SOTD NOVEMBER 1 - 7, 2021

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD MONDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Today’s mug shave featured the Smith Bros 11/16. This razor has a phenomenal edge thanks to the 9 Ball Slate. It is recently returned from the Sandpoint ID Razor beauty spa where it was fitted with a new set of scales by the proprietor, Glen Mercurio. The new scales fit the razor much better and impart a better sense of b early alance than the former, much slimmer, original horn, insect eaten scales.

This morning’s mug shave sheared away my whiskers in what has evolved into a regular two and a half pass regimen. The first two passes cleared everything away to the jawline. The final half pass focused exclusively on the neck and consisted of some very careful scything passes on each side of the Adam’s Apple followed by some final flatblading leaving me as smooth as my great-granddaughter's bottom.

Since I spent last month almost exclusively with my OC safety razors, I decided to kick off the first shave in November with my Cooper Kant-Rust, a vintage safety razor manufactured in Brooklyn, NY in the early thirties. It has a knurled hexagonal handle that is quite slip-proof, and delivered a velveteen smooth two pass ATG shave leaving your happy narrator very pleased with the results.

RAZOR: Smith Bros. 11/16 (Mug), Cooper Kant-Rust (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE LE Knurled Aluminum Handle Hybrid Knot #007
SOAP: Nuavia Blue
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Thayers WH. Finished with Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm and Canoe EdT.

[Mike R]

Monday

Brush: Omega 13522 Pure
Soap: Derby Stick
Razor: Fatip Piccolo
Blade: Indian Wilkinson
A/S: vintage Old Spice

Mike

[TRBeck]

Semogue 1470 boar brush
Taylor Cedarwood cream*
RR Gamechanger .84P DE
Gillette Nacet shave #2**
CO Bigelow No. 047 Tonic
Dunhill '34 eau de cologne

*using this until it's gone; the end is getting closer - perhaps another week or two
**stunningly close shaves with great smoothness thus far; hopefully this holds up all week

[Mike R]

Tuesday

Brush: Omega 13522 Pure
Cream: Dettol Fresh
Razor: Fatip Piccolo
Blade: Indian Wilkinson
A/S: Power Stick (Dollar Tree balm)
Cologne / Fragrance: Primitive Man

Mike

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

After yesterday’s great weather, it was a bit of a shock to wake up to today’s overcast. My only recourse was a good shave, and this morning’s did not disappoint. I’ve heard that “tungsten steel or blue steel” were just marketing gimmicks that the early 20th century razor manufacturers used to hawk their wares. Well I believe there may be a kernel of truth there.

The edge on the Smith Bros. blue steel razor that I shaved with yesterday is amazingly sharp. The Shumate ‘tungsten steel’ 5/8 that I shaved the mug with this morning has maintained the same amazingly sharp edge for well over a year with no touch up. It is a very common looking straight razor, but the two and a half pass shave this morning was superb! Shumate built one heck of a razor1!

Those of you who have been reading my posts will be aware that I’m not a fan of Gillette TTO safety razors. There are exceptions to every rule, and the little Gillette Gold Rocket I shaved with this morning is definitely one. I really like the knurling on the handle which makes this little razor slip-proof. The two pass ATG noggin shave went swimmingly, and left yours truly velveteen smooth from dome to shoulders.

RAZOR: Shumate 5/8 (Mug), Gillette Gold Rocket (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: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Chiseled Face Natural (Mug) and Osage Rub (Dome).

[TRBeck]

Semogue Torga C3 Mistura
TOBS Cedar shaving cream
RR Gamechanger .84 razor
Gillette Nacet blade day 3
C.O. Bigelow No. 047 Tonic
Hermes Equipage edt spray

Superb.

[drmoss_ca]

Catching up, as I don't develop every day.

Halloween shave (you can see what I shaved with, but the photo was taken with an Olympus OM-2n, an 80mm/f4 macro, Kodak Plus-X 125 (discontinued in 2011, but >100 rolls frozen since) rated at 400 and developed in Diafine):



And on November 1st, same camera, film and development:



Today (ditto, same):



Hard to believe somebody tried to buy that previously unused Somerset Simpson CH2 from me for $85 a few weeks ago. I decided to use it.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 3, 2021

I had a very enjoyable lavender shave a few days ago. Since SWMBO left early this morning for the office, I decided to repeat the experience in the newly cleared migraine-free zone. I retrieved my tub of Mike’s Hungarian Lavender from our condo last weekend, and decided to pair it this morning with Chatillon Lux Lavender Toner. The soap, probably because it was stored for well over a year, maintained only a faint lavender scent. Two drops of lavender essential oil restored the scent nicely.

The mug shave featured my second shave with the new Gipson Katsumi 14/13. It is a beautifully crafted homage to the Saito SK series of Japanese razors by the extremely talented Andrey Shpakovskiy of Gipson razor. Andrey is a star seller on Etsy which means he possesses only 5 star ratings. And there’s a reason for that. This razorsmith from Kiev builds superb shaving tools.

