CBLindsay's Journey into Mixed Blade Mastery

[cvargo]

Sounds like you got the honing figured out.

Glad to see the Soap Commander get some use. I agree samples can be hard to load from, at least in my experience I never know if I am using enough. So I tend to use more than I probably need. I also have been using a LOT of samples as of late thanks to you and Chris H.

I don't like greasy balms either and in my opinion SC Balms are some of the best out there for balms.

 

[Guestabc]

Very nice Read Chris, and congrats on the honing

 

[Dagwoodz]

Congrats on getting that edge right where you want it Chris! I agree with you on the SC line of soaps, though I have yet to try any of their balms.

 

[cmh737]

Great job on the honing success!

And I'm glad you mentioned Pete; I need to see if I can find his email so I can drop a line. I hope he's doing well.

 

[Smattayu]

Most excellent shave and read Chris. I keep meaning to pick up some diamond paste from Ted Pella, and never seem to get around to it.

 

[labrax]

Hey Guys!

I do like me some Bill Blass....lol.

Work and home life have conspired to get me off the regular posting and really regular reading. Definitely have been in a withdrawn state for sure, but I do value you Chris and the email that you sent and the other guys that have reached out in PM's and in my journal.

I have not posted in a while, but strangely enough I have kept up taking my SOTD photos so I could post them. I have focused more on the SE's, the Ikon X3 and occasionally the Weck & the Greager. I did use Dan's Christmas razor a few times too. I need to get back to the hones as some of the edges of the traditional straights have fallen off.

Need to catch back up. Hope you guys have been doing good!

Pete

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Guestabc]

Good To hear from you Pete

 

[Smattayu]

Hey Guys!

I do like me some Bill Blass....lol.

Work and home life have conspired to get me off the regular posting and really regular reading. Definitely have been in a withdrawn state for sure, but I do value you Chris and the email that you sent and the other guys that have reached out in PM's and in my journal.

I have not posted in a while, but strangely enough I have kept up taking my SOTD photos so I could post them. I have focused more on the SE's, the Ikon X3 and occasionally the Weck & the Greager. I did use Dan's Christmas razor a few times too. I need to get back to the hones as some of the edges of the traditional straights have fallen off.

Need to catch back up. Hope you guys have been doing good!

Pete

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Pete! Great to see you posting!

 

[CBLindsay]

I feel better now. Not only can I still smell the Mr Blass, my buddy Pete popped into my journal!

 

[McVeyMac]

Hey Guys!

I do like me some Bill Blass....lol.

Work and home life have conspired to get me off the regular posting and really regular reading. Definitely have been in a withdrawn state for sure, but I do value you Chris and the email that you sent and the other guys that have reached out in PM's and in my journal.

I have not posted in a while, but strangely enough I have kept up taking my SOTD photos so I could post them. I have focused more on the SE's, the Ikon X3 and occasionally the Weck & the Greager. I did use Dan's Christmas razor a few times too. I need to get back to the hones as some of the edges of the traditional straights have fallen off.

Need to catch back up. Hope you guys have been doing good!

Pete

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Good to see you back in the saddle Pete.

Just catching up on the past few shaves Chris. Great work on the stones.

 

[clyde72]

Well I'm no honer, but it sounds to me like you've got it figured out.
I like the Soap Commander products. Their soaps and balms are top notch!
Good reads and shaves!
Oh and good to hear from Pete!

 

[sskim3]

Sweet job on the honing! And glad SC worked for you. I gotta go thru my samples of it soon.

 

[CBLindsay]

Tuesday 2-28-17 (#387)

Prep: Musgo Glyce
Brush: Smattayu Tuxedo
Soap: Henri et Victoria "Cognac & Cuban Cigars"
Razor: Vorpal Spanish Point
Strop: 30/100 Outlaw
Post: Alum Rub / WH Splash
Aftershave: Royall Bay Rhum
EDT/EDT: Outlaw "The Gambler" Solid Cologne

Hey, it's never to late...er, too early to enjoy some fine liquor and a good smoke. Like many of you guys I have had some soaps waiting around for me to try for far too long. This Henri et Victoria soap was one I got a sample of and enjoyed the smell of from the sample cup enough that I bought a full tub without actually lathering it up. I had test lathered a sample and liked it so I got a couple tubs before Christmas but haven't spent much time exploring them further.

The Smattayu Tuxedo is proving to be a great go to brush, it has a little bit of a spring I would like to tame but it is worth the fight. Quick to load and fast to whip up a creamy lather. One thing I have learned is this brush has a secret compartment for water, no matter what I do it is going to have plenty of water to release into the lather once I start working it on my face. The Henri et Victoria is an easy soap to use, taking on a good amount of water to provide a nice slick surface. The smell was a little on the mild side but it didn't fade away, instead it showed up from time to time. The scent is similar to a pipe tobacco but different enough to BE different. I enjoy pipe tobacco like scents so this was a winner for sure, and as I said, different enough to not be a duplication of a straight up pipe tobacco scent.

The Vorpal had visited the balsa strop very briefly before today's shave, a move that ensured the edge was perfect. This razor was forged in diamond dust I tell you, I learned to straight shave using this razor and it got a balsa stropping (0.5 & 0.25 micron mostly) every day. The daily balsa stropping kept the edge incredibly sharp for more than 25 days despite my shaver's ignorance and I think I went even more before honing the blade myself. The mighty Vorpal LOVES her diamonds.

Great lather and a diamond caressed Vorpal made for a 3 pass BBS shave like no other. I might call the shave a Grail had I not felt the slightest hint of harshness to the edge ...nothing a little more stropping wouldn't solve I am sure. ...But BBS in only 3 passes is a good thing. My technique with razor is pretty good because I have spent the majority of my early learning with it AND it is a great shape/size to get into those tight spots.

