February 2022 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End (GRUME)

[FoolishMortal]

Maybe some pics of the knot? @Rudy Vey must have set hundreds of Shavemac knots maybe he can pinpoint the problem.

Sure, I'll take a series to illustrate the issue.

 

[ShavingPanda]

SOTD

• Rockwell 6S/R4
• Nacet (19) - OBiF
• Mike's Lemongrass and Eucalyptus
• Shavemac Butterscotch Beagle Fan
• WH w/menthol, LTFT
• Stirling Orange Chill ASB
• Vintage Avon Bay Rum AS

A quick two-pass shave with acceptable results.

I'm concerned about a little hole that seems to be developing in the middle of the Beagle's knot. I've heard that this can be the result of aggressive swirling and mashing. While I do swirl, both on the puck and when face-lathering (which I do exclusively), I don't mash the brush. I've tried to gently comb out the knot, as I know this is a way to relieve the issue with a horsehair brush, but it doesn't seem to make any difference and I'm not convinced that the center of the know is tangled, anyway.

Today, I tried loading with painting strokes...which didn't work, and actually seemed to make the hole more pronounced. I switched to light swirling and the hole all but disappeared. Then I face-lathered with painting strokes and saw the hole again; switched to swirling and the hole all but disappeared.

I'm at a loss as to the cause and the cure, but I'll keep using the Beagle. While I'm concerned about the appearance, it's really the performance that matters. The brush works reasonably well, even if I'd like the knot to be a touch bigger, so I'll use it as I like - swirling and painting - until it doesn't work anymore...or until I trade it.

Onward!

I'm sure Rudy can provide more insight.

I've heard of hole/voids developing if there is some soap residue that's been trapped at the base of the knot. I'd try giving the brush a really good clean to see if that remediates the issue.

 

[JAHE]

@JAHE you have great taste in soap!

Great minds think alike, they say...

 

[FoolishMortal]

I'm sure Rudy can provide more insight.

I've heard of hole/voids developing if there is some soap residue that's been trapped at the base of the knot. I'd try giving the brush a really good clean to see if that remediates the issue.

I've been doing two things lately:

1. I use a two-brush rotation. The just-used brush (A) gets a solid rinse, then gets set on the windowsill with the window cracked open to allow full drying. When the second brush (B) is used the next day (or later), it goes through the same process. Brush A is now on the counter, ready to go, while Brush B dries at the window. I shave four to five days per week, so each brush gets at least 48 hours of drying time.
2. Roughly once per week, I do a hand-soap palm lather for each brush. This little spa treatment should help to keep things clean and reduce build-up.

However...your point is reasonable. I will look into doing more of a deep-clean on the brush to see how that works.

The odd thing is that, of the 20+ brushes I have used, this is the only one exhibiting this behavior. It's possible that the smallish knot is set deeper than others and just traps lather. I do have a scrubby little badger from Elite that I asked to be set deep (probably too deep, really) and it doesn't do this. Still, a good cleaning might be the answer, and there's no harm in trying.

 

[ShavingPanda]

I've been doing two things lately:

1. I use a two-brush rotation. The just-used brush (A) gets a solid rinse, then gets set on the windowsill with the window cracked open to allow full drying. When the second brush (B) is used the next day (or later), it goes through the same process. Brush A is now on the counter, ready to go, while Brush B dries at the window. I shave four to five days per week, so each brush gets at least 48 hours of drying time.
2. Roughly once per week, I do a hand-soap palm lather for each brush. This little spa treatment should help to keep things clean and reduce build-up.

However...your point is reasonable. I will look into doing more of a deep-clean on the brush to see how that works.

The odd thing is that, of the 20+ brushes I have used, this is the only one exhibiting this behavior. It's possible that the smallish knot is set deeper than others and just traps lather. I do have a scrubby little badger from Elite that I asked to be set deep (probably too deep, really) and it doesn't do this. Still, a good cleaning might be the answer, and there's no harm in trying.

Ah, wonder if it may be specific to the knot then.

Those sound well taken care of. Might have to send my brushes to your den for the spa treatment

 

[FoolishMortal]

Ah, wonder if it may be specific to the knot then.

Those sound well taken care of. Might have to send my brushes to your den for the spa treatment

The rates are very reasonable...

 

[Dominic]

Speick shaving cream
Semogue 610 boar brush
Ralf Aust 5/8 Spanish tip straight razor
Speick aftershave

 

[La Malice]

GRUME : still in 12/14 (every other day shave here)
One Blade in February : still in 9/14 and then 3 / 5

Prep : warm shower / Bulldog original face wash
Brush : Proraso boar by Omega
Cream : Pure by Gillette
Razor : Merkur 34 HD Chrome
Blade : Voshkod (6)
Post : alum block, Nivea Sensitive balm *2

2 more shave and a new month and blade will start, can't be soon enough

 

[Timeclo]

Still in.

