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Natterings of a Nasal Barbarian

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SOTD SATURDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 17, 2020

There’s nothing like waking up to a lovely, sunny morning, and looking forward to a vintage shave with a particular vintage straight razor! This mid 19th century French Point Boker was beautifully restored by Glen Mercurio (@gssixgun) who cleaned up the blade, repaired the chipped edge and finished it on an Escher Thuringian. This morning’s three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) mug shave definitely belongs in the “WOW” category.

My dome shave was every bit as good. The two pass (ATG, ATG) noggin shave my early production (1920) Gillette Big Fellow delivered was every bit as good! And this is one of the reasons I love this hobby of ours! A 170 year old straight and a 100 year old safety razor delivered a professional barber-close shave that really can’t be matched by the plastic multi-blade toys currently in vogue. I feel refreshed, clean and velveteen!

RAZOR: Boker French Point 5/8 (Mug), Gillette Big Fellow Early Production [1920] OT Head (Dome)
BLADE: Feather
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute w/ 26mm Two Band Badger Ferrule
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys WH. Finished with Osage Rub.
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SOTD SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 18, 2020

Well the jury’s out after three shaves, this French Point UK Sheffield Steel Manhattan Cutlery straight razor is an incredible razor. A true whisker-melting shaver that arrived ‘shave ready’ a month or so ago. After the first shave, I finished it on the UF side of my jasper stone with water, and the difference between the two shaves was notable. My relaxing three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) mug shave this morning was to Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lune‘ ‘’. I then stropped the Feather FAS-10 in my Valet Auto Strop Model VC3 forty strokes. The dome shave was also a pleasure and left me this morning feeling very smooth, clean and velveteen.

RAZOR: Manhattan Cutlery Sheffield 13/16 (Mug), Valet Auto Strop Model VC3 (Dome)
BLADE: Feather FAS-10 Carbon Steel
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: Viking Silvertip Badger
CREAM: Lush Prince
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Old Spice AS Splash.
 
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SOTD MONDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 19, 2020

I’m really enjoying my shaves with these early 19th century Sheffield razors. Setting the bevel on this wavy Frederick Reynolds 5/8 was a challenge, but the two pass mug (WTG, ATG) shave this morning was well worth it. The buttery smooth edge made short work of my 24 hour stubble. I realize given the closeness of these shaves that I could easily get away with shaving every other day, but I just enjoy the process too much. My Ever Ready Streamline took care of my dome shave leaving me with the expected velveteen smoothness I’ve come to treasure in the mornings. I feel refreshed, limey-clean and velveteen!

RAZOR: Frederick Reynolds 5/8 (Mug), Ever Ready Streamline (Dome)
BLADE: Pella PTFE Coated Gem
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: JR #372 Boar
CREAM: Castle Forbes Lime
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Royall Lyme AS Splash/Cologne
 
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SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 20, 2020

Today’s shave was brushless. I realize it may not be politically correct to say this, but Cremo brushless shave cream is successful for good reasons. It is a very slick formula, truly concentrated, and provides the kind of thin, very slick surface that is ideal for straight shaving. I reapplied it for each of my two (WTG, ATG) mug passes, but could easily have just wet the original shave surface again as the slickness in this cream is remarkably persistent as I discovered later with my dome shave.

I’m very glad I acquired this C-Mon Special straight razor. It really holds an edge and sings as it shaves. Vintage razors sometimes arrive with eccentricities. The tip of the blade on this razor needs to be carefully guided back into the scales, but that’s no issue for me as I routinely close each razor carefully after drying and oiling it. The shave was everything I could have hoped for, and my dome shave hit all the same buttons!

The safety razor I selected for my noggin shave was my favorite shaving Gillette safety razor, the New LC. It is so comfortable and efficient to shave with. I spread the Cremo for my first pass (ATG) pass which was so close that I just needed to wet my troublesome areas at the sides and on the back of the dome for a bit of selective buffing. I discovered that wetting the area recovered all the slickness necessary to complete the shave in very short order. I feel refreshed, velveteen smooth, and clean!

