OCT 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

10/8 & 9/15

Gillette Old Type
Frank Shaving Pur-tech Synthetic
C.O. Bigelow cream
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

Shave #2 & 3 with the Lord Platinum Class in my Old Type.
Did my normal face lather and 2 passes both days. On Thursday, I picked up three weepers. I never felt them. My lather was a little thin, so that might have accounted for the apparent lack of protection or perhaps I let my angle of attack wander. However, todays shave was much better. Both days were nice BBS results. The Old Type is the most aggressive razor I own, so I need to be careful with it. But it sure does shave close!

Today’s the day my bride and I will be going to the Donnie & Marie show at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. While my wife is a huge fan and I’m just going along, this is isn’t the first time we’ve done this. We saw them in 2013. The show is pretty good, and has been voted Best Las Vegas show for 3 years running. I’m not going to run out and buy any CDs, but I won’t complain about it if my bride picks some up. I know better.

 

That is the only Bay Rum I have liked the smell of.

 

October 9th SOTD (5th shave of this focus)
Two days’ growth
Preshave: Hot Shower
Razor: unrestored J. Wostenholm EBRO, from around 1865
Strop: Drygulch Leatherworks Oiled Latigo (20 laps linen/ 20 laps leather pre, 10 /10 post)
Brush: Handturned Tulip Poplar Badger
Soap: Barrister & Mann Bay Rum
Postshave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, Thayer’s Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman with M-Bomb added

Got a little overconfident today on my S/N pass, and set the razor down a little hard on the base of my neck. Felt the sting, then the blood started. Cut-throat shaving indeed. Other than that, it was a good shave. Only did two passes, and got a DFS. Face and jawline are BBS. Required the syptic pencil today.

 

I keep a running inventory in My Shave Den. This helps me see what I have at a glance.

 

Had a great garage sale score (in my opinion) I got to glass bottles with stoppers, a antique brass bowl, perfect for lathering, and an apothecary style mug. As soon as I figure out how to upload picture I want to show everyone. Got it all for 10$!

 

Here it all is! Pretty happy with it all.

 

Razor: Gillette Aristocrat 1947 (Birth Razor)
Blade: Voskhod Teflon Coated (4)
Brush: WDC-4 Silver Tip Butterscotch Handle (VIG) 24/67
Soap: TSD Iced Bay Rum
A/S: TSD Iced Bay Rum
Menthol Crystals, (@clint64 )
Day 9
Another DFS this evening with great products. The Gillette Aristocrat is an excellent razor, and the TSD Iced Bay Rum is outstanding. Added some menthol crystals to a small container and sprayed in some alcohol, then added a teaspoon of hot water and added that to the TSD Iced Bay Rum. Worked perfectly! The whole family coming for dinner tomorrow, kids grandkids, and spouses. Should be a wild and fun day. Have a great weekend everyone.:hooray:

 

Looks like a sweet deal to me!

 

I'm really happy with it. I think I want to leave the brass bowls patina on it, just clean it up a little

 

Doug, I hope you have great fun with your family this weekend!

 

Nice score!

 

Great score. Congrats.

 

Now I don't feel nearly as bad as before. I need to do the same thing on here as well. I do use a spreadsheet that I track that I keep a running total on how many times I use each product through the year. I know it's a sickness.

 

Misery loves company. What's not shown in my inventory is that I have doubles for some of the current model razors, multiples for some products, and my blade inventory is best measured in pounds or cubic feet. But I don't use a spreadsheet to track usage. Now that would be sick.

 

I just started a Den Thread as well. Not sure I feel any better now. Clint's Den

 

Looks great! Congrats!

 

OCtober - Trick or TREET
October 9

Razor - RazoRock TTO
Blade - (2)
Brush - BoS Omega 10066
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Post - Cold water, Alum, Nivea Original

Day two on the Treet New Steel and I'm discovering a good thing about the new job. Since I don't have to start my day as early I have more time to mess around with my shave. I think we'd all agree that's a positive! Anyway, I grabbed the Omega 10066 and the Fat and went to work. Followed the usual procedure to get a great lather from MWF. Soaked the puck and brush for a bit before starting, dumped the water off the puck, shook the brush to get it fairly dry and started loading. I thought I had Arko in my hand. The brush loaded fast and was beginning to produce some lather on the puck. Hmmmmm. Face lathering is the usual for the Fat, per @mantic and a few others, but I've never tried bowl lathering it. I don't bowl lather much anyway so hey, why not? Lots to work with and it might be interesting.

I already had my "N" mug full of hot water from the brush soak and I picked up my VDH bowl and a thought occurred. I ran scalding water in and over it to warm it up, dumped the "N" mug and refilled with the hottest water I could get and then grabbed the VDH bowl and started the lather. Seriously, is this the Fat or Arko? Smells like the Fat. Slick like the Fat. But the lather just kept coming as I worked it in the bowl. Nice peaks, thick, rich, and when I figured I had enough I put the bowl on top of the mug as a makeshift scuttle. When I started to apply the lather it was hot and awesome. Seriously great lather. Nice!

Went for the first pass with the New Steel and found it is really a Treet like its cousins. Still a great shave but that second day it starts to feel just a tad less smooth than the first day. Still very effective and comfortable but it gives you a hint of wear. Lathered for the second pass...didn't even have to reload the brush, just picked it up and it was still nice and hot from the "scuttle". Second pass XTG produced two very small weepers, one on the jawline, one near the ear. Yep, the blade is showing its pedigree. Another hot lather and the final ATG with slides on the neck. Still felt great, just that touch of fade from the first day. Finished with a very nice DFS and wanted to keep going just to use up that lather! I got three full passes from the loaded brush and still had enough in it to do at least two more. PLUS......the bowl was still full of lather as well. I could have shaved all day from that one batch of lather. Amazing, and it really cements the Fat in the top soap spot for me.

Alum was still mostly quiet except for the two minor weepers. In fact that's how I confirmed they were there. And the Nivea bit on them too just a bit. Otherwise a great shave. Cardinals are playing the Cubs in the playoffs for the first time in the history of the game. And leading 1-0 in the top of the sixth. We can't lose this series or 100 years of mocking the baby bears goes out the window! Have a great weekend.

​

 

I liked their song "Deep Purple Dream"(I think that was the title).

 

October 10 Focus Shave 8

Not sure why today's shave was not up to October's standard. Everything seemed right but after 3 passes I had a small cut and two weepers. Did a little touch up but did not attempt a fourth pass. The shave felt a little rough but with the alum test there was some but not allot of irritation, less than expected given the blood. A DFS but no where near BBS.

I rate this shave irritation B+, closeness B.

Proraso Sensitive pre-shave
Gemstar Elk Antler silver tip
Castle Forbes Cedar and AoS Sandalwood
Dovo Bismark 2
SRP strop
Lucky Tiger AS
L'Occitane Cade ASB
Chanel Egoist

 

wow...that is an All-Star cast if I say so myself(which I just did)