Milkcrate's Musings

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 261 SR: 177)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
J Allen & Sons SR
Vulfix badger
WSP Gaelic Tweed soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
WSP Gaelic Tweed AS

Looking to repeat yesterday I will be running the same gear all week. Dropped the 30 second load time down just a bit to 20 and still whipped up and very nice lather.

50 laps on the leather and it was dhavr time. Went with my standard shave of: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. Well ... there was this one little thing. No fluid loss, but a really nice one inch nick on the throat. Knew it when it happened. In spite of that, great shave and I am BBS!

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A double shot of the AS and everything was right as rain! Except for the sting! Yup it lit that nick up. Thankfully I had a bit more shaving time today. I am at a training class, but it’s in town. That’s about it for now. Did I mention that I smell great? Life is good!

 

[Clay S]

A double shot of the AS and everything was right as rain! Except for the sting!

I bet the exception clears the skies of rain. Just keep nicking yourself 'til Saturday to prove me right.

Glad to hear of the BBS, even if too close at the one spot.

 

[MilkCrate]

I bet the exception clears the skies of rain. Just keep nicking yourself 'til Saturday to prove me right.

Glad to hear of the BBS, even if too close at the one spot.

Meanhead. There’s no clouds downtown. But I still don’t want to test your theory.

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 261 SR: 178)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
J Allen & Sons SR
Vulfix badger
WSP Gaelic Tweed soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
WSP Gaelic Tweed AS

Again with the same gear, why mess with a good thing. After a few days of continued usage, the scent of the soap has really blossomed. Just opening the lid and the scent will waft out and fill the air with light scented awesome. I kept the same lathering routine, but dropped my load time down to 20 seconds today. That change didn't seem to really change the performance of the soap. It still cranked out a really nice lather that smelled great. Once again I had enough for the shave and a post shave lather.

50 laps on the leather and we are ready. Deviated from my standard shave pattern and opted for a twp pass shave today. And with that I have no drama to report. This change was due to the nick yesterday. I didn't want to catch that nick on the ATG pass and dig in deeper. I had enough lather with the reduced load time, but I also dropped a pass. Once I pick that back up, I wonder how the 20 second load time will work out. The shave was good, but I missed that ATG pass. Today I walked away DFS for the win!

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! Good shave and once again I smell great. A really good way to set the mood for the day. It's hump day of a short week, so I have my quarterly review and some other tasks to get knocked out before the day is done. I'm sure there are other fun things lurking just under the surface, so we'll see what the day holds. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 261 SR: 179)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
J Allen & Sons SR
Vulfix badger
WSP Gaelic Tweed soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
WSP Gaelic Tweed AS

TGITHMF! Thank goodness it's Thursday, my Friday. Winding down the work week and staying running out the week with the shave kit. Bumped my load time back up to 30 seconds this morning just to see if it is noticeably different in the volume of lather. It was not, so I should be able to lessen my load times with no ill effects. Again had a nice lather going this morning and you know it smelled great.

50 laps on the leather and it was to time. Went with the non-standard shave of WTG and XTG, and I have no drama to report. Yup went with only 2 passes again today. I once again walked away DFS, but I am really missing that ATG pass. I may try and pick that pass back up tomorrow and see how I fair. I think if I could only do two passes it would be WTG and ATG.

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A double shot of the AS and everything was right as rain! I may have mentioned it already, but I am really digging this soap. Today will mostly be trying to wrap up some tasks at work before my day off. Although I am not at work tomorrow I will be busy with scheduled plans. Tomorrow I have volunteered to assist at a retirement home. So no sleeping late tomorrow. I also have some shave mail things that should be coming in the next week or so. I won't mention what those are. We'll just wait an see what arrives. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 261 SR: 180)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
J Allen & Sons SR
Vulfix badger
WSP Gaelic Tweed soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
WSP Gaelic Tweed AS

Early morning shave today, just a late posting. Winding down the week with the same gear. Had a great shave today, but was a bit pressed for time. Kept my load time at 30 seconds this morning. Had a nice lather going and you know it smelled great.

50 laps on the leather and it was shave time.. Went with the standard shave of WTG, XTG and ATG and I have no drama to report. Yup, got that third pass in and it was glorious. I really needed that and I am BBS for the win!

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! There is rain in the forecast tomorrow, but today was a glorious day. Me and a small group of volunteers spent the day serving at a retirement home. You come away with mixed feelings of sadness and happiness. It is what it is, but I will be back. Hope everyone had a great day! Life is good!

 

[Clay S]

A glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! There is rain in the forecast tomorrow, but today was a glorious day.

Hmm. Stealing my thunder, or are you directing thunder my way?

 

[MilkCrate]

Hmmmmm. Maybe.

 

[Clay S]

Hmmmmm. Maybe.

Hrmp!

 

[MilkCrate]

At least you have drainage. I am in the sticks and have standing water everywhere.