RAZOR: C-Mon Special 11/16 (Mug), Gillette New LC (Dome)
BLADE: Sharp Star
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
CREAM: Cremo Cooling Shave Cream
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Krampert’s Frostbite AS Splash.
 
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SOTD WEDNESDAY , OCTOBER 21, 2020

Great shave this morning with two of my guaranteed great shaving blade holders. The Feather DX Barber’s razor coupled with my FrankenFamex [Famex head on ATT Atlas handle] combined to deliver the level of closeness I desire, albeit with a new shave soap, PAA CK6 Scentless heavily dosed with peppermint oil. The lather was slick, but I’m still not sure about post shave skin feel. What I do know is I feel smooth, clean and velveteen. Enjoy your day!

RAZOR: Feather DX (Mug) FrankenFamex [Famex head, ATT Atlas handle] (Dome)
BLADE: Feather AC Proguard (Mug), Feather DE (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Monster Tuxedo Synth
SOAP: PAA CK6 Scentless dosed w/ Peppermint Oil
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin Soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Jeris Osage Rub.
 
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SOTD SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 25, 2020

Although the morning was a bit gloomy and cold, the shave certainly was not. My usual shave prep consists of a bracing, cold water rinse followed by an Argan Oil scrub. This is then followed by brush application of the MWF bloom water to the shave surfaces. The MWF paste follows, and is face and head lathered into the lanolin-rich, protective carpet that leaves behind post shave the incredible skin feel this legendary shave soap is renowned for.The shave proved to be awesome. I attribute it to a combination of both tools and technique.

At TSD the ‘technique trumps tools’ mantra is the theme new 30DC crew members are taught, and there is a great deal of truth inherent in the saying. Good technique is the mainstay of decent, acceptable shaves with basic tools. However, every craftsman will readily admit that the best tools yield better results, or else why is there so much interest in the best DE blade, the best safety razor design, the optimal knot characteristics, the best cream/soap, or the best best edge on our open edge tools. The beauty of this hobby of ours, is its subjective nature! We qualify every review/assessment with YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

In that spirit I found this morning’s shave to be exemplary. The Puma 5/8’s jasper stone finished edge was a true delight to shave with. My son has a huge honing stone collection, everything from synthetic water stones, natural water stones, oil stones, slates, jnats, and dry ceramic stones. There are probably many that would provide a better edge, but I like the mug shaves from my jasper stone edges on all my straight razors.. My dome shave with my Supply 2.0 safety razor was every bit as good. Daily shaves with my straight razors and safety razors have definitely improved my technique, but focusing on acquiring the best shave tools has also paid off. I feel cool, clean and smoothly velveteen.

RAZOR: Puma Solingen 5/8 (Mug), SS Supply 2.0 (Dome)
BLADE: Schick Twinjector
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH and Chiseled Face Natural AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.
 
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SOTD MONDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 26, 2020

A number of other straight shavers on the oldest online straight shaving forum, SRP, believe MWF conditions the skin to resist weeps during the shaving process, attributing it to the healthy amount of lanolin in the product. I don't know whether it’s just hearsay, but I do know that when I’ve been using the product regularly, weeps, if they occur, tend to disappear. Does MWF somehow enhance clotting? I don’t know, but I do know that when used regularly, and followed with alum bar application that there is always little, if any, heat post shave.

For today’s mug shave I selected my NOS Witte Copperhead 6/8. When I received the razor, there was a cryptic note in the enclosing coffin box, “Honed by Henerey 1939”. There was a bevel established, as to whether it was attributable to long dead Henerey’s work, who knows? It did shave hair, but examination under my USB microscope revealed it could use some finishing. My jasper stone with a series of successively diluted slurries on the rough side worked it’s magic. Final finish was on the UF side under water until the blade was sticking. The smooth, buttery edge on this razor has held up and been maintained with pasted linen followed by leather stropping.

For my dome shave I selected my Blackland Tradere safety razor. My Omega Pro48 boar brush is just a terrific lather building tool. It’s well broken in and has that perfect combination of softness and backbone that makes this wet shaving hobby of ours so pleasurable! Three slow, MWF-lather-rich, mug passes (WTG, ATG, XTG) coupled with two dome passes (ATG, ATG) put the baby to bed. I always immediately follow my MWF shaves with a cold water wash with the brush squeezings which I leave on my shave surfaces while cleaning up. Today’s shave finished with Humphreys Lilac WH and Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite AS splash. I feel refreshed, cool, clean and very smoothly velveteen!

