Quote of the year!
Told ya I had critter parts in my flintknapping shop
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An Unexpected Journey: A Newbie's Walk In Wet Shaving
- Thread starter Blade-meister
- Start date
Told ya I had critter parts in my flintknapping shop
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
I love horse trading mentalityTold ya I had critter parts in my flintknapping shopMy hobbies tend to pay for each other. I bought my anvil and blacksmithing stuff by making flint blades, knives and such and selling them. My wife is quite happy with this system. I think the bear claws and teeth were traded to me for flint I dug up for free. So.....flint ends up being converted to a DE razor on down the line
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
True datYou trade with him though, the horse may be in pieces.
Hmmmm, yeah horse hair from the tail, ummmm............Oh I probably shouldn't say anymore in case someone just ate
Saturday I took a break after a rough shave on Friday. I had some projects to get done so I was eager to get right to them. Sunday I jumped right back into wet shaving completing my first 6 day shave week since starting this adventure.
Today's Shave: Shave #56
Razor: Gillette Super Speed DE
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: PS Oil /Shower / Wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 14 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face on
ly, Cold rinse. Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting, rubbing left over soap on the neck then rinsing. Cold blast of outside 6 degree air just for Nurse Dave!
Last night I decided to retire the QShave and pull out my Gillette SS from the bullpen and put it back to work. I slipped the SB blade from the QShave and decided it had more shaves in it and put it in the Gillette SS. For my lather, I added a tiny bit more water and it got me closer to perfection with the MW soap. I decided some pre-shave oil was in order and broke out the Shea Moisturex 3 butters beard softner that I've been using (courtesy of DocHoliday). I had a really good 2 day growth going so it can't hurt as I anticipated the Gillette having issues being so much lighter than the QShave.
Right from the start I noticed a huge difference. The SS razor felt really nice and was mowing down stubble with a vengeance. It could not be clearer at that point that there is definitely something wrong with the QShave. WTG pass was so nice and I really enjoyed the knurling as the QShave is BBS without any knurling. The SS seemed to effortlessly plow through the stubble and the blade with a couple of shaves already on it didn't affect the performance at all. The other thing I noticed is that my wet shaving skills had improved since I last used the SS razor. My touch is lighter and I've figured out my beard growth a lot better. This all just helped with a better shave performance. XTG & ATG passes were both great. With the SS I had no problems with the upper lip being irritated and I enjoyed the smaller head enabling me to get everything under my nose. I was able to do quite a bit of clean-up work with zero irritation. BBS in most places with some DFS areas that I missed during clean-up. What a nice feeling shave and when I put my Nivea on it was just so smooth feeling compared to what I've been getting in the last few QShave performances. This shave got me out the door feeling great and smelling wonderful. Just for Nurse Dave's sake, I stuck my face out in the 6 degree air and let that really close the pores just prior to the Nivea application in my post shave. Man that feels great, but being a cold shaver it's how we roll
This just solidified that I will not be getting rid of the my Gillette SS. Dave from KY PIF'd it to me and it was my daily driver for a long while. Today the SS showed me that it's earned a permanent spot in my den. I hadn't pulled this razor out since shave #28 so I was glad I had it and was able to pull it back out.
What I Changed: Today I added the PS oil back in. I also went back to my Gillette SS.
On the personal side of things I 90 % finished my handmade cane. Facing hip replacement surgery next March, I wanted to have the dang coolest cane for my recovery period. I wanted it to represent who I was. The head is made from a railroad spike that I drifted a hole in and mounted for the top handle. I did some decorative filing on the spike and some twisting to give it an extra bit of flare. The shaft of the cane saw me adding some brass tacks and silver star inlays all of which are common on tomahawks from the the 18th & 19th centuries. I wanted this cane to look old so I aged the brass tacks and added other aging elements to it. I still have to had more brass tacks and I more silver star inlay. After it's done I'll post a picture. I have a few other things to work on, but I'm finding on bad days that the cane helps around the house. Still not ready to use the cane out in public (pride I guess) but I have a feeling I'll be needing it a great deal in the coming months before surgery. At any rate, I love the cane and it has the exact look I was going for.
Today's Shave: Shave #56
Razor: Gillette Super Speed DE
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: PS Oil /Shower / Wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 14 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face on
ly, Cold rinse. Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting, rubbing left over soap on the neck then rinsing. Cold blast of outside 6 degree air just for Nurse Dave!
Last night I decided to retire the QShave and pull out my Gillette SS from the bullpen and put it back to work. I slipped the SB blade from the QShave and decided it had more shaves in it and put it in the Gillette SS. For my lather, I added a tiny bit more water and it got me closer to perfection with the MW soap. I decided some pre-shave oil was in order and broke out the Shea Moisturex 3 butters beard softner that I've been using (courtesy of DocHoliday). I had a really good 2 day growth going so it can't hurt as I anticipated the Gillette having issues being so much lighter than the QShave.
