Thread: The Noob Chronicle - My Straight Razor Experience

Thank you for the kind words, Cody! I am enjoying myself and learning a lot, so I figured I would share, as maybe my trials and tribulations could help someone else who is venturing into this world after me. It is also helpful for me to chronicle what I'm doing, as I have occasionally gone back and checked my previous writings to see what I've done and how.

Anyway, speaking of which...

The Straight Road - Interlude: SGAD (Shaving Gear Acquisition Disorder)
I'm sure that many of the new wet shavers who arrive at the various online shaving communities start out with their own challenges. Amongst those challenges, I would have to think that learning the acronyms and abbreviations commonly used by the online wet shaving communities is one of the first. Since I started down this path, I've learned that my wife is SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed), Straight Razor Place is SRP, BBS is Baby Butt Smooth, DFS is a Damn Fine Shave, HHT is a Hanging Hair Test and many others. Some of the most commonly referred acronyms to are the various ADs. If you take a liking to shaving brushes, you might be afflicted with BAD -- and not the Michael Jackson kind. On the other hand, if straight razors are what you've got to have in abundance, then the diagnosis is most likely SRAD. Then you've got SSAD, SCAD, SAD, RAD, HAD and really almost anything that you want to put in front of the AD to indicate you are an avid collector and/or acquirer of such items.

In my case, I am pretty sure I don't have a clearly defined AD for any one type of shaving equipment. In short, I want it all! I have come to accept and admit that I am possibly suffering from SGAD, or Shaving Gear Acquisition Disorder. I have now acquired a good number of brushes, a scuttle, several straight razors and a large number of different creams, soaps, aftershaves and colognes, not to mention all of my razor honing and restoration gear. I sometimes think of myself as the city guy from the movies who shows up at the ranch all decked out in jeans, fringed chaps, boots with spurs, checked shirt, a ten gallon had and absolutely no idea which end of the horse is which. Usually he ends up looking like the east end of a westbound horse. Thankfully, SRP (there's one of your acronyms again) has been both welcoming and encouraging, rather than pointing and laughing at my fringed chaps. For that I am truly grateful and it is what has made this site my wet-shaving home on the internet.

SGAD In Action
Anyway, I'm sure you're all wondering where this is going. Well, I have made some pretty solid acquisitions in the past month and today was another great day, a mini Christmas, if you will. I started out the day with three packages arriving simultaneously via mail. As noted in Part 20, they were a Chinese 12k, a TI 6/8" Le Canadien in Snakewood, an Ebay Crown & Sword for restoration and, a bit later in the day, a black badger knot from The Golden Nib, which I am planning to use for something in the near future. Of course, as my SGAD augments my collection of shaving gear, I need somewhere to put it, right? So this evening I also installed a couple of extra shelves in the bathroom, as a genuine shave den takes shape.

Here are some photos of today's new developments (the badger knot will be photographed later).

The Chinese 12k:


Le Canadien 6/8 Snakewood - this will be my first attempt at honing!




The New Den




A busy day, for sure! Anyway, I will have to work up the courage to take that beautiful razor to the hones at some point, but I think, for the time being, I am content to have put the Den together this evening. I also need to take a crack at lapping the Chinese, as well as a few more Den acquisitions scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Oh yes, then there's some restoration work to be done. Guess who's going to have a busy winter!

No time for hibernation on The Straight Road...

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack