What's new
The Shaving Cadre

Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun

CBLindsay's brain droppings

Wednesday 4/18/18
Straight Shave #817

  • Whipped Dog 24mm Silvertip
  • CBL Beta 4 cream trial
  • Freeman's Frameback
  • Old Spice

I decided to revisit the CBL Cream Beta 4.? this morning, this time using a badger brush. Yesterday I returned the cream to the cooker to reduce the water content some. This batch has a strange characteristic in that when heat is applied the cream firms up significantly (able to hold a loose shape for extended period of time) then after a long cooling period the cream becomes wet/cream again. Regardless of the strange behavior, the consistency has improved some and the performance remains the same ...excellent in some ways and average in others.

Today's razor was the Freeman's Frameback, a uniquely designed frameback that performs well. I really should be taking picture of my razors so all you guys can see them, maybe I'll start doing that. While the engineering of this razor is unique it looks and performs very much like a J. Engstrom. It seemed to be reasonably well honed but could stand to be done better.

It was another 3 pass shave with a couple touch-ups to ensure perfection. I finished with alum and witch hazel (my own blend) then splashed on a handful of Shulton Old Spice. It's sad really, the newer Old Spice just isn't the same stuff. Being a fragrance dummy the only way i can describe the difference is that the original stuff has a smoother and sweeter scent, the newer stuff seems harsh by comparison.
 
One of these days I'll have to try a frameback razor. Do you basically have the spine almost touching when you shave with them, or use a "normal" angle?

Agree with you about the new Old Spice here in North America. However, the Old Spice aftershave from India is dead on for the vintage stuff, IMHO.

And interesting stuff about the soap/cream.
 
CBLindsay said:
Today's razor was the Freeman's Frameback, a uniquely designed frameback that performs well. I really should be taking picture of my razors so all you guys can see them, maybe I'll start doing that.
Click to expand...
Yes, please
 
Great work on the Beta 4 cream Chris. I still have not been able to make another batch of soap. After talking a couple of weeks ago, I did go to soap calc and formulated my plan. I am essentially going to do a variation of MVM Beta 1.2 that will be a 0% super fat, but I added a small amount (5% Lanolin and reduced Shea Butter 5%). Beta 1.2 was the favorite of the first 4 batches that I made. I will call it Beta 1.2.1 if I can ever get around to making it.
 
NurseDave said:
When you guys are making soaps, what size batches are you doing?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what Chris's norm is, but I typically make an 8 oz. batch if I am tinkering around (R&D). If I am making a batch to use, and I know the formulation I want to stick with, I will make 1 lb.. If I am making a bath or a hand soap, I often will make 2 lbs. I have not exceeded a 2 lb. batch as of yet, but I doubt I will ever exceed 5 lbs. unless I am making something for presents/gifts, etc.. The limiting factor on how small, or how large you can go is scale accuracy and capacity. I am fortunate in that I have two food industry scales that are pretty precise. A 1.5 Kg max scale that is + 0.0005 lbs., and a 3 Kg scale that is + 0.002 lbs.. I use the 1.5 Kg max scale for almost everything that I do so far.

These level of scales are not required to get into soap making, but I am a scientist, and I had access to these at a reasonable price. The level of precision that these scales provide give me a great deal of confidence in my formulations, and allow me to try some things that otherwise would not be considered prudent in soap making.
 
Good read and shave Chris!

I agree there is a difference between modern and Shulton Old Spice scents, but I don't dislike the modern scent.
 
cmh737 said:
One of these days I'll have to try a frameback razor. Do you basically have the spine almost touching when you shave with them, or use a "normal" angle?

Agree with you about the new Old Spice here in North America. However, the Old Spice aftershave from India is dead on for the vintage stuff, IMHO.

And interesting stuff about the soap/cream.
Click to expand...

Frameback razors are like a cross between wedge and full hollow. The entire blade is very thin and light but it doesn't flex much, it feels more solid like a wedge/near wedge. The exception to the no-flex is the LFC frameback with an interchangeable blade, the way the blade is installed seems to allow a very minor amount of give or wiggle at the spine...but thats not the same as full hollow flex. I don't really change up the angle, at least consciously, because the geometry is pretty much the same.
 
Thursday 4/19/2018
Straight Shave #818

SV Artisan 2.0
Paladin Silk Road
CBL GD66 mod
Cuba Red

Decided to use the newest addition to my den, the Paladin Silk Road, for today's shave. The packaging and presentation is really nice and the scent is very unique, similar to the CFG/Zoologist soaps. The performance was a mixed bag, not great but better than average. The Strength of scent off the tub is pretty good but it was temporarily lost in the lather. I say temporary because by the third pass i was definitely able to smell the scent and it was plenty strong ..strange but true.

As for the blade, I used the original GD66 Mod "the american". This was one of my first couple of mods and it was fun to make, not bad to use either. The scales are a bit thick but the balance is still very good. The hardest part about making these scales was the wedge, its a nickle that has been ground down and had a hole drilled through it. Nickles are HARD.

All in all the shave was very good, BBS with no issues.
 
Great read, shave, and picture Chris!

Paladin soaps and ASB are top performers for me. Another YMMV soap story eh?
 
NurseDave said:
When you guys are making soaps, what size batches are you doing?
Click to expand...

I make anything from 4 ounces to 16 ounces depending on what i am testing out. If i start with 4 ounces of FAT, i might end up with 6 or 8 ounces of finished product. As Walt pointed out, small measuring errors make a big difference when working with small batches. Simply rounding 1.15 ounces/grams to 1.2 can be a big deal depending on the size of the batch and what part of the recipe you rounded up. The biggest culprit is Sodium Hydroxide lye, it doesn't take much to do the job so in small batches the rounding up can change the entire outcome. Usually everything else is more forgiving. I make notes if i rounded up so i can purposefully duplicate the results if/when i do a big batch. For me, the limiting factor has been the size of my crock pot. I now have a couple double boiler set ups that should allow for larger batches.

An interesting thing about upsizing a batch is controlling the temperature. When you mix lye with fat an exothermic reaction occurs. The reaction might not produce significant heat (or it dissipates quickly) in a 4 or 6 ounce batch but a 10 or 12 ounce batch might get so hot as to result in a soap paste volcano. Soap volcano no bueno...unless you were already planning on super cleaning the kitchen. I did a larger 40 ounce batch special order, the size and extra heat produced by using potassium hydroxide resulted in a rapid rise from 155 to 190 and a massive volcano. Fun stuff.

Honestly, if you or anyone else want to give making soap a try I can help. A few simple ingredients and an hour of your time and you can have your own version of Martin D Candre.
 
Nice shave today Chris...your experience with Silk Road sounds like it mirrored mine. A good soap, but not top tier. Interesting reads on the soap making...reading about your and Walt's experiences with soap making is definitely something I enjoy reading about!
 
Awesome shave, Chris! And great insight into the soapmaking process, as well.

I agree with your assessment of Paladin soaps. Great packaging and scents, but the performance is not up to the same standard I expect for the price.
 
Great read about soap. I never thought about how the exothermic reaction of the soap would affect larger batches. Thanks for sharing.
 
Friday 4/20/18
Straight Shave # 819 (?)

  • Stirling Boar
  • Fine Green Vetiver
  • Personna Surgical Prep razor /diane blade X1
  • Fine Green Vetiver
  • Encre Noire
Decided to go without the guard this morning and got a better shave for it. My morning started WAY too early because my daughter had to be at school a little after 5am for a field trip, so simply surviving the exposed blade was a major win. I had the Fine Green Vetiver on deck for a while, I couldn't be happier to have used it this morning. I simply love this scent and when i pair it with the dark and mysterious Encre Noire things get fun.

The Personna Surgical Prep razor is almost identical to the Weck Bantom but it is made with lighter weight steel and has a blade/guard ejector. The ejector is a neat idea but, being plastic, it would most certainly not last the test of time like the Weck's have. the guard is an open comb style and it provides good protection when used but is still a little bit of a hassle to keep changing around. I DO have 4 more brand new Personna razors, so i could just use two of them for each shave. I just don't like the smaller size, my hands aren't as efficient with the smaller size. I will most likely be selling/PIFing the unopened razors.

No photo today.
 
Nice early shave today Chris...always good to survive the open blade when it's that early a day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top