Right from the start I noticed a huge difference. The SS razor felt really nice and was mowing down stubble with a vengeance. It could not be clearer at that point that there is definitely something wrong with the QShave. WTG pass was so nice and I really enjoyed the knurling as the QShave is BBS without any knurling. The SS seemed to effortlessly plow through the stubble and the blade with a couple of shaves already on it didn't affect the performance at all. The other thing I noticed is that my wet shaving skills had improved since I last used the SS razor. My touch is lighter and I've figured out my beard growth a lot better. This all just helped with a better shave performance. XTG & ATG passes were both great. With the SS I had no problems with the upper lip being irritated and I enjoyed the smaller head enabling me to get everything under my nose. I was able to do quite a bit of clean-up work with zero irritation. BBS in most places with some DFS areas that I missed during clean-up. What a nice feeling shave and when I put my Nivea on it was just so smooth feeling compared to what I've been getting in the last few QShave performances. This shave got me out the door feeling great and smelling wonderful. Just for Nurse Dave's sake, I stuck my face out in the 6 degree air and let that really close the pores just prior to the Nivea application in my post shave. Man that feels great, but being a cold shaver it's how we roll
This just solidified that I will not be getting rid of the my Gillette SS. Dave from KY PIF'd it to me and it was my daily driver for a long while. Today the SS showed me that it's earned a permanent spot in my den. I hadn't pulled this razor out since shave #28 so I was glad I had it and was able to pull it back out.
What I Changed: Today I added the PS oil back in. I also went back to my Gillette SS.
On the personal side of things I 90 % finished my handmade cane. Facing hip replacement surgery next March, I wanted to have the dang coolest cane for my recovery period. I wanted it to represent who I was. The head is made from a railroad spike that I drifted a hole in and mounted for the top handle. I did some decorative filing on the spike and some twisting to give it an extra bit of flare. The shaft of the cane saw me adding some brass tacks and silver star inlays all of which are common on tomahawks from the the 18th & 19th centuries. I wanted this cane to look old so I aged the brass tacks and added other aging elements to it. I still have to had more brass tacks and I more silver star inlay. After it's done I'll post a picture. I have a few other things to work on, but I'm finding on bad days that the cane helps around the house. Still not ready to use the cane out in public (pride I guess) but I have a feeling I'll be needing it a great deal in the coming months before surgery. At any rate, I love the cane and it has the exact look I was going for.
Super Speeds are excellent razors!
Are you kidding?! A cane like the one you're making is going to be too cool for school! I'd be walking around with that whether I needed it or not. Remember Evel Knievel's walking stick?
Are you kidding?! A cane like the one you're making is going to be too cool for school! I'd be walking around with that whether I needed it or not. Remember Evel Knievel's walking stick?
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
+1 ! Though it is funny to hear “smaller head” and a Gillette TTO names in the same sentence, but I guess compared to the Q-Shave it is!
Sounds like a very cool cane creation indeed! Looking forward to finished pics!
Are you kidding?! A cane like the one you're making is going to be too cool for school! I'd be walking around with that whether I needed it or not. Remember Evel Knievel's walking stick?
I've thought about it, but I know there are a lot of people who have no choice but to use a cane so I didn't want to cause any hard feelings. The time is coming very soon though when I'll be needing it to get through the day so I'll be out on the town with it for sure. It reminds me of something a traveling gambler would be using, but it's me all the way and It will help me feel better after the surgery knowing I'm styling in it.
Ha, you are right about that it is funny but yeah compared to the QShave whale head it's a slim dolphin for sure
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
I had a 40’s SS on loan from a friend for a little while and I was pretty upset when I had to send it back lol. It’s definitely a great razor and something I’ll be adding to my den at some point.
Sorry to hear you need a hip replacement, but at least you'll be doing it in style.
Today I really fought the auto pilot mode that wanted to grab the MW Bay Rum and decided to grab WTP Blue Barbershop instead. I gotta spread my attention around more.
Today's Shave: Shave #57
Razor: Gillette Super Speed DE
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: RR What The Puck Blue Barbershop
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 15 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting, rubbing left over soap on the neck then rinsing.
I haven't used the Blue Barbershop since I figured out my lathers were too lean so I loaded for an extra 10 seconds or so up to about the 35 second range. This did provide a thicker lather but did require a bit more water than the Mystic Water soap I am used to. I skipped the pre-shave oil this morning.
