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CBLindsay's brain droppings
- Thread starter CBLindsay
- Start date
You have made my day, CBL!!! Now I don't feel like I'm completely crazy. Remember me thinking that one of my linen strops was leaving a strange scratch pattern and thus degrading the edge? I feel much better now!
I figure i will use it tonight/tomorrow to see how it goes. This leather has always had a different feel but has been a reliable tool to reveal the keenest edge possible. I decide to rub some of my wife"s favorite lotion onto the strop to see if it helps loosen the leather some, i really didn't want to use any more oil than i had.
I remember that, strange indeed. I clean this strop fairly often because it seems to look dirty more often. I am wondering of the special strop conditioning rod i used left some particles in the leather. I guess I'll but out the high power magnification and inspect the surface.
Thursday 5/3/18
Straight Shave 832
Stirling Boar
Tallow & Steel "classic"
Wade & Butcher Celebrated Anglo Saxon hollow ground
T&S Classic Aftershave
I'm working my way through some soaps I have not used in a while, today was the last of my T&S. This one was another of their old formula and in scent that is as strange to me as they come. It is described as "classic" but it has so many of the typical barbershop notes listed in the scent profile it smells nothing like any classic scent i know of. Strangely intoxicating.
I had taken the W&B to the Ark the other day. I used some W-D40 as the lubricant and did a number of laps, being careful to adjust the approach to ensure the entire blade was getting honed. I started with a pretty keen edge to begin with so the ARK work was just a formality, a way to prove an edge isn't being walked backward in quality by my use of the ARK. Some flax linen stropping and a quick set on the daimond encrusted cotton strop (followed by some more linen) got the edge as near to perfection as it could be before hitting the leather. I did both the CBL and the Bison so the edge looked great.
The most important test of a soap or razor is the shave test. This morning the T&S provided a nice surface and was plenty slick for the task. AS i did performed the original Goat Lip Test (GLT) i realized I was in for a treat, the edge was sharp and smooth along the entire length. 3 passes and a minor touch up left me BBS with a small amount of feedback from the alum. As i sit here 8 hours later I am as BBS as i was when i walked out the door this morning. Wade & Butcher made some good steel for sure.
Meanwhile back on the farm...
My wife and I (mostly my wife) have been stressing over the quality of my kids educations. We have watched as the quality of education being provided diminished exponentially between what my oldest son received w(which was good but not great) and that which my current 3rd grader and 10th grader are experiencing. All my kids are quite smart and have excelled academically, in part due to the fact that my wife spent hours each day enriching the education that were getting. Both kids are bored in school and have learned nothing new this year. Our concern is tied to the new common core curriculum and the accompanying "integrated" course study. I wont get into the details other than to say someone should go back in time and find the guy who first proposed the idea and beat them with a stick and say "NO". Common core curriculum is a testament to how good intentions result in horrific outcomes.
We recently became aware of a virtual school that offered an exceptional experience geared to the needs and ability of each student (novel idea). My oldest daughter is in Venture crew with a girl who has been in the virtual school since kindergarten. Now in 10th grade, she is a wonderfully educated and well rounded young lady. So last night we visited with some teachers from this virtual school to see if it might be a fit for our kids and our family. During introductions one teacher asked my 3rd grader why she was interested in this virtual school and her response was a quick and to the point "because I'm too smart!". Well there you go.
Turns out this school is the school of choice for gymnasts, olympians, competitive rodeo, acting and musician students looking for a flexible schedule and consistently good education. It is too early to say we are making the move but I am finding it hard to find a reason why not. The teachers are VERY qualified and HAPPY.
Straight Shave 832
Stirling Boar
Tallow & Steel "classic"
Wade & Butcher Celebrated Anglo Saxon hollow ground
T&S Classic Aftershave
I'm working my way through some soaps I have not used in a while, today was the last of my T&S. This one was another of their old formula and in scent that is as strange to me as they come. It is described as "classic" but it has so many of the typical barbershop notes listed in the scent profile it smells nothing like any classic scent i know of. Strangely intoxicating.
I had taken the W&B to the Ark the other day. I used some W-D40 as the lubricant and did a number of laps, being careful to adjust the approach to ensure the entire blade was getting honed. I started with a pretty keen edge to begin with so the ARK work was just a formality, a way to prove an edge isn't being walked backward in quality by my use of the ARK. Some flax linen stropping and a quick set on the daimond encrusted cotton strop (followed by some more linen) got the edge as near to perfection as it could be before hitting the leather. I did both the CBL and the Bison so the edge looked great.
The most important test of a soap or razor is the shave test. This morning the T&S provided a nice surface and was plenty slick for the task. AS i did performed the original Goat Lip Test (GLT) i realized I was in for a treat, the edge was sharp and smooth along the entire length. 3 passes and a minor touch up left me BBS with a small amount of feedback from the alum. As i sit here 8 hours later I am as BBS as i was when i walked out the door this morning. Wade & Butcher made some good steel for sure.
Meanwhile back on the farm...
My wife and I (mostly my wife) have been stressing over the quality of my kids educations. We have watched as the quality of education being provided diminished exponentially between what my oldest son received w(which was good but not great) and that which my current 3rd grader and 10th grader are experiencing. All my kids are quite smart and have excelled academically, in part due to the fact that my wife spent hours each day enriching the education that were getting. Both kids are bored in school and have learned nothing new this year. Our concern is tied to the new common core curriculum and the accompanying "integrated" course study. I wont get into the details other than to say someone should go back in time and find the guy who first proposed the idea and beat them with a stick and say "NO". Common core curriculum is a testament to how good intentions result in horrific outcomes.