I finished the Cognac and Cuban Cigar shave with a splash of spicey Royal Bay Rhum and some rubs of "the Gambler" a bourbon, tobacco and leather scented solid cologne. Yeah, I smell like a drunk but I don't care...it's Five o-clock somewhere.

 

[cvargo]

So just a couple of things. The sample you sent me smells absolutely amazing! I can't wait until it gets the call. If the performance is Tier 2 or higher for me you can guarantee I will be buying some. Plus it is never too early to drink or have a nice cigar. We work hard we deserve it sometimes, even if it is in soap, AS, Cologne form. The knot you are using depending on loft can have a little spring to it, I think people try to set synthetic knots like they do badger or boar knots which creates the springiness feel. They need to be set higher. Nathan Clark at Envy who made my Ute brush talked to me about this and I trusted him he set the knot a tad bit higher than I would've requested and I am glad I listened, it is now easily the best performing synthetic in my den.

Have a great day Chris and maybe enjoy some whiskey and a cigar this evening.

 

[Guestabc]

Nice Shave and Read Chris..... you Lush!!!

 

[Dagwoodz]

Great read Chris...the HeV Cognac & Cigars is a wonderfully scented soap! The toe on that vorpal looks intimidating!

 

[Smattayu]

Excellent shave and read Chris, and I have noticed that same little compartment in my Tuxedo knot. I can load the brush nice and heavy, and one press against my face releases a good half a teaspoon of water into the lather. It's worked out in my favor so far lol.

 

[McVeyMac]

Nice Read Chris. Glad the V oral is still in your rotation and working well.

 

[CBLindsay]

Wednesday 3-1-17 (#388)
March soap theme -Artisan showcase

Prep: CBLindsay Vetiver-n-stuff pre-shave
Brush: Rubberset 400 24mm TGN finest
Soap: Long Rifle "Leatherstocking"
Razor: Wade & Butcher "Lather Well" Wedge
Strop: 30/100 Outlaw
Post: Alum Rub / WH Splash
Aftershave: Musgo Real "No3 Spiced Citrus"
EDT/EDT: Halston Z17

So the theme of the week is "Artisan showcase", shouldn't be hard considering I have pretty much nothing but artisan soaps of some kind or another. I figured I would start off with a favorite artisan soap that has been top of mind recently...Long Rifle. The Leatherstocking scent is the one Chad declared "I do not like this one" earlier this week (referencing the scent). It is a pine/cedar with patchouli and citrus scent, it sounds more complex than it is and to my nose it isn't very strong so even if you THINK you might like/dislike it, you are going to get a lot of it.

As an artisan, Long Rifle makes a great shave soap with a unique texture and feel to the lather. She describes the soap as an Italian cream (or at least she did at one point) but I don't know if or how that applies, the puck is firm but able to be squished into the tin it arrives in. She recently started selling a larger 6 ounce size that is poured in rather than a cut 3 ounce put dropped into a 4 ounce tin. The value of the 6 ounce purchase is fantastic but I like my 3 ounce ones. The only real draw back is the non-water resistant label, its as paper as you can get...but I like it too. To my nose the best scent so far has been Voyageur but I have yet to get the Bay Rhum which I smelled a sample of in bath soap and thought it was awesome. One thing I like about this artisan's soap is that the lather is uniquely different from others, in HOW it lathers, how it feels and how it performs. This uniqueness makes it perfect for adding to an already fat collection of soaps. Another bonus of this artisan is she has made a variety of body and shampoo bars as well as balms and after shaves, it could be very expensive to fall in love with her stuff.

On the lather front I made an error this morning. I had what was just about perfect lather, just needed a little more water. I thought I might push the water limits a bit when I plunged the brush into the captains choice bowl I had been dipping in. Wouldn't you know it, I had left WAY too much water in the ridges (like a tablespoon or more) and the lather soaked it all up. The lather didn't exactly "break" but it was pushed beyond that sweet spot for sure. I can say for sure that the soap can handle a ton of water but past a certain point it does NOT get slicker, this stuff is meant to be creamy and slightly thick not loose and wet.

This razor is one I bought from a local guy who honed it himself. He used a couple of vintage hones he was also selling (I bought one) a barber hone and a dry hone. I marveled at how well it shaved (and how good it looked) given he said he had no real experience and had only used the hones he had on hand. I had shaved with it before and got a moderately decent shave so I only touched it up on the balsa strops then linen and leather for today's shave. It is hard to describe the way the edge feels. It tugs enough that it is clearly not sharp enough but it feels slightly harsh as if it is quite sharp. Also odd is how well it actually removes whiskers, you think it isn't going to cut it (no pun intended) but it removes a ton of whiskers and leaves nothing but skin behind. I went 3 rounds with this razor ...I think. I might have only done two, I may have skipped the first pass and gone straight to the normal second pass. I was so caught up in the lather flub and the edge paradox I honestly don't recall a first pass but I DO remember placing the razor for a side to side pass and using my alternating hands for the second pass. So strange.

All said and done, I ended up with a BBS leaning BBS- do to a little edge clean up that should have been done better but I didn't notice until I was on my way to the office. I will most likely do some sort of refinement to the edge but I will resist a bevel reset since I still haven't been able to get my one and only OTHER wedge to actually shave. I think I need to ask some questions in the honing forum.

On the fragrance front, the Musgo Real No 3 and Halston seem to go well together. I think 3-4 pings of Haltson may have been a bit much this morning since I am still choking on the cloud.

 

[Guestabc]

Excellent Read and descriptors for Day 1, Chris. Good picture as well