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

808618B1-1363-4120-8C67-C2160D2FE8D1.jpeg
SOTD MONDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 15, 2021

This morning I broke out the last of my four Japanese razors, the Hoshi Tombo 8000. This folding Kamisori blade is a symmetrical hollow grind that feels great in hand and holds an amazingly buttery smooth, sharp edge. Although it didn’t need it, last night I touched it up on the 9 Ball Slate and the Schlecter constroption with its four sides of graduated pastes. Then 40 on the roo-skin bench strop, and all was right with the world. There’s something about straight razors with shorter length blades (shorties) and my Swedish 4/8 razors that seems perfect for my neck whiskers, the bane of many straight shavers.

My old man neck whiskers swirl in a clockwise direction on either side of my Adam’s Apple (AA). Getting these areas as smooth as I’d like is a real challenge with longer straight razor blades, and much easier with my Shorties and Swedes which are more maneuverable in my arthritic hands. My touchup last night yielded a whisker destroying two and a half pass masterpiece mug shave this morning. It felt like I was just scooping away the MWF lather with each stroke resulting in a progressively smoother and smoother runway. Shorties seem perfect for the challenging scything strokes on each side of the AA, which left only a hint of stubble for a few flatblading scoops to complete the total velveteenization of my mug.

After that great mug shave, I needed a comparable noggin shave, and since I’d only shaved yesterday with my favorite vintage safety razor, the G.E. Jones Shake Sharp, I reached for the best adjustable in my den, the Rex Ambassador. Matt Pisarcik, its developer, prototyped it initially in 2016-2017 in brass based on his extensive safety razor repair background which had led to a deep understanding of adjustable safety razor design. The razor was announced for pre-orders at Big Shave West in 2017 and rolled out by the last two quarters of that year. All Rex Ambassadors have a unique serial number and are constructed from stainless steel in a CNC manufacturing process. My razor dates to 2019, and despite an initial hiccup, which Matt remedied on his dime, is a tremendous shaver. It completed the velveteenization of your very pleased narrator’s noggin in two ATG passes on 6 and 4 respectively.

RAZOR: Hoshi Tombo 8000 6/8 (Mug), Rex Ambassador (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Williams Aqua Velva (Spanish Version)
 
90F089B9-7017-44E0-9D53-A8D35546AF2B.png
SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 16, 2021

It was definitely time to pull out some long-neglected shaving tools this morning. Ever since acquiring the Tedalus Essence, just an amazing barber’s razor, I’ve been neglecting my formerly stalwart Feather DX. It definitely fits into the shorty open edge shaver category as does the Tedalus. As I’ve said in earlier posts, I really like shorties. And the Feather DX has never let me down on that score. A friend from down under, Russell, is responsible for my adoption of the Feather Super blade. It is the hands-down, sharpest, closest cutting AC blade available, and this morning’s two and a half pass mug shave was a delight leaving my face clean and porcelain smooth.

I enjoy using safety razors of both the DE and SE varieties, although if I have my druthers, I tend to tip in the SE direction. The modern G.E. Jone Shake Sharp is probably my favorite, although it is in a rather unique category all its own as it uses DE blades. My preferred injector blade shaver is the modern Supply razor, followed closely by the vintage Schick E Type. Now my favorite injector blade is the Schick Twinblade which works in the Supply and L Type and later injector razors. The silver-plated Paul Revere L Type was a promotion between Schick and International Silver during the 1971-76 period. I really like the long handle, and when fitted with a Gillette Injector Twinblade always delivers a two pass ATG velveteen result as it did this morning.

RAZOR: Feather DX (Mug), Schick “Paul Revere” L Type (Dome)
BLADE: Feather Super AC (Mug), Schick Injector Twinblade (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE LE Knurled Aluminum Handle Hybrid Knot #007
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Lilac Vegetal.
 
