Sliding Down the Razor Blade of Life with Smattayu

[labrax]

Good post Eric,

6 hours of driving is tiring for sure. That must be a big stove to have 10 burners.

The 1912 is a fantastic razor. I liked the shave from them very much. Too bad about the text to come in early and messing up your shave.

Check out the Omega 10066 or the one with a similar knot in the wooden handle 8005?? Or get both [emoji6] .

Have a good night!

Sent via Tapatalk from phone

 

[Smattayu]

Thanks Pete! Yep, the stove is something of a monster. It's actually the same size as the one it's replacing, just not nearly as battle-scarred lol. The Omega 10005 is the one I will probably go with. I haven't had a brush with a wood handle yet, and it's got a nice look to it. I'll likely be picking up a Semogue 620 in the near future as well, as it's a shorter loft version of the 830, which I love so much. On to today's shave:

Razor: GD 208
Brush: Vintage Blades 22mm Finest
Soap: Phoenix and Beau Citra Royale
Post shave: Thayer's cucumber
Aftershave: Fine Platinum

This was a good morning for a cold water shave. Loaded up the VB for about 20 seconds and went to town. The scent of this stuff woke me right up. A bright citrus with a little dark side to it from the cedar. I may bowl lather again someday, but the overall feel of spending a couple of minutes massaging my face is too nice to pass up.

1st pass: Nothing new here. See previous posts. I've got it pretty well down.

2nd pass: I went back to going from ear to chin on this one. This actually goes more ATG on my neck, but it seems to work better for me than S->N, and I can do either on my cheeks and get a great shave there. It went well, no nicks, and I seemed to have a good angle. It was cutting without scraping, so I'll call it a win.

3rd pass: I didn't try to go with anything too different in technique. Just S->N the entire way, and then checked to see what I had left. The usual spots needed more work(no surprise there), so I went in for a clean up, and this is where I decided to ride the edge(pun absolutely intended). In an attempt to get an angle that would get give me a good shave on my neck, I had my right elbow in the air, the scales all the way back against the spine of the razor, and gripped the tang and the scales from the back. I pulled the skin down from my lower neck, and tried to get the blade as close to vertical as I could. With my face turned left(this is on the right side of my face, all was reversed when I did the left side) I was able to see fairly well out of the corner of my eye, so I didn't need to go entirely by touch.
To make a long story less long, I got the closest shave on my neck yet. It was certainly not without irritation, but I will be trying to refine this in the future, as nothing else I've tried with the straight has come close to the results I got today.

A rinse, some Thayer's, and a nice splash of Fine Platinum, and my neck was burning. It faded quickly, and the irritation was gone in short order. Certainly not BBS, and I can feel a hint of scrape when I run my hand over my trouble spots, but I call it a win.

More progress, smelling good, and feeling better. Back to work I go. Until next time!

Eric

 

[Smattayu]

Passing on the shave today. Part exhaustion, partly just not feeling it. I was able to cut the scales for the Torrey earlier, and have them glued together. I was hoping for a chance to thin them and maybe finish shaping them, but it was not in the cards, so I'll see how far I can get on it tomorrow.

On a happy note, I put in my order for a Tony Miller strop today. The Illinois #127 has served me well, and received a few nicks while I learned stropping technique, but it is time for an upgrade, and I can't think of a better way to go than a TM. Tony was quick to respond to emails, and a pleasure to deal with. I'm really excited about this purchase.

It is pretty nice waiting a couple days between shaves now and then. It is therapeutic to mow down the extra stubble, so I'm looking forward to tomorrows shave.

See you then!

Eric

 

[Smattayu]

Ok, had enough time to get the scales for the Torrey shaped and mostly thinned. Unfortunately, the heat from the belt sander reactivated the rubber cement, and that is all I was able to do before they popped apart. They also warped a bit, so I'm going to boil and clamp them, and hopefully get holes drilled, edges softened, and wedge made tomorrow. I'm going to use blonde buffalo horn for the wedge. I think it'll add some nice contrast.

 

[Smattayu]

Razor: Ralf Aust/GEM 1912
Brush: Omega pro 49
Soap: D.R. Harris Arlington
Post shave: Thayer's cucumber
Aftershave: Chiseled Face Sherlock

My experience with DR Harris has been full of "this is the last time I use this soap". It has always struck me as very temperamental, and I can never seem to get it just right. The scent is so excellent that after a few weeks I give it another try. It paid off today. I've never face lathered with it, and I don't know if that made a difference or not, but today's lather was outstanding. Perfect consistency and great glide with very nice residual slickness.

