Thread: Sun December 30th - January 05th

Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Razor: Wade & Butcher For Barbers Use
Strop: Tony Miller Heirloom Latigo & Linen
Brush: Whippeddog Silvertip
Cream: Mitchell's Wool Fat
Scuttle: Robert Baker 002 in Lava Slate
Shave: 3 passes, WTG/XTG/ATG
Astringent: Thayer's
A/S: Captain's Choice Bay Rum
Musical Accompaniment: 1940s Stewart Archtop



This razor just never disappoints. It has gone from one of four in regular rotation to one of three to the one that I grab 90% of the time. If the rest of my razors disappeared, I'd be OK with just this one. But if this one disappeared, I'd probably go a little crazy on the bay hunting a replacement. I think everyone has 'the one' out there somewhere, and for me right now, this is it.

Thiers Issard

Friday

A decidedly warmish day, 48ish. I spent some of my time at work monitoring the Country Fire Service web site. Basically our bushfire plan is throw as many animals and things (razors, cameras, books) in the car as possible and head for the oval (playing field) and let the house burn. I think the chickens would need to look after themselves, as much as I love them.

The shave felt bad, but my sense of touch tells me it was good. I’d honed this razor a little (10 laps) on the Shapton16k, and it may have taken a step backwards. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with working slowly with a razor’s edge over a course of time. I write down all my honing in a ‘honing journal’ now. One day, I’ll make reference to it when I respond to the ever present ‘how often do I need to hone my razor’ question. Remarkably little I’d say, if you are Carl.

Proraso and Floïd were the soap and scent respectively. Almost a match for the shave from the other day, which was C O Bigalow and Floïd. Those two scents go so well together in hot weather.

Hope you had a great week, guys. It’s good to be heading into a new year on this thread, I got a little bored for a tad but have bounced back. I actually need to buy some more scents, looking forward to Autumn. I’m thinking a mossy, woody scent, like I’ve rubbed myself against mossy rotting tree stumps at dawn…

Oh, sorry, forgive me for inserting this portion of Whitman, I know I'm over doing it; I overdo everything, I'm listening to him on audio book a lot lately, a very observant fellow he was...

A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands;
How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he.

I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green
stuff woven.

Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord,
A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropt,
Bearing the owner's name someway in the corners, that we may see
and remark, and say Whose?

Or I guess the grass is itself a child, the produced babe of the vegetation.

Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic,
And it means, Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones,
Growing among black folks as among white,
Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the same, I
receive them the same.

And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

...This razor just never disappoints. It has gone from one of four in regular rotation to one of three to the one that I grab 90% of the time. If the rest of my razors disappeared, I'd be OK with just this one. But if this one disappeared, I'd probably go a little crazy on the bay hunting a replacement. I think everyone has 'the one' out there somewhere, and for me right now, this is it. [/CENTER]

That's a really nice looking razor...

Location: Pearl Harbor, HAWAII
Prep: Hot shower
Brush: Haryali London Silvertip
Razor: Best Brand? "Cannot Be Beat" 6/8
Soap/Cream: TOBS Mr. Taylor (sample)
Scuttle/mug: milk-glass bowl
AS: TOBS Jermyn St.
strop: SRD 2" nylon/black latigo (30x/60x)
Result: DFS

Not sure about this one; bought it cheap as a honing-practice razor and a chance to try a bigger blade than 5/8 before I start paying through the nose for big blades. I'm not really sure what it is, because the etching and stamping were removed during a previous restoration. The blade etching originally said "BEST * BRAND", possibly in a gold wash, and between those two words was a compass rose with an "R" in the center, and the words around it, "CANNOT BE BEAT". Any ideas? The blade edge still has a bit of pitting, as does the face of the blade. I got a pretty keen edge going, so I figured it was worth a try. After a marginal WTG, pass, I went ATG and then XTG to tough up several rough places. Only the most minor irritation. While if it were another blade, I'd probably live with it and just keep touching it up a lot, since I bought it for hone practice, I figure I'll take it all the way back to a new bevel, try to get it past all the pitting and do what the previous restorer gave up on.

TOBS Mr. Taylor lathers up nice, but as best I can tell, this is as close to an "unscented" lather that I can think of. The TOBS Jermyn St. AS was excellent for taking the sting completely out of this shave.

Thiers Issard | Chubby 2 | Jabonman | Sulwhasoo | Claudiæ

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.

One of my favorite lines from Whitman. Nice pic.

Originally Posted by sashimi

The TOBS Eton College AS is not comparable (in my humble opinion) to the cream. The cream has a nice citrus kind of flavour. The AS is more flat and for a few seconds gives you the illusion of the cream scent. Right after that it gets more flat and actually rather bland. The high tones are gone quickly and you're left with something that holds the middle between a cheap supermarket AS and a toilet refresher. Of course, these are purely my subjective feelings and you shouldn't take one person's word as the definitive statement on this product, but all I'm saying is that if you know the cream and think you will smell like that, you will probably be disappointed. I'm only holding on to it because the misses kinda likes it. :-)

Thanks, I'm a big fan of the cream and had you told me it smelled like that I likely would have tracked some down immediately. I'll probably track some down in the spring and give it a go.

Hot Shower, Dovo Shavette, VDH Boar, Tabac Shavestick, Clubman AS

Hadn't used the shavette in a coon's age so I thought I'd pull it out today. Very nice shave. The F-111A was the first operational aircraft I touched after initial training. I checked into the 391st TFS on 09 Oct 80, three days after my 18th birthday. The aircraft in the picture belonged to the squadron and is one I have worked on often.

Friday

Sabi SB Ivory Handle
Gillette Super Thin
Clearly Natural Soap
WSP Prince Silvertip
Nivea Sensitive Balm
Aqua Lavanda Puig