October 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Discussion in 'Shave School' started by NCoxSTL, Sep 30, 2018.

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Which open comb razors are you planning to use?

  1. Old school Gillette Old Style. Because I'm tough like that

    15 vote(s)
    39.5%
  2. A modern replica of the Old Style. Because I'm almost tough like that

    5 vote(s)
    13.2%
  3. Fatip. Because I'm even tougher than you know

    6 vote(s)
    15.8%
  4. MMOC. Because I'm even tougher than those DE boys who think they're tough

    11 vote(s)
    28.9%
  5. A vintage Aristocrat or something similar. Because I'm tough like that.....and classy too!s

    10 vote(s)
    26.3%
  6. Who needs to act tough with OC razors. I'll stay with straights, thank you very much.

    6 vote(s)
    15.8%
  7. Pain sticks because combs of any kind are for sissies.

    2 vote(s)
    5.3%
  8. Can I please just have some cookies and you can stop asking questions?!

    2 vote(s)
    5.3%
  9. I'm sick of cookies. Can we have donuts for a month?

    16 vote(s)
    42.1%
Multiple votes are allowed.
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  1. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    Thanks for the photo, Jason. I dug out my box of other possible OCtober candidates tonight. (Photo below). I have a minty looking Probak OC and then 4 Gillette Old Type Ball Ends and 3 Gillette NEWs that I think are maybe all Long Combs... And all of the Gillettes also looked like they spent years in somebody's garden shed... I have some work with the Scrubbing Bubbles, Dawn and toothbrush ahead of me before I use any of them!

    OCtober open comb entrants.JPG
     
  2. Drygulch

    Drygulch Snowballs

    Whoo Hoo! I’m caught up on the thread! Wait, it’s not October yet. I’m planning on using my OCs, and working on soaps. I have three Oleo ones, so I will work that on. Tomorrow, I’m off with a new razor and blade, and have no plans on keeping to my focus for it.
     
  3. brit

    brit in a box

    hello fello shavers, i will be honest here..i am sure i am overthinking this but my oc razors are my least used gillettes and i need to get used to them.i am grateful that i have a place to share this, namely here of course. i do fear some of these beasts and have changed razors after the first pass, the old types mainly.i am proud of my collection of vintage gillettes and am grateful i can show them here. i am not a "look what i got" type of person and hope that you folks do not think of me that way.the only people that see these are you guys on the forum. my most common reaction when i tell people i use vintage razors is " what the hell are you using that silly crap for". people 5, 10 years and older than me. not very encouraging to say the least.tell them i ve collected some and whoa boy.. are you nuts, you collect old shavers... any way, thank you all for having me here and letting me fit in. my wife likes my hobby, and the younger guys i have given shave kits to accept them and think i am being fatherly. again i am grateful for the friendship and knowledge ,thank you all,for letting me in, gary..
     
  4. jtspartan

    jtspartan appropriately stimulated, via Netflix

    Awesome, John! Those NEWs are amongst my absolute faves, and the OTs are nice too. They will all clean up very well. What is the story behind the Probak? At first glance I thought it was a New Improved.
     
  5. jtspartan

    jtspartan appropriately stimulated, via Netflix

    You have absolutely nothing to worry about with those OCs of yours, Gary. Start out with that minty NEW of yours and enjoy.
    Gorgeous New Improved btw. One has eluded me in the wild. Is it Canadian?
     
  6. brit

    brit in a box

    thank you jason ,you guys know better and i trust in that.. the 1930 new deluxe criterion is u.s. built, has the serial # on the top of the blade plate, and is 2 piece. has the usual crack on the handle people say is common on this razor. have used it once.appeared to be a museum piece.
     
  7. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    .
    The OC razors are often feared but they really aren't that fearsome. I know what you mean, though, as I tried my first Rule back in January 2015 with the 1918 OT. That lasted five days and I had to switch because I was about to dump all of my new toys in the trash and go back to carts. They can be rough on a guy if his technique isn't solid. However, if you ride the cap and remember to let the weight of the razor do most of the work, it doesn't take long for them to show their true nature. They are fine shaving tools and fun to use. Can they reach out and nip you even after mastering them? Yep. So can the OCMM. But they lose their scariness as you learn the technique.

    I have occasionally shared my hobby with some of my riders when the conversation turns to "so what do you do for work and fun" at times. Most don't know what to say to it but that's fine. Maybe they'll discover it at some point and remember the crazy Uber guy who went on and on about them. You are also a lucky man in that your wife likes the hobby as well. Mine does too. She has encouraged me to go ahead and make a purchase a few times. Yes, she sometimes thinks I've gone a bit overboard, but she still says "there are far worse things you could spend your time on". But, my most recent Stirling order was made possible because she needed a refill on her shaving soap and body butter - all Stirling products. She's hooked in her own way so it's easy to enjoy together. We're grateful you joined us! Looking forward to another month of learning and fun.
     
    brit, clint64, wristwatchb and 11 others like this.
  8. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    Welcome to OCtober

    OCtober 2018 Gear.jpg
    Well there you have it. The gear I'll be working with in OCtober. Those six razors are my entire OC collection. From left to right -

    1918 Gillette Old Type
    Gillette NEW LC in gold
    Gillette NEW LC in Delta Echo
    Gillette NEW SC in need of replating (Matthew the haunted razor)
    Gem Micromatic Open Comb
    Fatip Piccolo

    I do have El Caballero so will be using that and I threw in some of the "odds and ends" I have that I can turn to to give them a try. Obviously the MWF is a standard in my den but I haven't used it much lately so I figured this was a good month to give it a shave or three. The only thing I didn't throw into the picture was blades. If I'm using the OCMM I'll use CVS carbons. The DE razors will be paired with Russian steel. I love these razors and how they perform. With my collection they go from mild to wild and with so many new soaps to throw in (including some I've never tried) it should be anything but dull. Let's do this thing!
     
    mrchick, clint64, Drygulch and 8 others like this.
  9. jtface

    jtface Well-Known Member

    Really looking forward to seeing how those bad boys will scrub up!

    I see that you have one proper razor in there, well done indeed!
    Seriously though... I hate this place - I've just spent 15 minutes on the Delta Echo website looking at the amazing coatings they do...

    [​IMG]

    :love029:
     
  10. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    It might help to remind yourself that the OC razors were the only choice all the early converts to DE safety razor shaving had. Those millions of guys on all sides who got issued DE safety razors in WW1? Every one of them was OC and all those guys managed to shave with them successfully nearly every day. If they could all do it, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot learn to do it too. And if you remember your 3-step Mantra here, you are farther ahead in the learning curve already than all those millions of guys were who were just issued the razors way back when...
     
  11. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    My prize trio of Gillette adjustables. They were grungy user condition razors when I sent them to Delta Echo; they came back better than New In Box:

    Delta Echo FB BB and Slim.JPG Delta Echo FB BB and Slim 02.JPG

    The Black Beauty in the middle has a bit of white film on the head from a soap I was using just before taking the picture. A quick squirt of Scrubbing Bubbles had it back to looking pure black again in seconds.
     
  12. brit

    brit in a box

    point well made , i didn t think of it that way.funny how a little fear clouds ones mind, thank you. gary
     
  13. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    IIRC, the Probak was a company that started up in the 1920s or 1930s to take advantage of the lapse of Gillette's patent on the DE razor blade. To try to keep its users locked into its own blades, the Probak razor used a cap with posts that looked like sideways keyholes so it would only fit its own proprietary blade. Much like Gillette did by creating its various "improved" razor designs that used different holding systems than the original and no-longer patent-protected 3-hole design. Gillette responded to the challenge offered by Probak by the simple expedient of buying up the company... And then creating blades with a number of shapes on the blade so that the Gillette blade would fit not only Gillette razors but all the Probak ones out there. Which is the reason modern DE blades have all those funny cutouts on the slot...

    Probak 01.JPG Probak 02.JPG Probak 03.JPG
     
  14. Keithmax

    Keithmax Breeds Pet Rocks

    First shave of October was with a Cobra Classic, due to my jet lag I was in a haze and woke up late. This month I will continue to try to reduce my soap inventory.

    Irritation A+ Closeness A+

    Razor: Cobra Classic
    Brush: Omega knot
    Soap: MdC
    AS: Lucky Tiger AS, Chanel Antaeus ASB
    Scent: Chanel Antaeus
    IMG_0801 3.37.02 PM.jpg
     
  15. PLAla

    PLAla Bit Shy of a Full Puck

    SOTD October 1, 2018

    Prep: Cold water and Stirling mentholated pre-shave soap
    Blade: GEM PTFE
    Razor: GEM Micromatic
    Brush: JR #41 badger
    Soap: C.O. Bigelow cream
    Post: Witch hazel, Barbasol Pacific Rush aftershave

    Three days of growth mowed down with ease by the Micromatic. This is my only open comb razor so I'll use it off and on throughout the month. So far it's working far better than the last time I used this razor a couple of years ago. Excellent lather from the Bigelow cream and a nice chilly finish from the Barbasol. All around nice shave and good way to begin the work week.

    Enjoy your day!

    SOTD 10-1-18.JPG
     
  16. jluc

    jluc smelling pretty

    Great shave to start us off, gentlemen!

    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
     
    clint64, Drygulch, RyX and 5 others like this.
  17. Norcalnewb

    Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

    Terrific picture, Perry!
     
    clint64, Drygulch, Linuxguile and 3 others like this.
  18. jluc

    jluc smelling pretty

    OCtober 1st
    Razor: Blackbird OC
    Blade: Voskhod (1)
    Brush: SOC Taj Mistura
    Pre-shave: Stirling Mentholated
    Soap: PAA Atomic Pumpkin
    Lucky Tiger face tonic
    AS: PAA Atomic Pumpkin

    Excellent start to the day, week, and month. Two pass with touch up. DFS result.
    PAA Atomic Pumpkin is a lovely fall scent. Bay Rum with pumpkin spice. It's been an hour since I shaved and I'm picking up the cinnamon and bay rum.
    I'm going to spend some time with the SOC mistura this month. I way over loaded it this morning. It's a digger.

    Have a great week![​IMG]

    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
     
  19. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    If I said it a while ago, I must have meant it then too. Big Fellow is my Gillette reference. Would you prefer little guy? ;)
     
  20. PLAla

    PLAla Bit Shy of a Full Puck

    Thank you, Jim and Jim!
     
    clint64, Drygulch, Linuxguile and 2 others like this.
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