Had an excellent shave with the Gillette Tech again. Doesn't give me a complete BBS but I can buff easily with it and gets me very close, comfortable result.

 

[cryhavoc]

Still in

Razor: GEM MMOC
Blade: GEM SS PTFE (13)
Soap: Vitos Red Extra Super Coco
Brush: Omega 10290 Boar
AS: Pinaud Clubman VIBR

 

[Multum in parvo]

still in - BBS with the Bullet Tip and a fresh GEM but I suffered a couple of weepers
Too heavy handed, I need more practice with GEM SE's

 

[JAHE]

SOTD #055/2022
24-Feb-2022

Still in.

Meeting the SOTD week theme... just in case you wonder. So no "fancy" shave stuff today, but this is how I have started wet shaving and have shaved for approx. three decades before I discovered serious wet shaving.

Today's shave? Boy, what a crappy shave. Two awful passes wtg/xtg, this foam sucks. So I stopped the shave. There's no need to rip off my face.

Happy shaves, y'all!

 

[hopper_64]

Still in

Yaqi Slant
Personna Lab Blue (24)
Shavemac Silvertip Bulb 22mm
TOBS Sandalwood
Proraso Red

Got a not so smooth, but very very close shave today.

 

[kjbarth]

Still in. Haven't posted my past few shaves but all using the same equipment as posted previously (boring). Was tempted to make a purchase of Tabac Original after I found out that the formula is changing. But I already have backups to last me until the end of my days. Crisis averted.

 

[Abz88]

Still in. Just time for a quick single pass today so I decided to use a D.R. Harris stick to compare with the D.R. Harris cream sample I've been using over the last couple of weeks. Definitely a better lather than the cream. I find it to be slicker and have a post post shave feel.

Post-shave (in order of use)
- Osma Alum Block
- Stirling Unscented with Menthol - Witch Hazel & Aloe
- Hylamide Skin Serums
- Esteem Unscented Post Shave Balm
- Jack Black Double Duty Face Moisturiser

Tools
- Gillette Slim Adjustable
- Israeli Red (3)
- Semogue Torga C5 Boar

Fragrance for the day
- Floris Santal EDT

 

[ChriWilson]

Still in - Amazing how fast Feb has gone by

Only had time for a quick Single Pass+
Result was somewhere around CCS+ and DFS

• Pinaud Clubman Pre-Shave
• Mitchell's Wool Fat
• Simpson Special Badger (Best)
• Mühle R41GS
• Nacet (1)
• Thayer's Astringent
• Captain's Choice Non-Menthol A/S

 

[Kyle89]

I'm concerned about a little hole that seems to be developing in the middle of the Beagle's knot. I've heard that this can be the result of aggressive swirling and mashing. While I do swirl, both on the puck and when face-lathering (which I do exclusively), I don't mash the brush. I've tried to gently comb out the knot, as I know this is a way to relieve the issue with a horsehair brush, but it doesn't seem to make any difference and I'm not convinced that the center of the know is tangled, anyway.

Mine does the same thing, but oddly enough it seems to come and go. Mine combs out though, so it's interesting that yours doesn't respond to that. I've perhaps lost maybe 3 hairs total so far and it's pretty broken in, so it's not like a legitimate bald spot in mine.

Weirddddddddd.

 

[FoolishMortal]

Mine does the same thing, but oddly enough it seems to come and go. Mine combs out though, so it's interesting that yours doesn't respond to that. I've perhaps lost maybe 3 hairs total so far and it's pretty broken in, so it's not like a legitimate bald spot in mine.

Weirddddddddd.

I used it yesterday and put it on the windowsill to dry, then didn't shave today, so it's still on the windowsill. When I looked this morning...no hole. Yeah, it's weird behavior, all right. I'm going to give it (and several other brushes) a day-spa treatment of borax, followed by white vinegar, followed by dish soap, followed by a good rinse. We'll see how my little wet dog behaves after that.

 

[Sammy671]

Still in.

Haven’t got a pic but used the same stuff as last shave.

Been busy a bit at work and along with that trying to get some new kitchen cabinets and bathroom redone so that’s been cutting on my time with 5 yr old. Shaving has become a chore that I am skipping more days. Hopefully things quiet down in home front to get back to regular alternate day shaves.

 

[Leverspro]

24 days in with no purchases and 24 shaves.