Greater Pacific Northwest meet-up *Saturday Sept 13th @11am*

[Mattcb]

Next up is very nice donation from Straight Razor Designs(http://www.StraightRazorDesigns.com). SRD was kind enough to donate 4 tubs of their SRD brand soap (Opus X, Blood Orange, Lime, and Unscented), a stick of CrOx, and a 3” Premium 4 English Bridle strop with poly webbing.

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This is a very nice strop! Think I will be adding one to my list.

[Squire]

Looking good Matt, the amount of work you've put into this meet is evident.

[Mattcb]

I don't do reveiws of products, and my knowledge if restoration and making soap isn't great enough to contribute very much to the community. This gives me a chance to give back a little bit to the community and have a good time as well.

[Squire]

Be sure to post some pictures.

[Mattcb]

I will. Even have my spare battery charged up for the camera.

[Mattcb]

The next donation is brought to us by Barrister & Mann (http://www.barristerandmann.com/)with a selection of eight different shaving soap samples. I have to say that when I opened the package to take pictures, the smell was like opening a bag of saltwater taffy for the first time. Simply put, it smelled delicious! Scents included are Bay Rum, Adagio, Roam, Solstice, Lime/Lavender/Cedarwood, Seville, Cheshire, Vetiver/Heather/Clary Sage.

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[Mattcb]

Last but not least is the generous donation from Ogallala Bay Rum(http://www.ogallalabayrum.com/). Ogallala was kind enough to donate the following:

Ogallala Bay Rum Cologne
Ogallala Bay Rum Aftershave
Ogallala Bay Rum, Sage & Cedar Aftershave
Ogallala Bay Rum & Sandalwood Aftershave
Ogallala Bay Rum, Limes & Peppercorns Aftershave
2 Ogallala Bay Rum Bonanza Packs (5 - 2oz bottles...one of each of the above.)
Ogallala Bay Rum Air Freshener
Ogallala Bay Rum Shaving Soap
Ogallala Bay Rum & Sweet Orange Bath Soap

Needless to say, but wow!

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[Squire]

Wow indeed, you're going to be busy posting scent reviews.

[Mattcb]

Scent reviews... hmm maybe I can prompt the raffle winners to post their experiences / thoughts.

I am all packed and loaded with a tonnage of shaving gear.

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See you all there!

[Mattcb]

BTW, the raffle will be at about 2pm. This will allow people a little more time to get there and have a good chance at some goodies.

[Mattcb]

Just got back from the meet. We did great with 19 people showing up. Lots of good people and a great time. Will post some pics tomorrow as I going to crash soon.

[brothers]

Sounds like a great turnout. I've enjoyed reading about it, and am looking forward to the full report!

[ShadowsDad]

Cool!

Gee, you should have asked for some donated products.

[Squire]

Well deserved rest Matt.

[CMur12]

I attended this event that Matt put so much effort into creating. I went there hoping to meet some fellow SMF members from Washington, but I was the only SMFer there. This was really a gathering of straight razor users and I enjoyed observing demonstrations of straight razor honing and maintenance. I met some neat people there. Matt had a few old Gillette DE razors on display and I got to explain some of the history of post-war Gillettes to another attendee of the event.

Strangely enough, I was the unlikely winner of the top door prize! It consisted of a restored shave-ready straight razor, a balsa paddle treated with chromium oxide (?) on one side, a restored vintage shaving brush, and a can of WSP (Wet Shaving Products) Rustic Shaving Soap, in lavender. This package had been donated to the event by a participant from Yakima, on my side of the Cascade Mountains. I plan to pass these items along soon to a designated "shaving heir," and I thanked the donor and told him where the set would be going.

Thank you, Matt, for all the hard work you put into this event! Everyone there had a good time and all agreed that there should be more such events in the future.

- Murray

[Mattcb]

Shadowsdad, you are on my list for next year! I'm warning you though I'm relentless!



BTW, pics coming tonight.

[Mattcb]

Well I have to say this was a successful meet. Even with a few last minute cancellations, we had a total of 19 people show up. It was great to see old friends, put faces to forums monikers, and meet a lot of new people as well. I was very pleased to see 4 women show up as well. With the exception of Wanda they all accompanied their friends or significant others for the sake of their male counterparts. However, a few of them were very interested and asked some great questions. I even gave away a Gillette Slim and some blades to a young woman who seemed fascinated with it (and she listened to me drone on and had a nice smile. :)

The meet ended up being a little lopsided toward the straight razor side of the hobby, but I had the opportunity to trade for an Aristocrat, brought a bunch of Super Speeds, F.B.s, and Slims to show people the differences, and I heard but did not have the chance to see, that someone brought a Toggle.

As far as the straight razor part, it was wonderful! There must have been 30+ hones available to look at, touch, smell, and get a chance to try. I want to thank Garret (deighaingeal), Glen (Gssixgun), and Mariusz (Proximus26) for all of their help in showing people the how and the why of honing. Each person has a distinct method and it was great to see the different paths to the same goal. One special thanks to Glen. Not only is he willing to show and teach but he is GOOD at it and enjoys doing it. It really shows in the presentation and is highly appreciated. If you are interested in straights and get a chance to talk with Glen, don’t pass it up.

Before I end up hitting everyone with a giant wall of text I wanted to say thank you to our Canadian brethren who made it down. Ryan (Lexthedestroyer) and his lovely wife and Wayne (Rocketman). Not only did you have a heck of a travel day, but you got to explain all of the sharp objects to the border patrolmen

BTW, Cy (SkyBlazer) good job on bringing 3 people along. Way to spread the word!

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A big thank you to everyone who donated, both individuals and vendors alike. It goes to show what a good group of people we have in our community. I really want to thank the vendors for donating their product to some guy they have never heard of who said he was setting up a shave meet. That was a very classy move. Everyone their won at least one item, if not more. The scents of the products were truly awesome.

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[Mattcb]

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[Mattcb]

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*NOTE* This picture was after J. Mercer and Murray (CMUR12) had left. Need to be quicker with the camera! I am doctoring up a copy of this pic with names and will be up soon(ish).

[CMur12]

Matt, I was still there for the last photo. I'm in the back, in the bright blue polo, second to the left from Mariusz.

Sean (sp?), in the foreground on the far left (beard, shaved head, and blue T-shirt) was the donor of the door prize that I won.

- Murray