The Katsumi is the latest and largest new artisan razor in my den; it is so well balanced in hand that it is a joy to shave with. After this purchase, a number of friends have bought from Andrey as well and the response is uniformly positive. He goes out of his way to ensure that his customers are happy with their purchase. He now has a second example of this beautiful razor for sale. My two and a half pass mug shave with mine this morning checked all the boxes.

The dome shave that followed featured my favorite adjustable razor. The Rex Ambassador on 6 for my first ATG pass is a straight shaver’s ideal safety razor. The blade feel is amazing. It feels almost like a straight, and needs to be treated with focused respect as the gap feels even wider than my Karve G plate. My second pass at 4 put the baby to bed and left your very happy narrator porcelain smooth from the top of my noggin to the bottom of my neck. The Chatillon Lux Lavender Toner was the icing on the cake.

RAZOR: Gipson Katsumi 14/13 (Mug), Rex Ambassador (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Kent Infinity Synth
SOAP: Mike’s Hungarian Lavender
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Thayers WH. Finished with Chatillon Lux Lavender Toner.

[Mike R]

Wednesday

Brush: Made Rite Pure Bristle #5
Soap / Cream: Williams + Leftovers
Razor: Fatip Piccolo
Blade: Indian Wilkinson
A/S: Dollar Store Splash - Green / "Original"
Cologne / Fragrance: Stetson Preferred Stock

Mike

[TRBeck]

Semogue C3 Torga Mistura
Taylor Cedar shave cream
RR Gamechanger .84-P DE
Gillette Nacet blade day 4
CO Bigelow No. 047 Tonic
TdH Eau Intense Vetiver

[pausted]

Taylor Lavender soap (old formula)
WCS Tuxedo synthetic brush
Colonial General razor (V1 aluminum model)*
Feather Pro blade
Proraso White balm
Tabac aftershave

* About a year ago I bought the stainless V2 General and have used it extensively since then. Today, just for fun, I dug out my old aluminum General, loaded a new blade and got a really great shave. It shaves just as good, maybe better, than the stainless one. Kinda makes me wonder if I waisted my money on the new one.

[klinker]

Wednesday 11.03.21 SOTD
Rex Ambassador @3 / Polsilver Super Iridium
Elite Razor Fire & Ice 24mm Manchurian White Fan
Ethos Grooming Essentials Mélange d’agrumes Soap & AS

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD THURSDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 4, 2021

My shave this morning included two of my favorite modern artisan shaving tools. My oldest son is an amateur bladesmith who first made me aware of the work of Colorado’s Victor Creazzi. Vic builds two kinds of razors, monosteel and what he calls “fancy”. His monosteel razors are crafted from 1095 carbon steel, although lately he seems to be working with another steel. His fancy razors are made via a modified SanMai method and are composed of a pattern-welded body with a forge-welded monosteel edge.

When I first visited his site, I was bowled over by a razor he named “Bone Mosaic”. Victor names his creations. All his razors have a slightly smiling blade and are honed to perfection. They come with a lifetime’s (Vic’s) worth of honing, if the purchaser so desires. Bone Mosaic features include a slightly smiling, bellied full hollow grind and bone scales. It really belts out the buttering toast song during the mug shave as it did this morning. Two and a half passes left me oh-so-smooth.

My dome shave featured my first modern artisan DE safety razor acquisition, the Feather AS-D2. The razor was made by the Feather Company, started in 1932 and housed in the city of Seki in the Gifu Prefecture of the Chubu region of central Japan. Seki as a city is renounced worldwide for blade manufacturing and is the area where the famous samurai swords and knives were made. Feather also makes the acknowledged sharpest DE blades as well as the SS, SR, and DX models of replaceable AC blade barber’s razors, both western folding and kamisori style.

Both the AS-D2 and it’s predecessor, the AS-D1 were the first modern safety razors to be crafted via modern CNC manufacturing methods from 316L marine grade stainless steel and preceded all current CNC produced steel safety razors. When it first appeared it was four to five times more expensive than it’s chrome plated pot metal competition. Many who tried it passed it off as too “mild” a shaver, never realizing that its purposefully crafted narrow sweet spot designed for the Feather DE blade required a learning curve.

This razor was designed to tame the ultra sharp Feather DE blade by confining its cutting exposure to a very narrow band to protect the user. Once the sweet spot is discovered there isn’t a more efficient safety razor on the planet. Yours truly has a relatively heavy Mediterranean beard I attribute to the Italian heritage on my mother’s side, requiring a daily shave. This morning this sweet little razor tore through my noggin stubble like the Romans through the Sabine women leaving me velveteen smooth and smelling of lime from noggin to shoulders.

RAZOR: Victor Creazzi’s Bone Mosaic 7/8 (Mug), Feather AS-D2 (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: JT Sapele/Resin Handled Omega Pro48 Boar Knot
CREAM: Castle Forbes Lime
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Royall Lime AS/Cologne.