I have to be up at 5 tomorrow morning, so I just did 2 quick passes with the Aust and a 3rd ATG with the 1912, no cleanup needed, and got an accidental BBS with no irritation! It's a good night.

Thayer's and CF Sherlock complete the shave, and I'm off to read a bit before I attempt to make an early night of it. Sherlock strikes me as an overwhelmingly British scent, and pairs pretty well with Arlington, since I can't bring myself to buy the Arlington aftershave lol. A little too pricey for me, and there are a lot of fantastic aftershaves out there that cost half as much or less.

I'm out

 

[Smattayu]

Razor: 1973 Gillette Superspeed
Brush: Semogue 830
Soap: Jeeves of Hudson Street Conservatory
Post shave: Thayer's cucumber
Aftershave: PAA Al Fin

Another crazy long day. It felt like a DE day to me, and I have only used my birth year razor once since I got it, so I busted it out and loaded up my trusty Semogue with a new soap that I haven't even test lathered yet. Went into a face lather and noticed quickly that this stuff has a different feel to it from most soaps I've used before. It's hard to describe and I didn't spend a lot of time analyzing it, but the final lather felt denser than most that I've used. It was beautifully slick and did not dry out at all, though using a DE is not a true test of longevity since I move through the passes much more quickly than with a straight. The scent was very nice, though certainly on the mild side, but the post shave feel of this soap is where it truly shines. The only post shave that has come close for me is Haslinger Schafmilch and Barrister & Mann's glissant base.

The razor performed nicely, and I whipped through a 3 pass DFS quickly and with no nicks. Splashed on some Thayer's and let it set on my face while I cleaned out my brush.

The PAA Al Fin is another new acquisition, which I bought on recommendation without trying a sample first. PAA certainly did not skimp on the alcohol or menthol. Crazy amount of fumes and initial burning followed by a great chill that lasted for quite a while. The downside is the scent. What little I smell is really good, but I barely smell it at all. It left my skin feeling great, and I got some other samples from PAA that really smell amazing, so I'll probably add this to the PIF I'm putting together and pick up a couple others from them(Oud Spice was probably the best of the 5 that I tried).

Good shave, and exhaustion has set in. The Tony Miller strop should be here on Friday, and I can't wait! Time for some well earned rest.

Until next shave!

Eric

 

[Smattayu]

First off...My new Tony Miller Notovan strop came in today! Taking it out of the box was one of the best parts of an otherwise rough day. Incredibly supple and the draw is as smooth as can be. Granted, I only have my Illinois #127 to compare it to, but it was like upgrading from a moped to a Cadillac. I was almost too afraid to strop on it...Fortunately I got over that fear quickly.

Pre-shave: Ach Brito Glyce Lime
Razor: GD 208
Brush: Omega pro 49
Soap: SV Manna di Sicilia
Post shave: Thayer's cucumber
Aftershave: SV Manna di Sicilia

I actually wanted to just keep stropping the GD, the new strop is that nice. I used the Ach Brito Glyce Lime reluctantly, considering the burn it put on me the first time, but this time I just soaped up and rinsed it off. I figured it would be better than no preshave, and since there was no burn I came out ahead.

I didn't really do anything new this shave. I just needed to relax, so I loaded up and face lathered with the monstrous 49. The SV is a pretty thirsty soap, so I had to add water a couple times, and I still made the lather too dry for the first time in a long time. When the first swipe of the razor practically skipped across my cheek, I turned on the fire hose and let the lather fly! I ended up with enough lather in my brush to do 6-7 passes easily. And enough on the mirror for a pass or two.

The shave went great. No nicks, no irritation, and did pretty well on my neck. Not quite as good as the last time, but I'd run it up the flagpole and see who salutes. The scent of this soap is so great that the day after I got it I ordered the aftershave. I did my usual Thayer's thing, did a quick 10-20 on the strop, cleaned up the brush, and splashed on the AS. Man, this is some great stuff. Between the soap and the AS, my face felt and smelled like a million bucks. If SV came out with this in an EDT I would jump at the chance to give them my money.

Off to lose at B&B Bingo! Later all!

Eric

 

[dexutter]

You guys and your SV! Sounds like an awesome shave!

 

[Smattayu]

I've only used this SV so far, but the scent one of my favorites, and I'm loving the performance. My wallet already doesn't love me, so I'm holding off on Cosmo and Tundra Artica for a bit, but the wait is making me sweat a little lol.

 

[Smattayu]

So I decided that this would be my restoration and honing journal too. This is where I am with the scales on the Torrey right now. I had to boil the little boogers yet again, since they seem to want to warp. After this I think I'm just going to install the wedge, sand, polish, and pin em and hope for the best lol.





I've got various grits of sandpaper ready to go. I'll pull them out from between the steel plates tomorrow and see where I stand.

I've decided to toss the ZY for honing practice, and have been scoping the bay for an inexpensive vintage to practice on. I have a couple of prospects, but we'll see how they go.

 

[labrax]

Eric,

Great reads and very nice job on the razor restoration! Very good progress with the straights on the neck area.

That strop sounds very nice too. I only have a homemade vegetable tanned leather strop and a cheap Pakistani strop - so I don't know what I'm missing, but I like your comparison of going from a moped to a Cadillac.

Have a good night!

Sent via Tapatalk from phone

 

[Smattayu]

Thanks Pete! I appreciate the encouragement.

A friend expressed an interest in shaving with a straight, so I loaned him my GD, the Illinois #127, a col. Conk pure badger brush that I've never used, and some LPL soap. Gave him a few tips and off he went. It's a good feeling.

 

[Smattayu]

Pre-Shave: Ach Brito Glyce Lime
Razor: Ralf Aust
Brush: Omega pro 49
Soap: Barrister & Mann 42
Post shave: Thayer's cucumber
Aftershave: PAA Al Fin
Cologne: TTFFC Play it Again, Sam

Winning combination! I'm going to be making the glyce lime a regular, I think. As long as I wash it off I'm good, and it really seems to help soften the facial hair.

As for the soap, B&M's glissant base might be in my top 2 overall right now. Will covered all the bases. Easy to lather, cushion, slickness, residual slickness, outstanding post shave. The scent is downright strange, but intriguing, and I love it. I can practically smell Arthur Dent almost crashing the Heart of Gold's computer while trying to get it to make a cup of tea.

All 3 passes went well. The first two I kept normal and fairly quick. The last pass I spent a few extra minutes on the neck, with good results. I got under the jawline by shaving my cheeks first, and pulling the skin up from there.

A side note: (I know I tend to ramble on and possibly over detail things, but hey, it's my journal ) I woke up this morning with a pimple right under a trouble spot on my neck that was so big I was a little bit concerned that it might be a parasitic unborn twin trying to take over my body. The jury is out on that, but I still feel like me.

Working around said abnormality while still going for a DFS challenged my budding straight razor skills to a heretofore unknown degree. I displayed some adaptability and overcame the challenge, though it added a few minutes to the shave. Pulling the skin down from my lower neck, and changing to my left hand on the right side of my neck and vice-versa I came across the trouble spots at a different angle, which gave me very good results on parts of my neck that always had some rough spots left unless I cleaned them up with a safety.

The post shave was so good that I could have gone without the Thayer's, but I enjoy that part of the ritual as well, so I splashed it on. It being a very hot day here, I wanted something with more menthol than usual. PAA Al Fin fit the bill, so even though I don't catch any scent from it, I splashed it on, and felt great. What did not feel great was going the bathroom immediately after without washing the heavily mentholated AS off my hands. Wow..just...wow

After the shock wore off and I came to my senses, I reached for some TTFFC Play it Again, Sam. I love this scent. The profile is ginger, lime, and tobacco, and while I don't catch the individual notes, they blend to create a very classy, masculine smell.

Feeling great almost everywhere(I don't recommend menthol on the man parts), it's time to enjoy the evening.

Have a great night all, and see you next shave!

 

[dexutter]

Brrrrrr.... Good stuff, Eric! The resto looks great!

 

[Smattayu]

I'm about to hit the shower and get a nice evening shave in, but figured I'd post the latest on the restoration first. I'm close to done with the scales. Just finished sanding them up to 12k micro-mesh. There is an imperfection in the horn that was uncovered when I was hitting it with the 400 grit, but I kind of like things like that. It shows that it was made with natural materials. You can see it left middle area of the top scale in the pic.