We recently became aware of a virtual school that offered an exceptional experience geared to the needs and ability of each student (novel idea). My oldest daughter is in Venture crew with a girl who has been in the virtual school since kindergarten. Now in 10th grade, she is a wonderfully educated and well rounded young lady. So last night we visited with some teachers from this virtual school to see if it might be a fit for our kids and our family. During introductions one teacher asked my 3rd grader why she was interested in this virtual school and her response was a quick and to the point "because I'm too smart!". Well there you go.
Turns out this school is the school of choice for gymnasts, olympians, competitive rodeo, acting and musician students looking for a flexible schedule and consistently good education. It is too early to say we are making the move but I am finding it hard to find a reason why not. The teachers are VERY qualified and HAPPY.
Catching up good stuff Chris
Nice read Chris. So was that a full tub of soap you killed off? If so there is a thread around these parts to show off the empty tub ya know lol.
As to the schooling let me put it this way... my wife teaches at a public school, as my kids are getting to the school age she has made it very clear our kids will NOT go to public school. I know it is only pre-school but we have been very impressed with the Catholic School Connor is going to this year. He has learned so much, and plus on a personal level I add value to the fact he gets the religious component in today's crazy world. Plus as you may remember I coached at this school for 6 years girls basketball. I watched a lot of kids grow up during that time and it always amazed me at how smart they were but also how socially polite they were if that makes sense. I have heard good things about virtual schools we have a program here also similar to that you explained that seems to get good reviews, and a lot of parents are choosing charter options also. Living in Utah where the predominant faith is LDS the Catholic school where Connor goes currently has 15% LDS attending, the highest it has ever been, that might seem small but actually I think it is a testament to how broken the current public school system is. Good luck I never would have thought how stressful it would be to ensure your kids get a good education. You can no longer just enroll your children in the local neighborhood school and trust they will get what they need. It is sad really.
As to the schooling let me put it this way... my wife teaches at a public school, as my kids are getting to the school age she has made it very clear our kids will NOT go to public school. I know it is only pre-school but we have been very impressed with the Catholic School Connor is going to this year. He has learned so much, and plus on a personal level I add value to the fact he gets the religious component in today's crazy world. Plus as you may remember I coached at this school for 6 years girls basketball. I watched a lot of kids grow up during that time and it always amazed me at how smart they were but also how socially polite they were if that makes sense. I have heard good things about virtual schools we have a program here also similar to that you explained that seems to get good reviews, and a lot of parents are choosing charter options also. Living in Utah where the predominant faith is LDS the Catholic school where Connor goes currently has 15% LDS attending, the highest it has ever been, that might seem small but actually I think it is a testament to how broken the current public school system is. Good luck I never would have thought how stressful it would be to ensure your kids get a good education. You can no longer just enroll your children in the local neighborhood school and trust they will get what they need. It is sad really.
Friday 5/4/18
Straight Shave 833?
SV Artisan 2.0
Paladin Natchez Trace
Genco SafeEdge
Another quick entry due to a busy day.
The Soap performed much better for me today than the first run with Paladin soap, figure it out and it works great.
The Genco was refined on the Sx Ark and is WONDERFUL. Super smooth shave
The Shave is a BBS and was a joy to execute.
On a side note. I blew a big batch of what should have been premium soap last night. I made an error in my notes and used too much NaOH, i caught the mistake while reviewing the process in my head but the error was made. I used Citric Acid to walk it back but the batch is not right. The lather is a bit difficult to acquire but is unique once it is. VERY stable and slick but not right. Ooops
Straight Shave 833?
SV Artisan 2.0
Paladin Natchez Trace
Genco SafeEdge
Another quick entry due to a busy day.
The Soap performed much better for me today than the first run with Paladin soap, figure it out and it works great.
The Genco was refined on the Sx Ark and is WONDERFUL. Super smooth shave
The Shave is a BBS and was a joy to execute.
On a side note. I blew a big batch of what should have been premium soap last night. I made an error in my notes and used too much NaOH, i caught the mistake while reviewing the process in my head but the error was made. I used Citric Acid to walk it back but the batch is not right. The lather is a bit difficult to acquire but is unique once it is. VERY stable and slick but not right. Ooops
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
Oh no! What do you do when a batch goes south like that? You just have to chuck it all or can it be repurposed in some way?
Great skill to have by the way. I imagine a fair few of us would like to be self sustaining with soaps! ?
Oh no! What do you do when a batch goes south like that? You just have to chuck it all or can it be repurposed in some way?
Great skill to have by the way. I imagine a fair few of us would like to be self sustaining with soaps!
I am trying to salvage it but it isn't looking good. The side effect of adding so much Citric acid is that the soap becomes quite liquid. With just better than a gallon of the stuff i fear i will be chucking it. I might put some in bottles to see if it works as a shampoo or for my wife as a shower shave cream. It was a stupid mistake i should have seen. I paused and questioned my measure but the notes confirmed the amount so i proceeded.
You might try finding a bottle of Tai Winds cologne, and either mixing it with the aftershave or using it on it's own. There are only two differences between Avon's colognes and aftershaves. The colognes are stronger scented, and the colognes do not contain glycerin. Other than that the ingredients lists are identical.
Great couple of shave Chris!
Good luck with the schools! My mother taught for 38 years. She retired before the common core and stuff. We were lucky, the city schools were we live at the time were the top rated in the state. He had the opportunity to learn, it was just a struggle to get him to do so.
Bummer about the soap!
Good luck with the schools! My mother taught for 38 years. She retired before the common core and stuff. We were lucky, the city schools were we live at the time were the top rated in the state. He had the opportunity to learn, it was just a struggle to get him to do so.
Bummer about the soap!