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 261 SR: 181)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Three Ranners SR
Graydog Synth
SilverFox soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Nivia ASB

Had a fun morning shave today. I switched out all the gear just to mix it up a bit. Accidentally started with a very wet brush. I forgot how much water this synth holds. I had a bubbly super wet soup in the tub. Instead of dumping the water out, I just kept loading for 60 seconds. Good gosh, I slung soap everywhere and had it running down to my elbow. Kept working it and built a really nice, slick lather.

50 laps on the leather and off we go.. Went with the standard shave of WTG, XTG and ATG and I have no drama to report. Had no lather issues at all and I am BBS for the win!

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A shot of the ASB and everything was right as rain! Everything felt ok during the shave, but now it feels a bit irritated. I think I may still need a bit of work on this edge. But I may give it another go tomorrow and see if it was just my technique today. At any rate, the ASB helped calm that down. The light tobacco scent from the soap seems to work well with the Nivia too. Like I said, a fun shave. I need to get out and about to run a few errands, but the wet roads don’t look much fun. Nasty, wet, gloomy day out there. But we make do with what we have. Life is good!

 

[Clay S]

At least you have drainage. I am in the sticks and have standing water everywhere.

Well, during a break in the rain, I decided to take a quick walk and enjoy a cigar.

The cigar was too long, or the walk to slow. I hid out under an overhang at a random house and then paused for a Pic on my way home.

 

[MilkCrate]

See the rain wasn’t so bad. And it should knock down some pollen.

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 262 SR: 181)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Gillette Goodwill
Astra SP
DSC Badger brushe
Proraso Green soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Proraso Green AS

Decided to go with the easy win today. Sometimes you just have to pick the low hanging fruit. Anyway changed out all of the gear and got to it. Loaded the brush for 30 seconds and whipped up a very nice lather.

Went with the standard shave of WTG, XTG and ATG and I have no drama to report. Man oh man, easy peasy BBS for the win!

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A shot of the AS and everything was right as rain! Sometimes those easy wins are the best. Our computer is starting to flake out, so I may go get a new one and move all our files over. That should not be fun. But I guess a necessary thing. Other than that, just a few odds and ends today. That and relaxing just a bit. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 262 SR: 182)

Pre Shave-
Splash and go

Shavet-
Torrey SR
Vulfix brush
CC Venture soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
CC Venture AS

The process -
Starting off a new week with all new kit. Thought I would give the Torrey another go this week and it also sounded like a good time to give the Venture another try. I went with my typical load time of 30 seconds. I whipped up a really nice lather too. It was slick, but not crazy slick like it was last time. I'll have to go back and look at my notes to see what brush I used previously. It was probably just the water content in my brush was off. I did rinse my face between each pass and that did not have any negative impact on the lather. This stuff smells good too.

Gave the razor 50 laps on leather. Went with the standard shave of WTG, XTG and ATG and I have no drama to report. The razor is sharp, but I think it can be better. I walked away mostly BBS, with a bit of DFS. So we'll call that a DFS for the win! After thinking about it, I might take this one back to the stones and see if I can perk it up a tad more.

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A shot of the AS and everything was right as rain! A good shave all around. Not awesome, but then again they can't all be. It was definitely a good shave and I am not disappointed. Plus, I also smell great! What more could you ask for?

Home front -
Not much going on here. Back at work with various tasks and "to-do", but nothing really exciting to talk about. Did not get the chance to get a new computer this weekend. but will soon. Ours is really old and suffering some hardware issues. I have a replacement in mind, I just need to go get it. Yesterday I also ordered most of the equipment for soap making. Only the equipment, not the ingredients yet. Luckily, due to health incentives at work that translate into Amazon Gift Certificates, there was no cost for the equipment. So win/win on that one. Stay tuned for another exciting episode. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Mail call. I had this waiting for me when I got home.

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 263 SR: 182)

Pre Shave-
Splash and go

Shavet-
Gillette Senator
Israeli blade (1)
Zenith boar
Krokos soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Nivia ASB

The process -
Since I received a mail call yesterday, I called an audible this morning and changed all of my gear. So first things first, the presentation of this soap is done very well. It comes in a cardboard box with a bow and wax seal. The box itself has some corrugated flap sections and has a softer feel than regular cardboard. Inside the box is shredded packing material as well. The soap container is a heavy glass with a metal screw on lid. I haven't measured it, but the tub is larger than anything else that I have. The heavy glass is really a nice touch.

This is soft soap, scented with saffron and has a familiar smell to it. I don't know why it smells familiar, I come from a modest working family. But anyway. It is a floral scent that is both crisp and light, but noticeable. Subtle. I went with a standard 30 second load and that was a bit much. About 10 seconds into the load, I had a really nice lather building in the tub. Not a proto-lather, but a nice dense lather. I could have stopped there, but I didn't. I think on the next shave I am only going with a 10 second load. I ran with a wet brush initially. I also rinsed my face between passes and dipped the tips of the brush into the water between passes. The soap just continued to build and build a nice lather without hesitation. I know I had too much soap loaded because I never did reach that really glossy sheen to the lather. It was moist, but never borderline over-saturated. The lather had a nice thickness to it as well and provided plenty of cushion. The scent was present when lathering, but I quickly lost it during the shave. That may have been me going nose blind, because I would pick it backup up again with the next lather. The slickness and residual slickness are good. Allowing the razor to glide along for an effortless shave.

