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Natterings of a Nasal Barbarian

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SOTD MONDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 14, 2020

Today’s mug shave will feature one of the two Thistle Cut Co. straight razors I own. The first Persian model is a bit beat and on its way to Glen Mercurio for scale shortening and his usual vintage razor spa treatment. This model is in excellent shape for a 120-130 year old razor and represents one of the best kept secrets in the vintage straight razor world. It’s all about the steel grasshopper! There are better known central New York makers that command higher prices (ie Case and Genco), but the extremely fine grained steel in these blades can take an edge second to none, according to one expert restorer who shall remain nameless. He informed me that they can take and hold a 30k Shapton edge that is truly whisker melting. Well you know I had to try!

After examining the edge under my USB microscope, it was apparent that there was a rudimentary bevel that was uneven and inconsistent. The blade was a bit wavy and the seller complained that he could never get a decent edge. $15 and a brand new $5 Gold Dollar and it was mine. The razor failed Dr Matt’s Tilt ‘n Wobble test which would have resulted in shoulder and/or spine metal removal to restore it to flatness by one of his adherents of which I am not one. Being retired and a long time custom knife collector, I’ve decades of knife sharpening experience where finding the proper sharpening angle could sometimes be a challenge. The beauty of sharpening (ie honing) a straight razor is that the angle is built in.

Being retired and not a professional honer where time is money, I have the luxury of time to assess my honing progress. Last night I traveled to my son’s workshop and made use of his Shapton series progression from 1k through 30k on this razor. In conjunction with my laptop and USB microscope, I first reset the bevel on the Shapton 1k by honing, stopping and reexamining, and then returning to the hone until I had a balanced even bevel along the entire length of the blade which passed the Lynn Abrams thumb pad test. As I worked my way up the stone progression through to 30k I followed the same methodology. The result was a gleaming mirror-like edge which I then stropped on chromeox pasted linen followed by .25 and .1 diamond sprayed linen, finishing on leather.

I passed on my usual dome shave this morning to give my scalp a chance to heal from the savage drubbing it took from my French Spadson safety razor yesterday whose top cap I repaired last night on my son’s belt grinder. After my shower this morning I whipped up the nice, thin, slick MWF lather I like for my mug shaves. I can honestly say that it felt like I was just brushing the lather away during my shave. There was no burning toast melody, just a series of my usual sweeping WTG strokes on that first pass leaving behind a smooth almost whisker-free surface. The same held true for the following ATG and XTG passes that followed. I now understand ‘whisker-melting sharp’!!! I feel clean and unbelievably velveteen!

RAZOR: Thistle Cut 5/8
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Viking Silvertip Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Old Spice Fresh Lime.
 
064AEF11-ED41-4ACA-A01E-A058932A4A7B.jpegSOTD TUESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 15

After my great mug shave yesterday with the Thistle Cut 5/8, I was curious to see if it was a fluke, or just wishful thinking. So I stropped the razor, and discovered there’s something about a 30k Shapton edge that is truly special. The razor blazed through my stubble above the jawline in two passes (WTG, ATG). The additional XTG pass below the jawline sealed the deal and put the baby to bed. It was one of those mug shaves that one finds themself reaching up and touching the shave surface hours afterward, amazed at the velveteen smoothness achieved. After my run in with the French Spadson two days ago, I debated with myself about holding off for another day. My shave-crazy side won. I grabbed my Colonial General V2, removed the Feather Super blade and replaced it with a Feather Proguard blade. Given the amount of irritated scalp, I took it very slow and easy ending up with a decent shave. I happily settled for it. I feel refreshed, clean and acceptably smooth on the dome and velveteen smooth on my mug!

RAZOR: Thistle Cut 5/8 (Mug), Colonial General V2 (Dome)
BLADE: Feather Proguard AC
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Aluminum Monster Tuxedo Synth
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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SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 16, 2020

After two amazing shaves with my newly acquired, pristine Thistle Cut 5/8, I needed to see how the shave compared to my current favorite, the Sheffield Steel Manhattan Cutlery French Point (MCFP) 13/16. The Thistle is an awesome shaver, but there’s just something about how the MCFP feels in hand, and I like the accessibility the French Point gives me in outlining around my unusually shaped goatee. In any case, my heart still belongs to the 200 plus grand old lady. After stropping, the mug shave was a three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) delight. Since my tussle with the French Spadson, I pulled out the much more forgiving, and incredibly efficient LaResche 51 and experienced the kind of dome shave I enjoy. Since my scalp is still in the middle of the healing process, I selected a Sharp Star for my noggin shave. As far as DE blades go, it is efficient, but nowhere near as sharp as my usual Feather DE. The resulting shave, despite my concerns, just about reached the desired velveteen level. I left a bit of stubble around some of the more abraded areas in the back of my dome. I feel clean, smooth and refreshed with my better than expected dome shave. The LaResche 51 is a true precision tool.

RAZOR: Manhattan Cutlery 13/16 (Mug), LaResche 51 (Dome)
BLADE: Sharp Star DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute with 26mm Two Band Badger Ferrule
CREAM: Castle Forbes Lime Essential Oil
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Royall Lyme AS/Cologne.
 
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SOTD THURSDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 17, 2020

Believe it or not, my long awaited package from Glen Mercurio containing two newly restored straight razors arrived yesterday. Of course I had to shave with the restored Wade & Butcher 7/8 this morning. I’ll shave with the other tomorrow. Glen finished it on his Escher, and the edge was truly sweet! The pseudo Barber’s notch looks to have been installed post manufacture high and small enough not to interfere with the edge’s temper. The shave was an excellent three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) that left yours truly velveteen smooth.

I transferred the Sharp Star blade from the LaResche 51 to the LaResche 77 for its second and final two pass (ATG, ATG) shave this morning which surprisingly left my dome velveteen smooth. The LaResche 77 is a remarkably efficient model that gently and effectively sheared all stubble, even that around the formerly damaged Spadson areas in the back of my dome right down to the velveteen bliss level. I feel refreshed, clean and truly velveteen again for the first time in several days! It's back to my regular Feather DE for my dome shave tomorrow.

RAZOR: Wade & Butcher 7/8 (Mug), LaResche 77 (Dome)
BLADE: Sharp Star
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Aluminum Handle Monster Tuxedo Synth
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by HumphreysLilac WH. Finished with Williams Aqua Velva AS Splash (Spanish Version)
 
jgreenepa said:
The LaResche 77 is a remarkably efficient model that gently and effectively sheared all stubble,
Click to expand...
I love razors that can do both. I have an Aristocrat that fills the bill.

What was your snowfall, Jeff? In the Pittsburgh region we got about a foot, depending on where you live.
 
Graybeard57 said:
I love razors that can do both. I have an Aristocrat that fills the bill.

What was your snowfall, Jeff? In the Pittsburgh region we got about a foot, depending on where you live.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Bruce! We have 11” of very heavy sleety snow. I’m currently waiting on my son to plow us out!
 
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SOTD FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 18, 2020

My oldest son has been shaving with straight razors for over two decades, and in that time has built a huge straight razor collection. He gifted me with what looked like just an ordinary razor. It had been sitting in his to-be-worked-on drawer waiting for scales. The old bone scales were chipped and needed replacement. He has what he believes is a complete collection of their offerings from 4/8 - 7/8. This was the 4/8 that went into the lend/lease program. He gets it back whenever I transition to the other side of the grass. In any case, it went to the master, Glen Mercurio, for a new set of scales along with a Wade & Butcher 7/8 that I shaved with yesterday.

Simmons Hardware Co. was an American cutlery company based in St. Louis Missouri. Best known for their “Keen Kutter” brand, they were in business from 1868-1960. This razor was produced in the very early 1900’s according to my son. He really likes the brand and is a real fan of the steel’s edge holding ability. Glen finished this razor on an Escher. After shaving with it, I understand why my son is such a fan. The razors were primarily made for the barbering trade, and were advertised for their edge holding capability. I can’t speak to that yet, but can say that the shave was excellent! This is my first 4/8 size blade, and I really like its maneuverability.

The rehandled Pro48 Boar easily generated the two types of MWF lather I like. For my dome shave I selected one of my top two Gem shavers, the MMOC, the other being my Ever Ready Streamline. The MMOC cleaned away my dome stubble with aplomb, and left me feeling refreshed, clean and smoothly velveteen. Another great shave in the books! Rather than spend money on new straights, I think I’ll just raid my son’s collection. I tried for his Hoshi Tonbo 8000, but got nowhere! Christmas is just around the corner, and being a grand master of Guilt-Jitsu, I’ll appeal to how happy he’ll make his poor, old decrepit father in his final days! We’ll see!

