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

Natterings of a Nasal Barbarian

8A7BB41E-EF92-416A-B2A7-6FC280A259F8.jpegSOTD SATURDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

This morning’s shave featured my Hoshi Tombo 8000 [HT8] (Mug) and my Colonial Silversmith (Dome). The mug shave went well with my usual relaxed three passes. The HT8 is a wonderful shaver and reduced the mug whiskers down to a state of divine smoothness. This little razor works beautifully on the recalcitrant neck whiskers that swirl in every direction on either side of my Adam’s Apple. It is a highly maneuverable little razor that is a joy to shave with. The Colonial Silversmith and my Karve are my two favorite modern artisan DEs. I’ve owned the Tradere, the Timeless, H&S #75, and the Blackbird, all of which I’ve sold. It’s these two that deliver the best dome shave for me. And this morning’s two pass ATG Silversmith noggin shave checked all the boxes. I feel smooth, cool, clean and velveteen!

RAZOR: Hoshi Tombo 8000 (Mug), Colonial Silversmith (Noggin)
BLADE: Feather DE
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 brushsqueezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Osage Rub.
 
EF20B6C0-97D8-4BEF-8CCC-BF72BF784661.jpeg
SOTD SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

Arrived back home yesterday on a 4 1/2 flight from San Diego on the 20th anniversary of 911. Brought the bride and stepson out to see La Jolla, CA, where I grew up seven decades ago. Unfortunately, immunocompromised me promptly caught a breakthrough Delta Variant Covid infection on my second day there, which after my three Moderna inoculations felt like nothing more than a bad cold.

After masking up, I was able to share Balboa Park, the smelly La Jolla Seal Beach, and other old San Diego area hotspots, along with being graciously allowed by the new owners to tour the house I grew up in. It was really nice to shave with a straight razor again. In my rush to leave, I’d forgotten to pack my Tedalus, but did bring the Rex Ambassador which kept me clean and smooth during the six mornings of the trip.

While there, we had dinner with my old childhood tomboy best buddy and her husband. We reminisced about old times and how she was the first girl allowed on our Babe Ruth Little League team. The fact that her grandfather was a Rear Admiral definitely helped grease the wheels on her acceptance onto the team. She also had an incredible arm, and could throw farther and harder than any of us. She played shortstop and was an awesome infielder.

For this morning’s mug shave I selected my Dubl Duck Goldedge 11/16. The three pass shave was an absolute delight after missing six days of my regular morning straight razor shaves. Having the Traveling Wilbury’s “Handle with Care” playing in the background certainly contributed. The Karve OC F plate delivered its usual two pass ATG noggin accompaniment, and all was right with the world. I feel cool, fragrant, clean and velveteen.

RAZOR: Dubl Duck Goldedge 11/16 (Mug), Karve F_OC (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute with 26mm Manchurian White Badger Ferrule
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Canoe EdT and Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm.
 
240707AD-AFBD-4982-B917-02070B21A5AB.jpeg
SOTD MONDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

This morning I decided to have a full-on Japanese shave. My first Japanese silver steel straight razor was this wonderful Tanifuji Airi 11/16. It holds an amazing edge, and I never fail to have an excellent shave. It really feels good to be straight shaving my mug again, after a week with just a safety razor. Three very pleasant passes listening to that wonderful “Buttering Toast” refrain really set the tone for this morning’s mug shave. Of course, the Traveling Wilbury’s “End of the Line” playing in the background didn’t hurt.

The Feather AS-D2 was really one of the first all SS CNC-built, high end safety razors following on the earlier AS-D1, which was entirely too mild. The AS-D2 has been dismissed by too many impatient shave brothers and sisters as being much too mild a shaver as well. In fact, when equipped with a Feather blade, it’s probably one of the most efficient shaving safety razors on the planet. It just has a very narrow sweet spot, that once found, delivers an extremely close noggin shave as its two ATG passes did this morning. I feel, cool, clean and porcelain smooth!

RAZOR: Tanifuji Airi 11/16 (Mug), Feather AS-D2 (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Finest Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Pre de Provence Bergamot & Thyme AS Balm.
 
A9502C95-A6A9-4DBE-A017-005646B1BABA.jpegF590F617-71DB-4DD8-9BBF-AD6E78F718C0.jpeg5C0CD959-092F-4C4B-A104-DF74B628D0DF.jpeg
SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Well, the new Katsumi straight razor arrived from Ukraine yesterday. It is Andrey Shpakopsky of Gipson Razor’s homage to the Ryiuchi Saito SK series of razors. As an owner of a Saito SK3, I was intrigued with Andrey’s interpretation. It definitely is much heftier with a thicker grind. The razor weighs in at 86.5 grams with a half hollow grind. It has a blade length of 2. 3/4” and blade width of 14/13, slightly larger than 8/8. It is my largest modern artisan razor, and is one big honkin’ chunk of steel! Andrey stated that both spine and grind construction made this a very challenging build for him.

The mug shave went well, albeit with a much larger razor than I’m typically used to, excepting the Vintage E.A. Poe 8/8 Stubtail. Three passes and I was quite smooth. The razor feels good in hand, and the finish is well done. I enjoyed the shave, but did find the size and heft challenging to work with on my neck. I’ve lately begun collecting little 4/8 Swedish razors, and really enjoy how nimble they are coupled with that wonderful Sandvik (Rockwell 70) steel and the incredibly sharp edges they provide. The noggin shave with the Rex Ambassador ended with its usual two pass ATG dolphin smooth result. I feel cool, clean and very velveteen.