[TRBeck]

Semogue C3 Torga Mistura
Taylor's Cedarwood cream
Razorock Gamechanger DE
Gillette Nacet blade day 5
Bigelow Rosewater Toner
Cartier Declaration Essence

[klinker]

Thursday 11.04.21 SOTD
Gillette ‘51 W2 Gold Aristocrat Set
Gillette‌ 7 O'clock SharpEdge Yellow
Vintage Opal w/new 20mm Silvertip Fan
Fine Platinum Shaving Soap & Aftershave

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD FRIDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 5, 2021

Edgar Allan Poe was a wastrel, a substance abuser and an incredible burden to his stepfather, John Allan, a Scotsman, of the Richmond, Va. Import/Export Mercantile Firm of Ellis and Allan, established in 1800, who became a naturalized citizen in 1804. He and his wife took young Poe in following the death of his mother, Olivia Poe, in 1812. She was an opera singer and friend of Allan’s wife. In 1815 Poe accompanied Allan and his wife to England where he managed the export of British products for the firm, returning in 1820 following the Panic of 1819 which eventually led to the failure of Ellis and Allan in 1824.

Nevertheless, this giant stubtail Sheffield blade 8/8 survived from that hallowed firm as an unsharpened blade blank until 2021, when it came under the capable ministrations of Mr. Glen Mercurio (GSSIXGUN), proprietor of the well known Sandpoint ID razor beauty spa. Glen restored, honed and clothed the blade in bone scales using custom period beehive brass washers and pins. It is one big honkin’ chunk of steel, but is incredibly well-balanced in hand, and delivers an excellent mug shave as it did this morning in two and a half passes, leaving yours truly surprisingly smooth.

My friend, David Place, a well-respected collector of vintage shaving arcana and a fine southern gentleman, always had great things to say about his favorite vintage safety razor, the Ronson, after listening to me rant about my beloved Shake Sharps. So I bought one well over a year ago on his recommendation and have not regretted the purchase. Both razors were designed as thrifty, self-sharpening alternatives for the thicker carbon steel DE blades of the 1930s, and both became moot with the advent of thinner, sharper non-proprietary, stainless steel blades. In any case, my two pass ATG dome shave with my Ronson safety razor this morning was terrific and left me velveteen smooth from noggin to shoulders.

RAZOR: Ellis & Allan Stubtail 8/8 (Mug), Ronson Safety Razor (Dome)
BLADE: Schick Proline B-20 Injector (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE LE Aluminum Handle SynBad Knot #005
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).

[Mike R]

Friday

Brush: Omega 13522 Pure
Cream: Erasmic
Razor: Fatip Piccolo
Blade: Indian Wilkinson
A/S: Vintage Avon Brisk Spice
Cologne / Fragrance: some kind of fake Old Spice, I forget what it's called
Mike

[TRBeck]

Semogue 620 boar
Taylor Cedarwood
RazoRock GC .84P
Gillette Nacet #6
Bigelow Tonic a/s
Bleu de Chanel

[pausted]

Traditional Shaving Limes cream
WCS Tuxedo synthetic brush
Colonial General razor
Feather Pro blade
Proraso White balm
Tabac aftershave

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD SATURDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 6, 2021

Closing a pool this late in the season is not a lot of fun. The problem was scheduling a Saturday when my 21 and 18 year old grandsons would both be available to help. SWMBO and my Kildare have both forbidden me from doing anything other than supervising. This is the first time I haven’t done it all myself. As my grandfather used to say, “this age shit ain’t for sissies”! Fortunately, they both arrived by 7:00 AM ready to work. Unfortunately, I had SWMBO standing behind me to prevent me from pitching in. As the years passed, what used to take me about about an hour had stretched out to almost 2 1/2 hours. My grandsons finished in 30 minutes, leaving me time for a shower and an awesome shave.

This morning’s mug shave featured the new-to-me Filarmonica 13 Novodur. This razor at approximately 6/8 falls right into my sweet spot. The first thing I always do whenever a new straight arrives is to assess the flatness of blade and the sharpness of the edge. The Filly arrived from Japan a few weeks ago flat as a pancake and popping styrofoam. It had a buttery smooth edge which my son, Ben, touched up on his prized Uchigomori stone. Experienced open edge shavers always instruct new straight shavers to imagine they are just wiping away the lather. Well that’s what this morning’s 2 1/2 pass mug shave felt like leaving this old man’S mug delightfully smooth.

Yesterday’s noggin shave with the Ronson safety razor was very good. My friend David really enjoys using that razor, but he’s not a dome shaver. The Ronson does a decent job on the noggin for me, but it pales in comparison to any of my three Shake Sharps. My absolute favorite is the Bakelite handled Model 1, but there’s really no difference in shave quality between it and either my nickel or gold plated metal handled Model 2’s. The G.E. Jones Shake Sharp is the only SE I know of that takes an unmodified DE blade. I like to stack two DEs in the razor, which emulates the very slightly thicker carbon steel DE blades of the thirties the razor was designed for. I’ve never cut myself with this razor, and this morning’s two pass ATG dome shave maintained the razor’s rep leaving me velveteen smooth from noggin to shoulders!

RAZOR: Filarmonica 13 Novodur (Mug), G.E. Jones Shake Sharp (Dome)
BLADE: 2 Stacked Feather DEs (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: JR Rosewood Silvertip Badger #377
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.