WTG pass was very nice, but I can tell this is the last shave for this razor. XTG pass was equally nice. ATG pass was a little rough on the upper lip and around the mouth for some reason. I did a fair amount of clean-up which caused some redness in places unfortunately. I should have went for a nice 2 pass shave and left it at that knowing my Parker Variant is on its way. Overall, DFS + in most all areas with some BBS areas here and there. BBS just wasn't going to happen this morning without causing some pain so I just rolled with what I had.
Today's Shave: Shave #57
Razor: Gillette Super Speed DE
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: RR What The Puck Blue Barbershop
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 15 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting, rubbing left over soap on the neck then rinsing.
I haven't used the Blue Barbershop since I figured out my lathers were too lean so I loaded for an extra 10 seconds or so up to about the 35 second range. This did provide a thicker lather but did require a bit more water than the Mystic Water soap I am used to. I skipped the pre-shave oil this morning.
WTG pass was very nice, but I can tell this is the last shave for this razor. XTG pass was equally nice. ATG pass was a little rough on the upper lip and around the mouth for some reason. I did a fair amount of clean-up which caused some redness in places unfortunately. I should have went for a nice 2 pass shave and left it at that knowing my Parker Variant is on its way. Overall, DFS + in most all areas with some BBS areas here and there. BBS just wasn't going to happen this morning without causing some pain so I just rolled with what I had.
I'll finish the brass tacks and the other silver inlay and then post a picture. I should get that done this week.
Last shave before the Parker Variant arrives so I thought I'd try the Personna blade again.
Today's Shave: Shave #58
Razor: Gillette Super Speed DE
Blade: Personna Blue
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 17 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting, rubbing left over soap on the neck then rinsing.
Last time I tried the Personna Blue blade I was just beginning to have issues with my QShave razor so I thought I'd pop another one in the SS razor and give it another try. The lather was all that can be expected from MW soap which is true comfort and luxury. WTG pass felt like a rake was going across my face pulling the stubble here and there as it went. Ouch. I thought maybe pressure was the issue so I tried absolutely no pressure but the SS razor is a light weight so it needs some very tiny bit of pressure for me to get it to cut my beard growth. When I rinsed I could feel I didn't get my usual closeness from my Gillette blades. Going very slowly and carefully I did my XTG and ATG passes. I really didn't work that hard and really felt I just wanted to get through this shave without causing damage that might ruin my first shave with the Variant. I did a lot of cart clean-up with some a little bit of clean-up from the SS as well. Overall, not a bad shave, but not far above a bad shave. I managed to get DFS / DFS+ in all areas. For me, this is an acceptable shave.
I went outside for a cold blast of 23 degree air just prior to applying the Nivea AS balm. Felt great and the mammoth painting is doing it's job as well.
On the personal side, I finished the last silver inlay in the cane and now only have one more series of 6 small brass tacks to age and install. I love the look of it so far and have decided against anymore brass tacks beyond the 6 I have planned to put in. I was gong to do more, but there's a perfect balance of bling on such things and anymore would put it over the top. I'm shooting for 18th century frontier gambler style, not 18th century Elton John
Today's Shave: Shave #58
Razor: Gillette Super Speed DE
Blade: Personna Blue
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 17 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting, rubbing left over soap on the neck then rinsing.
Last time I tried the Personna Blue blade I was just beginning to have issues with my QShave razor so I thought I'd pop another one in the SS razor and give it another try. The lather was all that can be expected from MW soap which is true comfort and luxury. WTG pass felt like a rake was going across my face pulling the stubble here and there as it went. Ouch. I thought maybe pressure was the issue so I tried absolutely no pressure but the SS razor is a light weight so it needs some very tiny bit of pressure for me to get it to cut my beard growth. When I rinsed I could feel I didn't get my usual closeness from my Gillette blades. Going very slowly and carefully I did my XTG and ATG passes. I really didn't work that hard and really felt I just wanted to get through this shave without causing damage that might ruin my first shave with the Variant. I did a lot of cart clean-up with some a little bit of clean-up from the SS as well. Overall, not a bad shave, but not far above a bad shave. I managed to get DFS / DFS+ in all areas. For me, this is an acceptable shave.
I went outside for a cold blast of 23 degree air just prior to applying the Nivea AS balm. Felt great and the mammoth painting is doing it's job as well.
On the personal side, I finished the last silver inlay in the cane and now only have one more series of 6 small brass tacks to age and install. I love the look of it so far and have decided against anymore brass tacks beyond the 6 I have planned to put in. I was gong to do more, but there's a perfect balance of bling on such things and anymore would put it over the top. I'm shooting for 18th century frontier gambler style, not 18th century Elton John
Nice thoughts on the shave today...and we definitely want to see pics of that cane!
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
Personally I’d love to see you rock an 18th Century Elton John cane!
Bummer about the Personna’s though. I would just move on. There’s plenty of other blades out there.
Bummer about the Personna’s though. I would just move on. There’s plenty of other blades out there.