I also received a tuck of blades with this soap and thought I would give them a try. So I skipped the straights and loaded the Senator. Went with the standard shave of WTG, XTG and ATG and I have no drama to report. The blades performed very well with no tugging and/or irritation. Another nice, easy peasy shave and I am BBS for the win!

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A dab of the ASB and everything was right as rain! I ended with a nice post shave feel with this setup. Very nice soap, vintage Gillette and a quality brush. A classy setup and shave. I do need to find an antique bottle to put the Nivia ASB in, it's bringing down the neighborhood. This setup really did come across as pure class. I was merely a toddler playing in a bowl of spagetti-o's with both hands.

Home front -
Nothing new to report on the home front. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 264 SR: 182)

Pre Shave-
Splash and go

Shavet-
Gillette Senator
Israeli blade (2)
Zenith boar
Krokos soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Nivia ASB

The process -
Yesterday was an enjoyable shave and I thought I would try and duplicate it today. I kept all of the same gear again. I did adjust my soap load time today down to 10 seconds. I thought people made that 10 second thing up. But, at 10 seconds it was building a thick lather in the tub, so it was go time. With that short load time it still whipped up enough lather for 3 passes and a post shave lather. I also kept the same brush routine with a dip in the water for each pass, along with a face rinse. The water didn't impact the soap at all, it continued to build. Good stuff.

I was running a bit behind schedule, so I skipped the straights again and grabbed the Senator. Went with the standard shave of WTG, XTG and ATG and I have no drama to report. (Insert BBS victory dance here) Another nice shave and I am BBS for the win!

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A dab of the ASB and everything was right as rain! After the ASB dry down, there was a really nice post shave feel. This is a really pleasant soap to shave with. The only knock for me is the scent longevity is very short. I guess that's due to the soft scent. Other than that, it's all good.

Home front -
Winding the work week down with the day to day ops. Have additional tasks that I am working on, but they are multi-week projects. Not much exciting there with the exception of Friday. I am off for Good Friday. Other than that ... my sinuses are jacked up and I am all kinds of snotface. I should try some of that boogerman soap that Kyle uses. In spite of the allergies ... Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 264 SR: 183)

Pre Shave-
Splash and go

Shavet-
J Allen SR
Vulfix badger
Krokos soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Nivia ASB

The process -
So I thought I would wrap up the week using this soap. Although I did change out the hardware. I don’t care for cushion with a shave soap, technique can take care of that. I am interested in slickness and residual slickness with the straights. So I grabbed a straight to see what we can do. Went with a 10 second load and found that this badger will build a proto lather quickly. The boar I had been using just built a straight up lather without the proto lather. Anyway, it still whipped up a great lather that was enough for 3 passes and a post shave lather.

Had a late morning shave with 2 days worth of growth. Went with the standard shave of WTG, XTG and ATG and I have no drama to report. The straight made quick work of that growth and I am BBS for the win!

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A touch of the ASB and everything was right as rain! The Nivia worked its magic and I have a great post shave as well. The Saffron is a nice light scent, but there is just no longevity there. It works fine for a shave and is nice but, not firmly in my scent wheelhouse. I think it will be nice on those dog days of summer when you want a light refreshing shave.

Home front -
Fun stuff this week. My allergies have sucked all week. The storms that rolled through Wednesday night knocked out our power a couple of times. That reset my alarm clock and I didn’t have time for a shave Thursday morning. Was going to wrap the day up with a shave last night, but picked up a touch of food poisoning. A new day and it’s all good. Feeling better and clean shaved ... Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 264 SR: 184)

Pre Shave-
Splash and go

Shavet-
Henckel SR
Omega 48
GTB soap

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
GTB AS

The process -
Outstanding shave this morning. Haven’t used the GTB in awhile, so it was on deck today. Also changed out all the hardware. Went with a 30 second load and cranked out a ton of great smelling lather.

Gave the stop some Lexal love last night and it was good to go today. 50 laps on the leather and the Henckel was ready for action. Went with the standard shave of WTG, XTG and ATG and I have no drama to report. That razor has a great edge on it, both sharp and smooth. Effortlessly mowing down hair, singing all the while. Truly a great shave and I am BBS for the win!

Wrapped everything up with a splash of water and quick towel dry. A glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! It’s a chilly morning and that menthol will really wake you up. After that lighter scented soap, this hit the spot. Man, a very nice shave and I smell amazing!

Home front -
Will be at my mom and stepdad’s place today. We have a car to work on and see if we can get it running. Also lunch with several generations of the famiy, so that should be fun ... Life is good!