Thread: Sun March 01st - Sat March 07th

Little bit irritation, very close shave.

Pre Shave Oil - Homemade Blend w Orange Essential Oil
Razor - Restored Dovo Bergischer Lowe 6/8
Brush - Omega Pro 49
Soap - Cella

5 March 2015

* Ikon Shavecraft 102 + UFO U2V1 Red Bronze
* Super Iridium
* WSP 2-Band + Doug Korn Cobalt Blue C7
* Cold River Bergamot & Bay
* Unrefined Shea Butter

Pre Shave:
Chest and Triceps @ the gym, Hot shower, girlfriends fancy conditioner on face.
Finishing Hone: Gokumyo 20000
Strop: Kanayama 90000
Soap: Xpec
Brush: Thater 4125/2 26mm Two Band
Razor: Dubl Duck Goldedge 6/8
Aftershave: T&H Grafton
Result: BBS Bliss

Razor- Dovo Gentleman 5/8
Brush- Semogue Pure Bristle
Soap- Sampsons All Natural
Pre-shave setup- Taconic Organic Oil
Post shave- Zartgefuhl balm & Maggards alum block
Aftershave- Pinaud Clubman Original

Muhle R41
Mike's vetiver
Royall vetiver
Lucido AS (excellent stuff BTW)
Astra SP

We'll its been a very long time since I last posted a SOTD. I love looking at all of your SOTD's there's some amazing razors out there. Cheers Gents!!

Razor: TI Evide Sonnant Extra
Lather: Truefitt & Hill West Indian Limes
PS: Aqua De Colonia Barberia

Walleyman Badger Brush
CF Pre-Shave Oil
T&H Trafalgar
Floid Amber

W&B, 6/8, in ivory scales....

Thursday
Hot water prep
Hermann #14 razor - Scrupleworks horween tanned strop - New Forest Tubby badger brush - Crabtree & Evelynn Nomad soap - cold water splash - Proraso Green tea & Oat balm - hot towel - hot shower - Maria Stella Maris 01 Shea Butter - Acca Kappa Muschio Bianco AdC

This was a special shave and I'd like to share it with you gents.

First of all the blade: a Hermann #14. My name happens to be Herman (one n, not the German version), so this blade's (almost) "got my name on it". It's a rare brand that I've literally seen only once before, when I bought that particular Hermann 14 as well from the Bay at 7/8. It didn't have the gold wash anymore and had lost some of its width. Still, I was destined to bring it back to its former glory...
Not.
During "restoring" I put a *tad* bit too much pressure on the blade while polishing and *snap* a whole piece of steel cut loose from the blade that would essentially render that blade back to a 6/8 or 13/16 at max. Not my thing, so with dignity, I put it aside.

Thought I'd probably never run into a blade that (almost) "has my name on it" again, until a bit over a week ago, when my good friend from Navarcles (Spain) contacted me by mail saying that he remembered my name and I should have first choice before he would put it on the Bay.

Imagine the excitement. First: this blade looked WAY better than the previous one.
Second: It still had its full 8/8 width AND gold wash, that I didn't know even existed before.
Third: It looked pristine, mint, factory released...

Yes, was the answer to the offer of course and it came my way.

Days passing and today it arrived and it happened to be my Thursday, shave day. (I like routine and schedule)

So, I pondered, but decided that this blade needed to be used, so I tried my underarm... nothing.
This thing still had it's factory edge (blurred by oxidation and time)
Nothing, not one single hair was gone.
Thus, knowing the ease with which 14's take an edge, I brought out my favourite Coticule and started.
Heavy slurry first with one layer of tape.
Thin slurry second.
Next layer of tape and thin slurry and then no slurry with numerous laps.
Scrupleworks linnen and horween strop after and I put an edge on this blade that would make my (formerly owned) Filly Sub Cero 14 pale in comparison...

All of this to the tunes of Pearl Jam's Vitalogy album. More specific: Nothingman, Better man and Immortality. (on repeat)
An album that had a profound impact on one of the biggest choices of my life...
My wife.
I am such a fortunate man that she wants to be with me...

This shave brought a lot of things in this universe together and I will remember it and ponder about it for quite some time.

Ah yeah, the Shea Butter. Celestino, I must have seen over a hundred of your posts and it only hit me last weekend, when we visited a department store that I have dry skin often and the girl offered me some Shea Butter and I instantly knew this was what I needed. I'd tried Razorguy's olive oil, (Toscan, not Umbrian) and though nice, found it a bit too fatty. Shea Butter though, it's great. I'll be using this more often.

Sorry for rambling on gentlemen. Perhaps, this thread is not the place, but this shave was special for me and I felt human and vulnerable enough to share.

Cheers,
Herman

Still on my American blade kick.

20mm 2 band
Soapy Bathmans just bananas
5/8 Smiling J.R. Torrey
100% pure coconut oil