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Natterings of a Nasal Barbarian

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SOTD MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

Today I shaved my mug with a Swedish Faux Frameback 4/8 that dates to between the 1880s- 1890s. These razors marked the point just prior to the appearance of Swedish hollow ground razors. The Faux frameback was a thin solid piece of steel to which an external spine was attached. I know a lot of folk like these razors, but I find the shave to be much less refined than the later hollow ground Swedish razors. Yes it gets the job done, but it is a much cruder shaving tool than a hollow ground straight IMHO. Three passes got the job done, but the shave just wasnā€™t as refined as say my Klas Tornblom 4/8 which is hollow ground and definitely provides a more comfortable, closer shave.

A few years ago the 2011 Muhle R41 safety razor would be described as extremely aggressive and terms like ā€œbeastā€ were bandied about in describing it. Honestly, I believe the original handle the razor came with didnā€™t help matters. I was never happy with the grip it provided. My solution was to swap in a Weber Bulldog handle which made a great difference weight and balance-wise in hand for me. I find the razor to be an incredibly efficient dome shaver that when equipped with a sharp DE blade like a Feather leaves my dome velveteen smooth as it did this morning. In fact, my dome shave was without doubt closer and smoother than the mug shave this morning.

RAZOR: CW Dahlgren 4/8 Faux Frameback (Mug), Muhle 2011 R41 Weber Bulldog Handle
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
CREAM: PSC Caffeinated Shaving Cream
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with PSC Caffeinated AS Balm.
 
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SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 26, 2021

The shaves during OC October have been pretty awesome with the exception of yesterdayā€™s shave. I guess Iā€™m just not a fan of late nineteenth century Swedish faux framebacks. I own two, the CW Dahlgren I shaved with yesterday and a JA Hellberg. Both get the job done, but just donā€™t seem to deliver the kind of refined shave that my hollow grounds do. They both feel much too light in hand for me.

This morningā€™s mug shave fell right back in the groove. One razor with great steel, that also feels great in hand and holds an excellent edge is my full hollow ground Thistle Cut 5/8. It sailed through my mug whiskers floating on that slick MWF lather I like so much in 2 1/2 passes with that last half pass consisting of scything strokes on my neck. I finished up with some final flatblading which left me oh-so-smooth.

The dome shave that followed featured my FrankenFamex. This particular razor consists of an ATT Atlas handle, my second Famex baseplate, and a Rockwell top cap. It is much heftier in hand than itā€™s more thoroughbred regular Famex cousin, thanks to the beefier handle. I adjusted it for a more efficient cut, and the two ATG passes checked all the boxes leaving my noggin cool, clean and velveteen smooth.

RAZOR: Thistle Cut 5/8 (Mug), FrankenFamex (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: JSpartan Sapele/Resin Handled Pro48 Omega Boar
SOAP: Mitchellā€™s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Royall Lyme AS/Cologne.
 
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SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 27, 2021

Really enjoyed my mug shave this morning. My Dubl Duck Goldedge 11/16 is an amazing shaver that I have sadly neglected. It handily cleared away my mug stubble in three passes. The brush my son made for me performed beautifully. The Silvertip Badger fan knot felt really good on both my mug and noggin as it spread the slick MWF lather across the shave surfaces. The Valet VC1 fitted with a new despined and modified Gem blade was just as capable following the mug shave and left my noggin smooth and clean after two ATG passes.

RAZOR: Dubl Duck Goldedge 11/16 (Mug), Valet Autostrop VC1 (Dome)
BLADE: Pella PTFE Gem
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: BG Silvertip Badger
SOAP: Mitchellā€™s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Fine Platinum AS Splash.
 
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SOTD THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 28, 2021

As we wind down on OC October, I decided to pull out some classics for this morningā€™s mug and noggin shaves. One of the first razors I acquired was this Puma 88. I was looking for a round toed 5/8 and this razor was offered up in trade a few years ago for two of my Gillette TTOs, a Super Speed and a Blue Tip. As far as I was concerned we both came away happy. The edge on this hollow ground Solingen blade is superb, and two and a half passes with some final flatblading this morning attested to this fact, leaving me porcelain smooth.

I always enjoy shaving with this Gem Model 1912. Thereā€™s just something about the great-looking Art Deco handle and itā€™s heft in hand that just feels right to me. I enjoy my DEs, but really like the rigidity a Gem blade provides. Blade chatter isnā€™t a concept that makes sense with respect to Gems, injector or AC blades, and is the reason I dumped the Blue Tip and Super Speed. The only DEs I have all clamp the blade well and still any chatter. This little vintage razor put the baby to bed on my noggin in two silent ATG passes, leaving me velveteen smooth from shoulders to dome.

RAZOR: Puma 88 5/8 (Mug), Gem Model 1912
BLADE: Pella PTFE Gem
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: JR Rosewood Silvertip Badger
SOAP: Mitchellā€™s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Fine Lavender Pour Homme AS Splash.
 
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