Not a lot of grain, and they won't be anywhere near perfect, but I think they are coming along fairly well for a first attempt. One of them is still a tad warped. I didn't bother boiling it, just clamped it and it can sit until later tonight or tomorrow. I cut and shaped the wedge, so it's all ready to go in. If I don't screw anything up it might be finished tomorrow sometime. Then I just need to hone it. I've decided the shave test for this razor will be my goatee, so if I post pics of my lower face swathed in bandages...well....you'll know how it worked out.

I might work on honing the ZY tonight, but the Glenco I won on the bay should be here in a day or two, and then I can retire that clunky ZY in favor of something of much higher quality to practice honing on.

 

[Smattayu]

Pre-shave: Ach Brito glyce lime
Razor: Fine Superlite slant
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue.
Brush: Shave Revolution 24mm HM
Soap: Krampert's Finest Frostbite
Post shave: Thayer's cucumber
Aftershave: PAA Oud Spice

There have been plenty of folks going with mentholated soap ice water shaves, so I figured this would be a great day to give it a go. I haven't used the Fine Superlite or the Shave Revolution brush in a while, so I filled the sink and a mug with ice water, loaded my last GSB from my original blade sampler pack(I actually like these blades a bit more than the Astra SP, but they cost twice as much for a 100 pack) into the Fine, and got to it.

I've had the sample of this soap for ages, and this was my first time using it. It performed well enough, though the lather didn't stay very stable. I used more soap than I normally do with any other soap, and it was pretty thin and watery by the 3rd pass. It was cold, but not overly so. I'll probably pick up either some Cryogen or Arctique to test my manhood with.

The shave went great, a quick 3 pass DFS with no nicks or irritation, and after the Thayer's I grabbed a PAA AS sampler pack that I've had for a week or so. The Oud Spice caught my eye, so I shook some out and splashed it on. Great scent! It's been a long time since I've smelled Old Spice, but this was close to what I remember. Nice and powdery with an added Oud note that really complimented it.

No honing tonight. Its still hot, and it's a great time to sit in front of a fan and relax.
Good night all!

 

[dexutter]

Nice Eric! Way to keep it cold!

 

[stuck80]

Hey Eric.

I'm not into the straights (just sounds like work to me haha) but I enjoy reading about all of the other aspects of your shave.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Smattayu]

Thanks Bill! The straight can feel like more than I want to deal with some days. I keep some DE's and SE's in case that happens, but I'm really loving the straight and everything that goes along with it.

 

[Smattayu]

Pre-shave: Ach Brito glyce lime
Razor: Ralf Aust/GEM 1912
Brush: Semogue 830
Soap: Phoenix and Beau Citra Royale
Post shave: Thayer's cucumber
Aftershave: PAA Coconut Oud

Pretty good shave today. I didn't make any real progress on the trouble spots, but the straight is continuing to feel more comfortable in my hand with the various grips I use. I got a few small nicks today, but still managed to maneuver around the evil twin(still there, but fading) without any trouble.

Clean up with the 1912, which takes less than 10 seconds. A few quick swipes on the neck and I'm set. Its just 3 areas that I can't seem to nail down yet. Its actually almost a strip, just above my adams apple left, middle and right.

Busted out the styptic for this one. Carelessness hurts. After the Thayer's I reach for the PAA sampler, and the Coconut Oud catches my eye. Really good stuff. I would purchase both the Oud Spice from yesterday, and today's without hesitating.

I really enjoy every part of my shaves, from stropping to aftershave. But one of the best parts for me is the scents. So much variety is available, from simple to complex, subtle to aggressive, and everything in between. It is daily aromatherapy, and never fails to lift my mood. Just felt like a good time to point that out, since I'm still smelling the AS. PAA aftershaves seem to have fair longevity.

Setback on the restoration this morning. I wasn't too happy with the thickness of the wedge, and broke it trying to remove it to thin it out. It took very little time to prepare a new one and epoxy it in place, but I want to make sure to give the epoxy enough time to cure before I sand the wedge to fit, so there it sits on my desk, mocking me.

Spent some time on the hones this evening as well. The Genco should be here Thursday, but I figured I'd try the ZY again. Making slow, slow progress. I can get it to the point where it will shave leg hair, but not treetop it. On an impulse, I grabbed the Heljestrand and the coticule bout that I just got from the Superior Shave. I didn't make the edge any worse, but got a great polish on a clearly unset bevel lol. It was worth playing with it a bit, since I don't think a slurry-less coti will take much metal off, and I want to get familiar with the coti.

That covers all things shave related in my day. Have a great night all!