SOTD October 26 - November 1

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD MONDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 26, 2020

A number of other straight shavers on the oldest online straight shaving forum, SRP, believe MWF conditions the skin to resist weeps during the shaving process, attributing it to the healthy amount of lanolin in the product. I don't know whether it’s just hearsay, but I do know that when I’ve been using the product regularly, weeps, if they occur, tend to disappear. Does MWF somehow enhance clotting? I don’t know, but I do know that when used regularly, and followed with alum bar application that there is always little, if any, heat post shave.

For today’s mug shave I selected my NOS Witte Copperhead 6/8. When I received the razor, there was a cryptic note in the enclosing coffin box, “Honed by Henerey 1939”. There was a bevel established, as to whether it was attributable to long dead Henerey’s work, who knows? It did shave hair, but examination under my USB microscope revealed it could use some finishing. My jasper stone with a series of successively diluted slurries on the rough side worked it’s magic. Final finish was on the UF side under water until the blade was sticking. The smooth, buttery edge on this razor has held up and been maintained with pasted linen followed by leather stropping.

For my dome shave I selected my Blackland Tradere safety razor. My Omega Pro48 boar brush is just a terrific lather building tool. It’s well broken in and has that perfect combination of softness and backbone that makes this wet shaving hobby of ours so pleasurable! Three slow, MWF-lather-rich, mug passes (WTG, ATG, XTG) coupled with two dome passes (ATG, ATG) put the baby to bed. I always immediately follow my MWF shaves with a cold water wash with the brush squeezings which I leave on my shave surfaces while cleaning up. Today’s shave finished with Humphreys Lilac WH and Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite AS splash. I feel refreshed, cool, clean and very smoothly velveteen!

RAZOR: Witte Copperhead Solingen 6/8 (Mug), Blackland Tradere (Dome)
BLADE: Sharp Star
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil scrub
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite AS Splash.

[drmoss_ca]

Just for you, Chris! Thiers Issard horn 5/8, Trumper Eucris soap, Simpson PL8, Trumper Eucris EdT:

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[EL Alamein]

Most excellent!

Now if that soap would just perform like it should.

Chris

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 27, 2020

I was up early today. I selected my Dubl Duck Goldedge for today’s mug shave along with my SS DLC coated RazoRock Lupo for the dome, two razors that never disappoint. And they certainly didn’t this morning. The one lb. Rearden Razor 316L SS Tuxedo Synthetic brush gives heft in one’s hand new meaning. With the three lb ankle weight strapped to my left forearm, I got a decent workout during the lathering process. The brush generated that yogurty lather that leaves my face and dome feeling great post shave. Three passes (WTG, ATG, XTG) for the mug and two (ATG, ATG) for the dome left me feeling cool, velveteen smooth and refreshed!

RAZOR: Dubl Duck Goldedge 11/16 (Mug), SS DLC Coated RazoRock Lupo (Dome)
BLADE: Sharp Star (2)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rearden Razor 316L SS Tuxedo Synth
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm.

[drmoss_ca]

TI Eagle 5/8 horn, homemade soap, Simpson E3, Penhaligon's Quercus:

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[drmoss_ca]

TI Eagle 7/8, P.160 Tipo Morbido, Vulfix 2-band, Penhaligon Hammam Bouquet:

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[jgreenepa]

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SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 28, 2020

Took my newly acquired Shumate 5/8 razor for its first shave this morning. There were some serious chips mid edge that had apparently sidelined this razor. Shumates were made in St. Louis from 1901 to 1932 until the first few years of the Great Depression killed their business. Owners seem uniformly positive, however, about their shaveability. After some serious bread-knifing on my 320k DMT steel diamond plate the chips were removed. After bevel set and finishing on my jasper stone, hairs were a poppin’. Following a good soaking of the CK6 Scentsless soap in concentrated organic Peppermint oil, my JR Rosewood Two Band Badger generated a decent lather, not MWF quality, but acceptable. Although small and light in hand, the shave went very well! I like this razor. My NOS Gold MMOC sheared away my dome whiskers in complementary fashion. I feel velveteen smooth, cool and clean!

RAZOR: Shumate 5/8 (Mug), NOS MMOC Safety Razor (Dome)
BLADE: Astra Platinum (1)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil scrub
BRUSH: JR Rosewood Two Band Badger
SOAP: PAA Scentsless CK6 w/ Concentrated Peppermint Oil Added
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Osage Rub.

[drmoss_ca]

Big Daddy, Floris No.89 soap, Rooney finest, Floris No.89:

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[jgreenepa]

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SOTD THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 29, 2020

My son has 182 straight razors in his collection, 93 of whose blades are Japanese silver steel or Yasuki steel. I have a much smaller collection - all are users - but three are Japanese silver steel. The razor selected for today’s mug shave is a Tanifuji Airi. The jasper edge is a joy to shave with, and is amazingly sharp, yet still buttery smooth. Some on the dedicated straight forums describe ‘whisker-meltin’ edges and this razor definitely possesses one. This morning’s three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) shave felt like I was just brushing away the rich MWF lather.

There appeared to be a slight weeper after my second mug pass, but it disappeared after I applied the lather for my third and final pass. That’s one of the benefits of MWF that is a feature of its consistent use. It truly conditions one’s skin with long-term use. Of course, it possesses a clean, mild soapy scent, and not one of the strong scents so popular with most wet-shavers. It’s these very differences of opinion that makes this hobby of ours so enjoyable. As a daily shaver, I use MWF generally about 4 out of 7 shaves a week. Creams are a different story!