RAZOR: Witte Copperhead Solingen 6/8 (Mug), Blackland Tradere (Dome)
BLADE: Sharp Star
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil scrub
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite AS Splash.
 
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SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 27, 2020

I was up early today. I selected my Dubl Duck Goldedge for today’s mug shave along with my SS DLC coated RazoRock Lupo for the dome, two razors that never disappoint. And they certainly didn’t this morning. The one lb. Rearden Razor 316L SS Tuxedo Synthetic brush gives heft in one’s hand new meaning. With the three lb ankle weight strapped to my left forearm, I got a decent workout during the lathering process. The brush generated that yogurty lather that leaves my face and dome feeling great post shave. Three passes (WTG, ATG, XTG) for the mug and two (ATG, ATG) for the dome left me feeling cool, velveteen smooth and refreshed!

RAZOR: Dubl Duck Goldedge 11/16 (Mug), SS DLC Coated RazoRock Lupo (Dome)
BLADE: Sharp Star (2)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rearden Razor 316L SS Tuxedo Synth
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm.
 
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SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 28, 2020

Took my newly acquired Shumate 5/8 razor for its first shave this morning. There were some serious chips mid edge that had apparently sidelined this razor. Shumates were made in St. Louis from 1901 to 1932 until the first few years of the Great Depression killed their business. Owners seem uniformly positive, however, about their shaveability. After some serious bread-knifing on my 320k DMT steel diamond plate the chips were removed. After bevel set and finishing on my jasper stone, hairs were a poppin’. Following a good soaking of the CK6 Scentsless soap in concentrated organic Peppermint oil, my JR Rosewood Two Band Badger generated a decent lather, not MWF quality, but acceptable. Although small and light in hand, the shave went very well! I like this razor. My NOS Gold MMOC sheared away my dome whiskers in complementary fashion. I feel velveteen smooth, cool and clean!

RAZOR: Shumate 5/8 (Mug), NOS MMOC Safety Razor (Dome)
BLADE: Astra Platinum (1)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil scrub
BRUSH: JR Rosewood Two Band Badger
SOAP: PAA Scentsless CK6 w/ Concentrated Peppermint Oil Added
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Osage Rub.
 
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SOTD THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 29, 2020

My son has 182 straight razors in his collection, 93 of whose blades are Japanese silver steel or Yasuki steel. I have a much smaller collection - all are users - but three are Japanese silver steel. The razor selected for today’s mug shave is a Tanifuji Airi. The jasper edge is a joy to shave with, and is amazingly sharp, yet still buttery smooth. Some on the dedicated straight forums describe ‘whisker-meltin’ edges and this razor definitely possesses one. This morning’s three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) shave felt like I was just brushing away the rich MWF lather.

There appeared to be a slight weeper after my second mug pass, but it disappeared after I applied the lather for my third and final pass. That’s one of the benefits of MWF that is a feature of its consistent use. It truly conditions one’s skin with long-term use. Of course, it possesses a clean, mild soapy scent, and not one of the strong scents so popular with most wet-shavers. It’s these very differences of opinion that makes this hobby of ours so enjoyable. As a daily shaver, I use MWF generally about 4 out of 7 shaves a week. Creams are a different story!

My dome shave starred my Ronson safety razor! It was developed for proprietary blades in the very early 30s (1931), but works beautifully with Schick Proline Injector blades, although it is admittedly a bit fiddly to set up. Although a bit top heavy, that is not a problem and works beautifully for me. It is a surprisingly capable little safety razor, and one I’m proud to own. It delivered an extremely close dome shave in two ATG passes. I feel cool, clean and smoothly velveteen!

RAZOR: Tanifuji Airi 11/16 (Mug), Ronson Safety Razor (Dome)
BLADE: Schick Proline Injector (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Knurled Aluminum Hybrid Knot #007
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Krampert’s Frostbite AS Splash.
 
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