RAZOR: Simmons Hardware 4/8 (Mug), Gem Micromatic OC (Dome)
BLADE: Pella PTFE Gem
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Sapele/Resin Handled Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH and Osage Rub.
 
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SOTD SATURDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 19, 2020

I so enjoyed my shave the morning before last, that I stropped the new W&B 7/8 and proceeded to have another exemplary three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) shave with this nicely sized razor. I really like the heft in hand. My two pass (ATG, ATG) dome shave with a Feather Super loaded into my faithful Colonial General V2 was every bit as good! My scalp is healed, and I feel clean, velveteen smooth and refreshed on this bright sunny cold day in the Philadelphia suburbs!

RAZOR: Wade & Butcher 7/8 (Mug), Colonial General V2 (Dome)
BLADE: Feather Super AC
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Sapele/Resin Handled Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH and Osage Rub. Finished with Pre de Provence Bergamot & Thyme Balm.
 
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SOTD SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 20, 2020

My youngest grandson, Nate (age 3), is coming over to make Kifli, an Austrian-Hungarian killer pastry cookie, with his grandfather and grandmother this afternoon. So, despite the gloomy weather, I pulled out two of my favorite shavers, my Eclipse Red Ring safety razor for the dome, and my R. Saito SK3 7/8 smiling straight razor for the mug! After building my two usual MWF lathers, I launched right into a slow, leisurely three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) mug shave. The Saito is such a great razor to shave with. It always feels like I’m just scooping away the lather with this razor. I took my time, and ended up with a velveteen smooth face. The Red Ring is an incredibly efficient safety razor as well. It is easily the equivalent of my R41 without the same blade feel. Two pleasant passes (ATG, ATG) left my dome exactly the way I like it. This was such a great shave I may repeat it tomorrow with my lime software. I feel clean, velveteen and refreshed.

RAZOR: R. Saito SK3 7/8 (Mug), Eclipse Red Ring (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute with 26mm Two Band Badger Ferrule
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Pre de Provence Bergamot & Thyme Balm.
 
jgreenepa said:
My youngest grandson, Nate (age 3), is coming over to make Kifli, an Austrian-Hungarian killer pastry cookie, with his grandfather and grandmother this afternoon.
Click to expand...
What fun! It’s always a good time when cookies are involved!

Gonna have to look these Kifli up!
 
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SOTD MONDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 21, 2020

After yesterday’s great shave with the Saito SK3 and Eclipse Red Ring, I decided on another Japanese straight razor shave. Instead of the Saito, I selected the NOS Diamond Hayashi 1000 6/8 and decided to stick with the Eclipse! Since I was in the mood for a lime shave, I chose my Castle Forbes Lime shave cream. The dome and mug shaves were excellent and left me feeling refreshed, clean, and velveteen smooth. The finish with the Royal Lyme AS was the icing on the cake!

RAZOR: Diamond Hayashi 1000 6/8 (Mug), Eclipse Red Ring (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE (2)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Monster Tuxedo Synth
CREAM: Castle Forbes Lime
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin Soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Royal Lyme AS/Cologne.
 
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SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 22, 2020

Today ended my Japanese straight razor mug shaving streak. I own three, and have already shaved with my R. Saito SK3 7/8 and Diamond Hayashi 6/8. Today’s shave was with the first Japanese razor I ever acquired, the Tanifuji Airi 11/16. I also selected the 2011 Muhle R41 safety razor with the Weber handle for my dome shave. After my shower, the heavy (15 oz) 316L SS Tuxedo Synth whipped up the two lathers I enjoy. Two sessions, one on Chromeox pasted and the other on 0.1 diamond sprayed linen, followed by a leather stropping had the Tanifuji in fine fettle. What a lovely three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) mug shave! The Rearden Razor SS brush felt great during the face lathering process for the mug, and easily generated enough bowl lather for three dome shaves. I really like this knot. The two pass (ATG, ATG) dome shave was uneventful, and only differed from the two prior Eclipse Red Ring shaves in having more blade feel which was not a bad thing. I enjoyed the deftness of the Eclipse in my two preceding shaves, but the raw efficient weightiness of the R41 in this morning’s shave was every bit as enjoyable. I feel clean, smoothly velveteen and refreshed.

RAZOR: Tanifuji Airi 11/16 (Mug), 2011 Muhle R41 with Weber Bulldog Handle (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE (1)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with 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 and Osage Rub.
 
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