to face lather it was super dry...added a touch more water and suds started pouring of the brush...too wet... 5 mins later or so I finally got the lather useable. Slapped a new Lab Blue in the Fatboy and cranked it to 6 for my first pass. Kept a steep angle on the cheeks and around the goatee and got some good beard reduction for my first pass. Worked down to the neck and boy did things get awkward. Between the hair I keep on my chin and what needs to be shaved I struggled finding the perfect angle for a WTG pass so I tempted fate and just did an ATG pass. Slight irritation but DFS on the neck so I was done there as I got lucky and no point in pushing my luck. 2nd pass was XTG on my cheeks on setting 4 for a DFS with no irritation and I stopped there as I felt like it was a decent enough shave for the day. Going to try a lower 1st pass setting for WTG tomorrow and a higher setting for XTG in hope of getting slightly closer then I did today. Still trying to think of a way to tackle my neck WTG comfortably without having to just do ATG as my neck is fairly sensitive but I seem to have a hard time finding the right angle with the Fatboy. Any tips are appreciated.

 

March 1

Weber PH
Feather (3)
Kent BK4 silvertip badger
Route 66 Lumberjack
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Fine Platinum

It's hard to believe that we're already in March! I'm shaving today and tomorrow with this set up, and then I will swing into my SE focus. I've taken the past three months to develop a two-pass DE shave that provides consistently great results. I started with a Gillette SS and then transitioned to the Weber. Feather has been my blade of choice, but I've changed up other items in my set up for a little variety. I have settled on the first pass ATG (north to south) and second pass XTG (right to left) as the best overall approach on my face. I can get close to BBS almost every time without the need for touch ups.

I take the first pass relatively slow, paying attention to skin stretching and the sound and feel of the blade against my skin. I flip, then rinse my blade quite frequently to keep the blade edge clear. And, in fact, I go so slow that I usually have to re-wet the lather before the first pass is completed. I believe this is the @Norcalnewb baseball lathering pattern? I could walk away and be happy with my one-pass shave, but I always want to go for something closer. The second XTG pass does a great job of cleaning up the stubborn patches, particularly on my neck. I chased the baby a bit yesterday, and the results were great. I don't do it frequently since my ideal shave is one without irritation or blood.

So, my goal now is to translate this technique to SE's. First, it will be the Mongoose loaded with a Feather Super Pro blade and then it will be my straight razor. I will try to stay as close as I can to the technique I've developed for my DEs. I figure a slow first pass with plenty of skin stretching is a good start, especially for the straight razor. I probably won't jump right to an ATG first pass with the straight until I build some confidence.

So, one more day with my DE. I'm going to try a fourth shave on this Feather blade tomorrow. I'm usually three shaves and out, but I'm curious to see if the blade will go one more day. It should, but we'll see. I'm starting to see the bottom of the Route 66 Lumberjack container. I've used it a great deal since Christmas, and it has been one fantastic soap. I've been working my inventory of soaps and creams down for the last few months, and I've still got a good supply.

We've enjoyed some really warm, sunny days for the past few days. A bit of rain is moving in today. All things considered, it's great weather for the first week of March. Have a good one!

 

I have to the leave most of the home schooling to my wife. I commend you on doing that, I know it is a lot of work.

 

I'd like to congratulate our February Newbie Give-Away winner @ob1page
And recognize @Boojum1 @LuvWetShavin @phillpsych for donating to the NGA!! Thank you!

Kerry

 

Lather can be tricky, but it sounds like you're working it out. What do you mean by steep angle? That's the opposite of what most of us use. A tip for the neck is to place your off hand on your collarbone and pull down as you work the neck. It will tighten things up. I use XTG at most on my neck. The neck is one of those things, that in reality, if it looks clean shaven on a Tuesday...it is good to go! As far as settings go, I like to have the XTG/ATG second pass set one number higher than my first pass. (My haters on this, @Rufus T. and @wmbjr , will be along to confuse you shortly ) Just for clarity, larger numbers mean increased blade gap and exposure versus lower numbers. You're doing just fine it seems, just focus on angle and ideal pressure. Nice work!

 

Another great month for the new guys!

Congrats to our winner and thanks to our sponsoring members! Thank you for making TSD all that it is!

 

Yes Charlie, you are doing a version of the baseball pattern. We just lather one section at a time though. The benefit to me is that I am spared the skin drying and itch of dried lather, as I am still a bit slow with the straight. You are on a solid path for a natural transition to a straight razor. Once you have fully incorporated skin stretching, the only thing left is to try a pass with a straight. Hope the SE gets you ready! I look forward to seeing all this work out for you!

 

Thank you, Chris. You're a great coach, teacher, and encourager. I appreciate all you do for me and everyone else here.

 

Steeper as in instead of the usual 30 degree angle with the Fatboy it seems to cut easier at 35-40 degrees for me. IDK why but hey at least I have you guys for help and tips and 30 days to get this right. I will try that collarbone trick tomorrow.

 

Gotcha. The point is to get a close and irritation free shave. If it's working, use it!

 

Oh, gotcha.. Haha, I probably have enough razors for now... Got two usable and two to learn honing on when I get some more stones. I know the whipped dog ones are great. Just got some great eBay deals. I do want a nice fancy one someday when I get it all figured out. Livi or some custom one.

 

March into Artist Club Blades

March 1

Welcome to March. The time of year when the temperature finally begins to warm up in earnest, the sounds of baseball are heard in Arizona and Florida and a bunch of tall college guys try to win a huge tournament. And, it's a month of pain stick shaves for yours truly. Not exactly the craziest thing I've done around here, so not sure I would consider it "March madness", but it should be interesting and a bit of a challenge. I'll be using four different blades, seven days on each, to rate them and compare them. Hopefully it will provide some info that might encourage a few others to pick up one of these fine razors.

My particular razor is the Feather SS. My first pain stick was the CJB, a PIF from @Keithmax , and I learned the hard way how to use these things with that. When the spring broke in the head I got the Feather SS and found that they are really identical in their shave performance. The Feather is better made with better materials, but both perform equally well as long as nothing is broken. I've used all of the blades before, just didn't pay attention to how well they worked over time and in comparison to each otehr.

The four blades - 1) Kai Captain Mild, 2) Kai Captain Original, 3) Feather Pro, 4) Feather Super Pro. Using Tabac and rotating brushes through the month. Bonus opportunity - assuming the mail can make it from Korea to Missouri in less than 4 weeks I'll have the Dorco blades to try at the end of the month. And, still on the frustrating search for a Russian made blade for these razors. Ok, there's the intro, so here's the shave.

Razor - Feather SS
Blade - (1)
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Soap - Tabac
Post - Cold Rinse, Alum, Nivea Original Balm

It's been several months since I've had the razor in my hand but it still felt familiar. That's a good sign. Not only is it familiar from prior use, I think the time I spent with the traditional Rabbit straight helped in getting quickly acclimated to the grip and feel. Setting the blade to start the pass is still its own unique part of the shave as a TSR requires a different starting approach. Still, similar. The first pass was actually very nice and, of course, there is audio feedback with this razor. The Kai Mild blade is forgiving but still sharp enough to work easily and produce a good result. After the first pass I did notice a very small weeper on my right cheek near my mouth, but that was the only issue at that point.

I went for the second pass, and as I set the razor for XTG on the right cheek near my ear I felt the bite. I lifted immediately and waited....no blood appeared. Hmmmmm. Close. I set again and made the pass on both sides and the neck. No other issues. My face after two passes was DFS. No need to continue working there at this point. Lathered the neck and worked some XTG and G-slide action - shallow angles on the slide - and got the neck to a barely DFS. Again, good enough. No further blood or mayhem.

When I rinsed I noticed the mark near my right ear. Where I felt the bite there is a slight red mark...which with a sharper blade would have been a bloody cut.....to remind me to watch how I put the blade down each time. I used the alum and found a slight burn in that spot along with the weeper. The rest was relatively quiet so I'm happy about that. Shave one definitely a success and I can say that the Kai Mild saved at least one cut from happening.

​

 

Razor: Gillette Super Speed Flare Tip 1955
Blade: Wilkinson (2)
Brush: WDC-4 Silvertip Butterscotch Handle 24/67
Soap: Eufros Brisa de Oriente (Breeze East or East Breeze I think)
A/S: Myrsol Formula "C"
First of I'd like to thank Charlie @wristwatchb for sending such a wonderful shave soap. It smells great and whips up an excellent lather. Work to do on brushes and soap to whip up a great lather.