My dome shave starred my Ronson safety razor! It was developed for proprietary blades in the very early 30s (1931), but works beautifully with Schick Proline Injector blades, although it is admittedly a bit fiddly to set up. Although a bit top heavy, that is not a problem and works beautifully for me. It is a surprisingly capable little safety razor, and one I’m proud to own. It delivered an extremely close dome shave in two ATG passes. I feel cool, clean and smoothly velveteen!

RAZOR: Tanifuji Airi 11/16 (Mug), Ronson Safety Razor (Dome)
BLADE: Schick Proline Injector (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Knurled Aluminum Hybrid Knot #007
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Krampert’s Frostbite AS Splash.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 30, 2020

My Ronson headshave yesterday was so close, I decided to pass on the headshave today! After yesterday’s spectacular mug shave, I grabbed the second of my silver steel razors, my Diamond Hayashi Nichiri Tokusen 6/8. Ben pushed me to purchase this razor when it became available. I still remember that amazing first whisker melting shave. And it happened again. Three passes (WTG, ATG, XTG) mimicked, and even exceeded the lather sweeping experience of the preceding Tanifuji Airi shave of yesterday. I’ve learned in my open edge journey that 6/8 is my straight razor sweet spot. Razors with this size blade just feel right in hand. And after this morning’s shave, I now understand why my son shaves almost exclusively with Japanese straights. I feel lime-refreshed and smoothly velveteen.

RAZOR: Diamond Hayashi Nichiri Tokusen 6/8
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Royall Lyme AS Splash.

[drmoss_ca]

Giant Hart, Cyril Salter soap, Omega sintetico, Penhaligon Blenheim Bouquet:

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[drmoss_ca]

An experiment comparing two honing progressions with a pair of bergischer Lowe razors, Crabtree & Evelyn West Indian Limes soap, Omega synthetic, L'Artisan Parfumeur Voleur de Roses:

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Part Two comes tomorrow.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD SATURDAY HALLOWEEN MORNING, OCTOBER 31, 2020

After shaving with two of my three Japanese straight razors, it was time for a smile! My R. Saito SK3 fit the bill. Just an amazingly smooth jnat edge put there by my son never fails to satisfy. This is the only one of my razors without a jasper stone finished edge, an that’s because I didn’t want to mess with perfection. The bevel is polished to a level of shine I find amazing under the USB microscope, and represents the benchmark edge I strive for with my other straight razors. Shaving with this smiling razor is a joy, buttery smooth, yet amazingly sharp. Two passes (WTG, XTG) put the baby to bed on my mug. It’s one of those velveteen shaves that I find myself touching hours after the event. My dome shave went smoothly as well, leaving me lime-soaked and velveteen smooth!

RAZOR: R. Saito SK3 7/8 (Mug), EverReady Streamline (Dome)
BLADE: Gem PTFE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac. Finished with Royall Lyme AS.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD SUNDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 1, 2020

Time for the comparison shave between my Gold Dollar (Black) and the Crescent City (Blue) Gold Monkey. Slash McCoy (@Slash McCoy), honemeister and practitioner of the “Method” - a lapping films honing approach he references on his Crescent City Razors site - purchases Gold Dollar razors in bulk and hones them for resale so they are truly ‘shave ready‘. Slash has a great reputation for the stellar shaves his rehoned razors deliver. I purchased a $5 Gold Dollar razor on Alibaba and reset the bevel on a Shapton 1k and then finished the edge on my jasper stone and a pasted strop followed by a leather strop. Being retired, I spent a fair amount of time going back and forth between the jasper finishing stone and my USB microscope to ensure I arrived at the smoothest edge I could.

I then decided to shave each side of my face with a different razor. The result was a simply splendid shave. I was unable to determine which razor was preferred. They did shave differently. I was able to determine that Slash’s reputation is well earned. His razor shaved cleanly on my favored dominant (left) side. I will say that on the sharp continuum his razor was a harder sharp than mine, but I’m sure he didn’t spend anywhere near the amount of time I did going back and forth between the USB microscope and the jasper stone until my edge was gleaming. The shave on the right (non-dominant) side of my mug felt just a tad smoother, but that may also reflect wish fulfillment on my part. In any case, I have no problem wholeheartedly endorsing Crescent City razors! They’re well worth the price and a great starter razor for the new straight razor shaver looking for a cost-effective dependable starter/learning straight razor.

My dome shave featured one of my two early production (1905) silver plated Gillette Old Type safety razors. These razors have tended to be neglected due to their weight in hand. However, the three lb weights on my forearms make that issue moot. I generated two types of lathers for my morning shaves. I prefer a thinner, wetter lather for my mug straight razor shaves, and a heavier, yogurty lather for the noggin. My MrEE Monster Tuxedo Synth was happy to oblige. It’s a fabulous MWF lather machine, and easily generated both types of lather. It’s huge soft knot has great backbone and made lather generation a joy. I face latherEd my mug and bowl lathered my dome. Generating the thicker dome lather is better suited to the bowl method, but the application with this huge knot just felt great. I feel clean, velveteen smooth and quite refreshed.

RAZOR: Gold Monkey 5/8 (left Mug) Gold Dollar 5/8 (right Mug), Gillette Old Type (Dome)
BLADE: Sharp Star
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Aluminum Monster Tuxedo Synth Knot
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Frost Byte AS Splash.

[drmoss_ca]

Another and hopefully final experiment with the two Bergischer Lowe razors, C&E Sweet Almond Oil soap, Rooney finest, Taylor's No.74 Original:

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[CMur12]

Sunday night:

Razor: Rockwell 6C (on setting/plate 2)
Blade: Treet Dura Sharp

Brush: Semogue 1305
Soap: Mystic Water Lime

Lather made on top of the soap
Two-and-a-half passes

Aftershave: Cold water rinse and Thayer's Peach Witch Hazel

- Murray