Thread: Sun September 09th - Sat September 15th

I owe, I owe... so off to work I go...

But first, a shave:

Dovo Special 5/8, stropped 20/60 on the Illinois 127
C.O. Bigelow menthol cream, whipped with Conk badger
Brut cologne to finish

No cuts, no drips, no errors, no whiskers left on face.



Happy Monday!

I love getting a new razor. Experiencing that first shave with it, learning the nuances of a new blade, and (often times) the joy of restoring/repairing/honing a new vintage blade...they are all part of what I enjoy about a "new" razor.

I do not have a lot of razors (at least not by the standards around here), but I have a few and they are all special for some reason or another.

I recently (today) took delivery of one that will be tough to top--My Grand-Father's razor.

My father had it shipped to him from his brother, and he received it yesterday. I was out all day, so he presented it to me today.

I am not sure how old this razor is...I am sure it is not the oldest razor I own, but my Grand-father died over 20 years ago...and I was unsure how it was cared for during his life...and particularly after his death. When I received it, I was pleasantly amazed at the condition it was in...but it still needed a little shining up and definitely needed some edge repair. I immediately took some photos of it, then moments later went to cleaning it up and restoring the edge. There was some decent edge damage near the toe...but every moment of repairing it was enjoyment....this was my Grand-Father's razor. I imagined his frustrations with it (I was told, he had fits with keeping it sharp).

When I got it:


I opted to retain the patina and only use metal polish on felt to buff off the few surface rust spots by hand. I figure it took a while to get this patina and I can only remove it once...and it will be lost forever (along with the character the age spots add).

After "clean up":


Anyway, I finished honing it and set up for a test shave.

Shave ready:



I pulled out my new favorite soap (Bald Frog Wasabi) and added a little hot water to the tin to soak and soften the soap while I soaked in a hot tub of water. My grandfather had no shower in his home, only baths for him (so I enjoyed a long soak with this in mind). I soaked for a while and enjoyed a very hot towel on my face. After re-wetting the towel a few times with hot water, I decided it was time to get up and get started. My brush had been soaking in very hot water this whole time in a mug my son made for me for Christmas in 2008...my wife took him to the ceramic store a month earlier to select the mug and paint/glaze it prior to firing it....I think he did a fantastic job for a 6 year old



I dried off and wrapped my towel around my waist and started my lather. I dumped out the mug, and gave the brush a shake. I placed the brush into the tin of soap and began loading it. Moments later I was churning up a nice glistening lather in the mug my son had made for me.

I removed the towel from my face and began brushing on the later. The wasabi has a cooling affect on my skin. I skipped the strop, as I had just finished honing this razor, and went directly to shaving.

The razor glided across my face...not unlike many of my other blades, but the experience was something I will fail to ever put into words adequately.

The spike point had never been muted in the slightest, and I maintained it that way...I thought perhaps it might get into me during the shave, but no...it just allowed me to sculpt with...well....razor-like precision (seems like the appropriate phrase).

I re-applied my lather for an additional two passes, and finished up with a smile. This experience will be difficult to top. I am truly happy to have this member in my collection to use regularly. I am sure I will desire other razors in the future, but I seriously doubt any will provide an experience like I had today...my first shave with my Grand-dad's razor.

Thanks for reading.

Razor: Joh. Engstrom Frameback
Prep: Hot Shower+Garnier face scrub
Brush: Whipped Dog badger
Soap: Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood
A/S: Clinique Aftershave Balm
Result: Priceless

some more "rusty" steel

Prep: Hot Shower
Brush: Vie Long, silvertip
Razor: C V Heljestrand M K no 8
Soap: Cade
AS: Floid, Blue Italian
Strops: Neil Miller
Result: Unerclean
I had to try a soap with this brush, but it's really to soft for it (even though I preped the soap with warm water), but it has a lovely super soft knot/tips and is the perfect contrast to what I use mostly (two band)


... and some:

Originally Posted by unit

...snip...
I recently (today) took delivery of one that will be tough to top--My Grand-Father's razor.
My father had it shipped to him from his brother, and he received it yesterday. I was out all day, so he presented it to me today...snip..
I am sure I will desire other razors in the future, but I seriously doubt any will provide an experience like I had today...my first shave with my Grand-dad's razor.
Thanks for reading.

You have a worthy Grandad! The Electric, I have been told, is a brand logo that became, or was bought out, by PUMA.
Thanks for the save!

MONDAY
Hot shower prep
Razor: WOTAN by Henckles
Blade: Kampfe hollow ground
Soap: C.O.Bigelow Original
Mug: Favored soup cup
Brush: generic mixed badger 24mm
Splash: none
A good quick shave in two and a touch up on water.


Henckles Rapide, Wester Bros (US), and others had similar blade locking systems. Henckles patented the Rapide, WOTAN and similar razors about 1880. The nasty looking device to the right is a honing and stropping stick to refresh the blades. The WOTAN can be distinguished by a solid blade keeper and the Wester and Rapide have wire "U" keepers.
The fun of trying things makes the day go a bit better and quicker!

~Richard

5.15 p.m. a late shave today
Muehle "Grande" and Calani

Originally Posted by Geezer

You have a worthy Grandad! The Electric, I have been told, is a brand logo that became, or was bought out, by PUMA.
Thanks for the save!

Thank you.

He was known to invest in very nice things even though he was a fairly common man. I was surprised to find it was so well cared for. It functions VERY well!

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

Just read your sig line, have you read Heart of darkness, By Joseph Conrad?

Hi Carl,

Althought that book was way before my time, I did indeed read it. I must admit though that although I enjoyed the narrative frame of the work, I had trouble relating to Marlow and the days of slavery & colonialism in the then Congo/Zaire. I did enjoy the descriptive of the ivory trade and Kurtz 'interaction' with his surroundings.

All that considered, IMHO Coppola did a fantastic job in adapting the book to that of the Vietnam war, which again was way before my time! Lol

Regards,

Ash