 

Fatboy(6)
Treet Silver (2)
Semogue boar
Taylors peppermint cream
Pinaud Citrus Musk

I felt some regret today reaching for the Fatboy instead of the new, shiny, beautifully presented evahs razor. I said I would use this blade up first so the shiny will have to wait.

I had forgotten how well the Taylor cream lathered. I could have used Hal as much and still had left over lather in the brush. First pass, ATG. What's the worst that could happen? CCS or maybe even a DFS. I didn't check very well but it was nice. I could feel the blade today but still plenty sharp so no issues. I relathered to hit an opposite direction G-slide on my neck and to buff a few trouble spots. Here is where I had a mishap. I have a fairly small pedestal sink and the rim has exactly zero level spots. Most days the razor sits in the flatest spot while I relather but today it decided to clatter into the sink and slide around on the blade edge. The Fatboy was fine now to shave the 2nd pass to see about the blade.

Well one edge works amazingly. The other feels like a Tiger 3hole after a few days use. I'm pretty sure I have butterknives sharper. Holding the blade to the light and looking at it lets you see a nice shiny line where the edge used to be. That being said the other side was great so I just used that edge.

I ended with a BBS above the jawline and a high grade DFS below so nearly a perfect shave for me. The Pinaud stung a little on the neck but it was more of a forceful tickle then a minor burn.

Yet again I bid a fond farewell to a blade that rattles behind the wall as I flip it into the disposal slot. Maybe next time I will have better luck with razors staying where they were laid.

However, this means that I get to use the evahs tomorrow.I previously said I was going to use the GSB with this razor but I was hunting around and found that I have enough Astra SPs to go all month. This is the blade that came with the razor so I will use it for the rest of the month. If I have a blade mishap or a dud I maintain the right to throw an Astra SS or a GSB in at the end of the month.

 

That's one of my favorite soaps! Jabonman changed its name to Eufros, but it is the same stuff. Haven't smelled that one, but I love the lather I get from my two.

 

Doug, I'm glad you enjoyed the Eufros (Jabonman) soap. I like the scent and performance of this one as well. You used a very nice set up today, and everything was even color-matched!

Have a great week, and I should have a shave report for you on that beautiful Red Tip in a few days.

 

I was fortunate enough to get two Eufros soaps from Charlie @wristwatchb. Todays soap was the first one I've tried. It's a very good soap. Which ones do you have @Drygulch?
I like the Myrsol Formula C aftershave also.

 

I have the Jabonman Lima Incencia which is a citrus with a light menthol. I also have the Eufros Dama De Noche, which is a Jasmine scented soap. Both perform outstanding. The older Jabonman is a little softer and easier to lather, but the scent on the Dama De Noche is outstanding.

 

Thanks for this.

 

Next up to fight for it's place in my den, Merkur Vision. This is big heavy razor and like heavy razors. My issue with it is that is too mild for me. I find that the possible cutting angle with a mild razor has a small window while an aggressive razor has a large window hence allot of different shaving angles are possible.

Feeling in a dark leathery mood I used the Knize Ten soap, loaded up a Feather blade and proceeded with 4 passes. As always with a mild razor it took some effort to get the angle correct but 4 easy passes. A positive to this razor beyonds it's weight is I don't have to rinse it often.

No blood and the alum gave only a slight tickle. Faceturbation revealed a BBS shave.

Irritation A Closeness A Smoothness A+ Keenness B+

Since this is no longer in production, it looks cool, it big and heavy I am leaning towards keeping it in the den. She will get another shave before the final decision.

To Date:
Definitely staying:
Genco Easy Aces SR, hard to let go of cool looking, great shaving piece of vintage American steel just because it is smaller than I like. It is also my only vintage American SR.

Leaning toward staying:
Mercer Vision - too mild but everything else I like. I need one more shave before deciding.

Leaning toward releasing:
Jerry Stark 5/8 SR. Looks great, shaves great just to small a blade. I would prefer to sell this and trade up for a larger blade

Will be released:
Sight unseen Whipped Dog SR. This shaves great but I want to PIF it to someone who wants to get started with SR.


Vision compared to Futur