4FE44B3F-13D0-4DAB-AEFB-73D30467B6DE.jpeg
SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

A honemeister friend recommended Thistle Cut razors to me about a year or so ago. The fine grained steel holds an amazing edge he said! So I went out on the big auction site and found this razor at that time. When it arrived, the blade was black with tarnish and rust. Some industrious cleanup revealed a blade logo complete with a name and embossed scimitar. I was the proud owner of a Thistle “Persian”. Thistle Cutlery, according to a reputable B&B source was in business between 1890-1917. They were initially based in New York and later moved to Fremont, Ohio. Persian/Middle Eastern themes were popular in this country during the first two decades of the company’s existence, placing this particular blade between about 1890-1910.

In any case a trip through my Shapton progression and a finish on my Jasper stone put a very nice buttery smooth edge on it. The original horn scales were still in decent condition. The mug shaves this little razor delivered were every bit as good as advertised. So good, in fact, that I went out and acquired a second Thistle. As time passed, I debated whether to send my little “Persian” off for a western beauty treatment, but I’ve come to appreciate the patina on the blade. This little century old razor has character! A touch up on my Swaty and constroption last night yielded an amazingly two and a half pass shave. This blade is so exquisitely sharp, that it left very little stubble on either side of my Adam’s Apple for flatblading cleanup.

Following that great mug shave, I grabbed my Gibbs Adjustable #17 for today’s dome shave. Gibbs razors were made by Thibaud Gibbs & Co. in Paris and Brussels in the 1930s. They are renowned for the smoothness of the shave they deliver, and served as one of the design influences for the modern Rex Ambassador (RA). Like the Gibbs, the RA has a 6 position adjustment dial. The modern DE end tabs require a central notch be cut to fit the Gibbs. Some use cuticle scissors, but I use a metal nipper that works excellently for the latter purpose. After notching a fresh Kai blade and loading it, yours truly proceeded to have a superb two pass ATG noggin shave resulting in velveteen smoothness from dome to shoulders.

RAZOR: Thistle “Persian” (Mug), Gibbs Adjustable #17 (Dome)
BLADE: Kai DE (Dome)
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 Thayers WH. Finished with Old Spice Fresh Lime.
 
62E4C207-DA08-4B47-AB2E-92E2DD3A7FD2.jpeg
SOTD THURSDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

If you’ve ever heard the term ‘hidden gems’, then that’s an apt characterization of the two splendid shaving tools used in this morning’s shave. My software this morning was PAA Coconut Bay, an oldie but goodie pre-CK6 formulation soap that SWMBO can tolerate. The RazoRock Rubberset Synth is a great little brush and did a superb job, both generating and spreading the two types of lather I like, thin and watery for my mug, and thicker and more yogurty for the dome.

Despite several years of searching, I can find nothing on this wonderful little Lord 6/8 straight razor. It was my second straight razor acquisition. Its Art Deco look would seem to place it in the 20s or 30s, but I would welcome other information on this particular razor from any more knowledgeable shave brothers or sisters out there. The red coffin box is marked NY, NY and the blade was imported from Solingen, Germany. It’s a beautifully balanced little razor, and holds a great edge. Two and a half passes left my mug blissfully velveteen.

When Italian Barber first designed their “Lupo” as an improved CNC SS knockoff of the hallowed Wolfman WR1, it was initially rolled out a year or so ago with a dark DLC coating. Yours truly bought this one from their second batch release. They’re now well into the the second generation of this safety razor. Current offerings are uncoated with different gaps. This original razor has a narrow sweet spot like my AS-D2, and is a great noggin shaver. Two ATG passes and your happy narrator was back in the land of smooth velveteen bliss from noggin to shoulders.

RAZOR: Lord 6/8. (Mug), RazoRock DLC Coated Lupo (Dome)
BLADE: Kai DE (3)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: RazoRock Rubberset Replica with Synth Knot
SOAP: PAA Coconut Bay
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Thayers WH. Finished with Coconut Bay AS Splash.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top