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

Very nice picture, Clint!

 

Beautiful razor

 

Welcome aboard! I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here. Best of luck with your shaves! I'm using a 1953 Ball Tech for my first 12 shaves this month. Checking out 3 blades in 3 of my razors. I added an extra blade for the Tech.

 

Fantastic looking razor. Can you tell us more about the soap?

 

SOTD March 2, 2016
March focus shave 2

Prep: Warm shower
Blade: Personna lab blue (2)
Razor: Maggard MR1 handle with V2 open comb
Brush: Trader Joe's synthetic
Lather: Proraso White shaving soap
Post: Witch hazel splash, Nivea sensitive balm
WTG, touch-up

Pretty nice shave this morning. I'm closer to DFS than on most weekdays. I almost stopped after just the one pass but I went in and touched up my neck. The Proraso lathered beautifully this morning - really thick, nice, slick lather. The Trader Joe's brush is working really well now that I've had some time to use it. I took a tip from Clint @clint64 about using more water for the synthetic brushes. That has resulted in some really good lathers the past three days. All in all a good shave.

Hope you all have a great Wednesday!

 

March 2 - Straight Shave 4
Henckels Twin Works #50
PSO, hot shower
Omega 10066 Boar Shaving Brush
Route 66 Sea & Citrus soap
Alum, Nivea balm,Clubman AS

Getting more comfortable. I was using too light of a grip at times, a firmer grip helps. Still working on exact strokes to use, but still three pass, @Norcalnewb Baseball Pattern. Not DFS, but CCS maybe. Alum didn't complain much, nor did the Clubman. Have a great day all!

 

Thank you! It shaves better than it looks!

 

Thanks, Clint.

The soap is one my parents found while on a river cruise in France this past summer. It has a nice, light, lavender scent with a hint of lemon. While it doesn't lather quite as easily as MdC, it does work very well. The lather is pretty slick with some good cushion. The post shave feel is good as well.

 

SOTD
March 2, 2016
Prep: Hot Shower. Noxzema
Razor: Gillette Aristocrat
Blade: Ladas
Lather: Mickey Lee The Drunken Goat
Brush: RazoRock Boar 26x64mm
Post: Thayers Rose Petal WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: Fine L'Orange Noir
Great shave. The Aristocrat is Gillettes greatest razor they made IMHO. The Drunken Goat is so dang good!! Man this boar brush is the best!! Smooth face.
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE!

 

Thank you.

Thanks for the update on the soap. When I work the current soap inventory down, I will be looking to get some different soaps. So I am always on the look out for different or usual offerings.

 

Perry, I am glad the tip worked out. Synthetic brushes just work a different from natural hair offerings. Once you get synthetics dialed in, I have found them to produce consistently good lather.

 

I have two synthetics now - the Satin Tip Purest and the Trader Joe's nylon. I like them both. You can get away with more water without sacrificing the lather. I don't think I've made a runny or overly wet lather with a synthetic. I'm glad for your tip because I didn't realize how much water they could take with such good success. Thanks again.

 

March 2nd SOTD, Shave 1 of this focus
Pre: Hot shower
Razor: ACME 6/8 full hollow imported by F. Westpfal of NY
Brush: Dubl Duck w/ Omega 10066 knot
Soap: Barrister & Mann Seville
Post: Cold Water Rinse, Alum, Thayers’ Rose Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Fine All American Blend

First shave for my two pass and touch up focus. The other part of my focus this month will be trying out a bunch of razors that I sent out for honing and clean up. This razor was honed and cleaned up by Bryan at Mathis Restorations. For the price and quick turnaround time, he did a great job. The razor only needed the plastic scales sanded, as someone had scratched a W into one side. It is a German made full hollow ground, and is just a hair over 6/8 in width. Because it isn’t a big name, I found it on the bay for less than $15 shipped. The tip has some hone wear, so isn’t quite a spike, which is nice. It was finished on a Nakayam J-Nat stone, which is supposed to be a very smooth finish. Used the Dubl Duck 10066 brush with the Seville soap. The brush has stopped shedding since the transplant, and works amazing! I have about a 2 inch circle of the bottom of the container of this soap, and am working on using it up. I will buy this soap again when I get my stock of soap down, great performance and scent. Did a N/S pass, then a S/N pass, then did XTG on my neck and chin. I don’t quite use the baseball pattern, as I lather up all at once for each pass. Razor was extremely smooth, but not quite as keen as I would like. Have some pastes on the way that should really make this razor sing. Ended up with a DFS, with a few rough patches on my neck in my trouble spots. Going to focus this month on adjusting the angle of the passes to see if I can make this better without doing more than 2 passes and touch ups.

 

Last day on the road and so ready to go home tonight. I think I have found my new travel razor. I found it in an antique store on Sunday and have had three wonderful shaves since.
SOTD
Arko
AoS Pure Badger
Schick E-2
Chick (3)
MK Sport cologne
Have fun!

 

A memorable purchase in a market I'll visit again. I had a ten spot & a couple of two dollar bills in my wallet when I spotted it. The vendor looked like she might have a meth habit, didn't think twice when I countered her $20 asking price.
You are close to the place, ought to check it out. Along side I-10, east of Beaumont on the south side of the highway. There's a cafe in the center with a very settled look to the buildings where lots of dusty stalls are full of other peoples junk. You'll have to find the $12 Gillette DE dealer for yourself. If he has any left.

 

Where is that place? I haven't seen it before. Are you in the Beaumont area?

 

I am a bit late with my 30 Day Focus...I had to give this some serious thought! So...I think the verdict is in and I am going to spend my month trying to carefully pair my brushes to the soaps and creams in my common rotation. I believe it is worth the effort to finally determine if, for example, the Semogue 1305 works better with MWF or if I should use the Proraso Omega brush...or the Simpsons Special? And which brush works best with the Haslinger Schafmilch??? Important questions! My typical pattern is to pick my soap and grab any brush...but I believe some will pair better than others. I have a number of favourite soaps and creams (and a couple more on the way...which reminds me, I should check the tracking numbers), so I have lots to keep me busy. Here is my humble brush collection.

 

I'm in Lake Charles, but I have an aunt with a cattle ranch near Sour Lake. I visit her for ten days to two week spells to do handyman work around the farm. On my ride home with a pocket full of coin I like to shop bargains at the antique stores.
I haven't been to the Winnie flea market since starting wet shaving... Isn't there a market in Kountz? They are open on alternating weekends. Good luck shopping!

 

They shut down the Kountze flea market. The Winnie market is challenging to make, as it is only 1 weekend a month. If there is another one open near BMT, then I need to try it out.

 

Razor: Gillette Super Speed Flare Tip 1955
Blade: Wilkinson (3)
Brush: WDC-4 Silvertip Butterscotch Handle 24/67
Soap: Eufros Brisa de Oriente (Oriental Breeze)
A/S: Pinuad Lime
I'll try a different brush tomorrow with this soap.