Thread: Okay, NOW where are you at with shaving stuff??

<<< and one of Tony's seconds that's totally pimp.>>>

oh yeah! I got to use that in my advertising <g>.

Tony Miller, maker of "totally pimp" strops <g>.

Tony, if you want that image for your merchandise, you're more than welcome to use it I picked that term up from a 21 yearold friend.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

I have 2 shave-ready razors: a Taylor's Eye Witness 6/8 and a Satinedge, a W&B 6/8 (now closer to 5/8) that's slowly getting there but she ain't gonna be a beauty, a W&B waiting on scales, a Boker that's gonna get sold once I clean it up (unevenly honed so I don't think it will become a good shaver), and a Walker 6/8 that is going through a DETAILED restoration. I also have a paki but it's just used for restoration experiments and as a teaching tool.
I have a rough Norton oilstone that I only use for large nicks, a 4k 2x4 wedge-shaped jap and its 8k counterpart. Just got a coticule.
When it comes to strops I got one that came with the paki, which is only to be used as a teaching tool and one of Tony's seconds that's totally pimp.
Brushes: A Wilkinson el-cheapo that I only use for application of pre-shave soap and a C&E Best Badger with a Kent stand.
Soaps: got a Wilkinson that I only use as a pre-shave softener and a couple of Colleen's samples. I'm buying Cavendish Black, Orange Patchouli and Desert Ironwood.
Aftershaves: Dominica Bay Rum, Paco and I'm about to mix up a second batch of my alcoholic formula.

Ironically, I was gonna go small, and yes Nenad, you have my permission to laugh your a$$ off

3

Can you expound on the "pre-shave" soap?

RT

I lather up with Wilkinson, go downstairs and strop my razor (the bathroom is under renovation), go back to the bathroom, rinse that crap off, apply a good soap with the C&E brush, put on some mellow reggae tunes, rinse the blade and start shaving.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

I lather up with Wilkinson, go downstairs and strop my razor (the bathroom is under renovation), go back to the bathroom, rinse that crap off, apply a good soap with the C&E brush, put on some mellow reggae tunes, rinse the blade and start shaving.

Thanks for clarifying that. I thought maybe you had found some special "pre-shave" soap to use. I do the same thing when using a straight.

RT

Anthony Miller, Esquire: Purveyor of Fine Hanging Strops, Paddle Strops, and Bling.

I have eight straight razors, three of which I made shave-ready on my own steam with a pasted Heirloom Combination from Tony "Strop Pimp" Miller. I will make the remaining razors shave-ready too, and I'm restoring all of 'em on my own. I have a 3 x 24 Latigo hanging strop in the rare "seconds" finish on its way from The Miller. I will be ordering a Norton 4k/8k at some point and would ultimately like a traditional yellow coticule.

I have a dozen or more DE razors. Mostly Gillettes. I have some unique ones too, including a Radimi (1930s Italian razor) and a Stahly Live Blade, which is on its way. I use Feather DE blades and Israeli blades.

My brush is a Simpson Special (best badger). I've used a variety of shaving creams and soaps, but I currently have a tub of Truefitt & Hill Trafalgar cream, Proraso cream (and pre/post cream), and some C&E Sweet Almond Oil soap. I usually finish with Proraso pre/post but have also added JASON Witch Vera (a nice combo of witch hazel and aloe vera) as a nice experiment. J.R. Watkins All Natural Body Oil (lavender) is a nice treat too.

My current decent setup is:

Couple of shave ready razors: 1 world master, 1 Kratz, 1 Way Brothers, 1 Shumate.

And a couple of fixer uppers

1 linnen/leather strop bought on ebay. Does me nice. When it falls apart I'll most likely buy one from Tony.

50/50 boar badger brush from Kent. It's good. I like it, and it was cheap.

Goatsmilk soap, Dragons Blood soap, Colleen Samples, Trumpers cream samples.

Goats milk Aftershave, Aschaab's Bay Rum homemade aftershave (great stuff) Nivea balm, Harley Davidson Hot road (liking it less and less)

A bunch of cologne samples from Penhaligon's and Trumpers.

I've gone from "Loathe" to "Love" to shave.
Looking forward to every time I do.

Current setup:
2 razors, both made shave-ready by my own efforts: a DOVO "Best Quality" 5/8 round, new from classicshaving.com; and a Wester Bros Fraternity 5/8 spike (the latter arrived shave-ready, but I just had to hone down some surface rust from the edge).
Cup with soap: Herban Cowboy (unlike Burma Shave, it doesn't irritate!).
Brush: a Tiffany silver brush with hairs of unknown bestial origin (a gift, holds water well and is comfortable).
Aftershave: JASON 6-in-1 beard and skin therapy aloe vera gel, alcohol-free (no sting!).

Norton 4k/8k
Undressed Illinois strop, linen and leather

What do I want?
A four-day rotation of sharp straights;
A Merkur HD for hurry and travel;
A finishing 12k stonee
A larger variety of irritation-free soaps and alcohol-free aftershaves.

Oh, and I got some T&H 1805 balm today that I bought secondhand off someone who didn't like it. It smells nice, a little flowery but my girl will like that.
What I want?

4 or so razors that shave AND look nice. I'll be working on it myself mostly. I want to make them as unique as Vlad's although they'll probably be less nice.