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Doug's Journal of Shaving Happiness v2.0

cmh737 said:
All caught up, Doug. I have to agree with you about Tony Miller strops being excellent. I've had several of his and still have two. Now regarding Arko.....guess we'll just have to agree to disagree - LOL.
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The thing is, I used to love Arko. Maybe my standards have changed, or maybe I just haven't been lathering it right, or something, but after almost three solid months of it I am just not seeing the performance anymore. I am going to move on to other things. Maybe when I return it will work better for me.
 
dkeester said:
The thing is, I used to love Arko. Maybe my standards have changed, or maybe I just haven't been lathering it right, or something, but after almost three solid months of it I am just not seeing the performance anymore. I am going to move on to other things. Maybe when I return it will work better for me.
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Perhaps I didn't convey my Arko sentiments effectively - I dislike it greatly; the scent that is. My worst shaving nightmare: the only soap available - Arko; and the only aftershave available - The Veg. Oh, the horror!
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cmh737 said:
Perhaps I didn't convey my Arko sentiments effectively - I dislike it greatly; the scent that is. My worst shaving nightmare: the only soap available - Arko; and the only aftershave available - The Veg. Oh, the horror!
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I did misunderstand you, Chris. I apologize. I don't mind the scent. In fact I find it weirdly pleasant.
 
Journal Entry #7

Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Shave Secret oil
Razor: RazoRock Mission
Blade: Gillette 7O'Clock Sharpedge (yellow) (1)
Brush: Vie-Long 12705 Horse Hair
Soap/Cream: Stirling Barbershop sample
AS 1: Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel
AS 2: Nivea Sensitive Post-shave Balm
AS 3: Aqua Velva Ice Blue
Fragrance: none

Overview
I am BBS- in two passes; and I smell great. I win at shaving today.

Shave Quality
Last night I was feeling the need for something new but good, so I pulled out my last Stirling sample and smashed it into one of my "Ship Grand Turk" Old Spice mugs. This morning loading it with a soaked Vie-Long was a breeze. I loaded it on the lighter side (for me) today, getting just enough suds for about four passes. I think tomorrow I won't soak the brush. Today's lather started off a bit on the wet side, but a little extra time in the bowl and working it on my face was all that was needed for a great lather.
The RR Mission 3-piece razor has a decent blade gap. I haven't measured it, but it is noticable. It paired well with the 7O'Clock Yellow this morning. I went WTG then XTG as usual, making sure to keep the pressure light. Even after two years of this I still have a tendency to press down too much. Today that was not an issue.
Alum-WH-balm-then-splash had me feeling like a million bucks.

Gear

The RR Mission is a good razor, like most of the razors that ItalianBarber sells. It would make a good first razor for anyone entering into this hobby. Now that IB offers it with a selection of SS handles at ~$15 it is even more of a steal than when I bought mine.
Stirling Barbershop... I think I am in love. This soap smells fabulous! Pair that with the standard Stirling performance and you've got a winner on your hands. The folks at Stirling not only know how to make a great soap, but they also have great noses for scent creation.
The Aqua Velva Ice Blue (which I have loved for a long time) paried well with the Stirling.

Other Thoughts
I need to take inventory of the den. I am thinking about thinning out the DE herd in order to generate some funds for a Koraat or a Jerry Stark. Not that I really want to sell parts of my collection, but I don't really need 100+ DE razors, and I really want to expand my straight collection.

Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I love reading all your comments, even if I don't respond. I hope you all have a great day.
 
Great Shave Doug!

The RazoRock Mission is the razor I recommend to everyone that I tell about Wet Shaving. Exact same head as the Edwin Jagger DE89 or Muhle R89 razors. Which by the way was a join design effort between Edwin Jagger and Muhle. Plus you get the stainless steel handle, all for less than a couple of sawbucks.
 
Outstanding shave! Stirling Barbershop is a great scent, but it's a little sweet for me to consider it a straight barbershop scent. Still, it's an awesome soap and scent. Great review on the RR Mission as well!
 
Journal Entry #8

Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Shave Secret oil
Razor: RazoRock MJ-90 with A plate
Blade: Gillette 7O'Clock Sharpedge (yellow) (1)
Brush: Vie-Long 12705 Horse Hair
Soap/Cream: Stirling Barbershop sample
AS 1: Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel
AS 2: Nivea Sensitive Post-shave Balm
AS 3: Pinaud Clubman
Fragrance: WSP Barbershop EdP

Overview
I went overboard on the barbershop scents today. But it is still quite pleasant.

Shave Quality
I would call myself BBS- again today with only a tiny bit of irriatation that quickly faded.
The lather was really good, but I am still not getting quite the level of density that I prefer. I did not soak the Vie-Long today, choosing instead to dip and shake before going to the soap mug.
It was a great two pass shave.

Gear
The 7O'Clock Sharpedge is a good blade. It and the MJ-90 just skated across my face today taking any growth with them. It was a great combination. I may end up picking some of these up even though I already have over 2000 DE blades.
The Vie-Long brush feels great on my face, but it doesn't fan out very much. Perhaps I just haven't broken it in right, or something. I think the lack of fan-out is hindering my lather development some. Still it is a good brush worth having in the den. I just need to dial it in.
The WSP Barbershop is a nice scent that I really like. I wish my face hadn't reacted so badly to the soap and AS. I thought it might blend with the Clubman, but it is just overpowering it. This is not a bad thing, but I won't be mixing the two in the future.

Other Thoughts
I am looking forward to seeing Avengers: Infinity War this weekend.

Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I love reading all your comments, even if I don't respond. I hope you all have a great day.
 
Great read and shave Doug!

dkeester said:
I went overboard on the barbershop scents today. But it is still quite pleasant.
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Huh? I think you're going to have to explain that one to me. I don't think there is such a thing.
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You want to know what they forget to tell you when you are having kids... you will fall behind on movies. I LOVE the Avengers. Last one I saw was Civil War. My wife and I need to get caught up quickly because we want to see Avengers in theaters.
 
clyde72 said:
Huh? I think you're going to have to explain that one to me. I don't think there is such a thing.
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The Clubman and WSP didn't marry as well as I thought they would. I should have gone for one or the other.
 
Cvargo said:
You want to know what they forget to tell you when you are having kids... you will fall behind on movies. I LOVE the Avengers. Last one I saw was Civil War. My wife and I need to get caught up quickly because we want to see Avengers in theaters.
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Yeah. Being childless I don't have that problem, but I understand.
 
Not sure how I missed reading your journal for so long. Lots of great shaves.
 
Journal Entry #9
TSC Straight Shave #2

Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Shave Secret oil
Straight: Torrey
Strop: Tony Miller "Plain Chocolate"
Razor: RazoRock MJ-90 with A Plate
Blade: Gillette 7O'Clock Sharpedge (yellow) (2)
Brush: AOS Fine Badger
Soap/Cream: Stirling Barbershop sample
AS 1: Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel
AS 2: Nivea Sensitive Post-shave Balm
AS 3: Lucky Tiger AS
Fragrance: Classic Match Polo Blue clone

Overview
Three passes with a straight razor may be just too much for my face to handle.

Shave Quality
I started with 30 laps on my Miller cotton strop and 30 laps on my Miller leather strop. The lather was pretty good, although I am still not getting the density that I desire. I will have to go back to one of my synthetics to be sure. I made three passes with the Torrey with no blood. I did feel the razor start to bite during the first pass under my nose, and there is a red mark, but it didn't bleed at all. Yay! During the third pass I could feel the razor burn starting to set in. The clean up (4th) pass with the MJ-90 after didn't help. I have a couple of rough patches, so I will call today DFS+. I think the edge on the Torrey needs a touch up. I will have to take it to my pasted balsa strop before I use it next. The MVP today was Lucky Tiger. That stuff calmed my face down almost immediately. I decided on a few spritzes of the Polo Blue clone after applying the Lucky Tiger. It has a nice light scent. When this bottle runs out, I will be purchasing the real thing.

Gear
The Torrey. It was my first straight, a Whipped Dog sight unseen. It is a great razor and I love it, but right now it is not shaving anywhere near my other two straights. Since I learned on it and it still has the original (to me) edge, I should probably think about sending it out for honing, since I have yet to start down that rabbit hole. I am not sure where I want to send it though. Anyone have suggestions?

Everything else performed admirably today.


Other Thoughts
Last year Xeno PIFed me some lapping film. I also picked up a few practice razors. But, I took everyone's advice not to get started honing until I had more experience shaving with a straight. I think I am almost ready to start down that road. I just need to clear off the workbench in my basement and pick up some sort of base for the film.

Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you all have a great day and stellar shaves.
 
Great stuff Doug. A piece of marble tile cut into 3” sections works beautifully as a surface to put lapping film on. I had two, both of which broke when I moved, and have fallen off of honing so they haven’t been replaced yet
 
Nice read and shave Doug!

Really any smooth, flat, and hard surface will work with lapping film. As Eric stated above, a piece of marble will work. So will a smooth piece of ceramic tile or a piece of glass. Or you can even get small surface plates.
 
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