RAZOR: Gipson Katsumi 14/13 (Mug), Rex Ambassador (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute with 26mm Manchurian White Badger Knot
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Canoe EdT and Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm.
 
4EE01386-A9CD-4210-AB61-013355F483AB.png
SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

I recently picked up this little French frameback 6/8. RT&Ce is marked on the frame with LeCoultre N. 2 marked on the removable blade which on arrival showed little if any hone wear. The blade is removable through a slotted screw at the toe end of the spine. These razors were quite popular in France between 1850-60 according to the frameback collector I bought it from who mounted the fresh blade.

A quick run on the Chosera 1k set the bevel which was then finished on the 5k and 12k. For the purpose of overkill, I then took it to the 9 Ball Slate with some Smith’s honing oil, and finished by burnishing the edge to a mirror-like sheen on the Jasper under water until I got good stiction. Then to the Constroption and the Roo-skin strop. The blade passed the styrofoam peanut test all along the edge.

The three pass mug shave checked all the boxes. Incredibly smooth passes resulted in a glassine result. This is one of those shaves my hand will be returning to touch throughout the day. I really like this little razor. It’s a definitely a keeper. My faithful Rex Ambassador performed beautifully as usual as well, leaving my noggin porcelain smooth.

RAZOR: RT&Ce LeCoultre 6/8 Frameback (Mug), Rex Ambassador (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute with 26mm Manchurian White Badger Ferrule
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Canoe EdT and Krampert’s Frostbite AS.
 
49077B82-9591-4951-953E-0C345156A20C.jpeg
SOTD SEPTEMBER 16, THURSDAY MORNING, 2021

Decided to to switch to my alternative soap and associated balm, Nancy Boy Signature, for this morning’s shave. Nancy Boy Signature is the original formulation developed well over twenty years ago in San Francisco. It’s one of the best kept secrets in wet shaving as the company do no formal marketing , but rely entirely on word of mouth for their advertising.

They have three shaving soap formulations, Sinature, Replenishing and Sandalwood, their newest. None of the soaps have strong scents as they feature only natural, skin-friendly ingredients. All I’ll say is that I've never heard any negatives back after referring someone there in the decade or so since I’ve been using it. This and MWF are really the only two soaps I use.

The Rigarazor 7/8 came out to play for this morning’s mug shave. Shortly after purchasing it over a year ago, I dropped it, not at that time being used to larger razors, and chipped the blade. I removed the chip on my 600k DMT, and then reset the bevel on my Naniwa progression through 12k. The shave was acceptable, but it wasn’t until I touched it up on the 9 Ball slate that I understood why people are so enamored of these razors. Three smooth passes put the baby to bed.

The dome shave featured one of my more aggressive vintage safety razors, the Eclipse Red Ring. In 1889 James Neill & Co was founded, becoming one of the important steel players in Sheffield, UK, while the brand Eclipse was born in 1909. Their interest was in tools and magnets. The name Eclipse comes from a very special horse owned by one of the sons of King George II, Duke of Cumberland, which happened to be born during a solar eclipse in 1764.

James Neill, a possible horse fancier, manufactured the one metal razor, the Eclipse Red Ring in the early 1930s until the factory was destroyed in WWII, although his son went on to manufacture a Bakelite razor later in the decade, but that’s a different story.

The razor is both adjustable by twisting the base of the handle and contains a magnet at the base of the handle for picking up razor blades, quite an innovative design for its time. The shave it delivers to my noggin is always extremely close, as it was this morning. I feel cool, clean and oh-so-velveteen!

RAZOR: Rigarazor 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 24mm Hybrid Knot Ferrule.
SOAP: Nancy Boy Signature Scent
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Nancy Boy Signature Scent AS Balm.
 
2D274C7D-86ED-4AB2-A6DC-882DBE4C0F22.png
SOTD FRIDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

Today’s mug shave featured my very early cast steel French Point Boker. This little 5/8 cast steel Sheffield bladed Boker dates to well before the German Import Act of the early 1890s heavily tariffing the import of British Sheffield steel. Although this softer steel does require a touch up more frequently than some of the more modern steels, after a run through the constroption and too-skin bench strop never fails to deliver a buttery smooth edge. Three passes left yours truly’s mug porcelain smooth.

My Gillette Big Fellow (1920) dates to the second year of production and is one safety razor whose heft always feels good in hand. The Viking Silvertip Badger whipped up the delightful, yogurty noggin lather that always feels good on the dome. This morning for a slight change of pace, I shaved the sides of my noggin with the little Boker. The shave was quite close, but the wrist and shoulder movements were a bit much. I happily grabbed the Big Fellow and finished off the back and the top of my dome I two ATG passes. I also needed to clean up the sides. All in all a great shave leaving me in my desired state of velveteen smoothness.

RAZOR: Boker French Point 5/8 (Mug), Gillette Big Fellow (Dome)
BLADE: Kai DE
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 a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Royall Lyme AS/Cologne
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top