Rolling the Bones

[4and20blackbirds]

Sunday night shave

Pre: Noxzema Face Wash
Soap: Zingari Man The Explorer
Brush: La Maison du Barbier synthetic
Razor: Gillette N2 1968 Slim, setting 5
Blade: Astra SP (#5 and banked)
Post: Alum followed by Stirling Sharp Dressed Man aftershave

Tonight's shave was kind of meh. No weepers, but more than the usual alum feedback. Third time with Zingari Man and I still have yet to get good lather. Razor was tugging the whole way through, even after adding more soap and then more water. I suppose soaps vary individually as much as anything else and so far this one doesn't gel with me. Stirling aftershave was nice, though!

 

[4and20blackbirds]

While I haven't ordered the washers to raise the knot level yet, I did get a chance over the weekend to try glueing the AP Shave handle back together. Never having done this before, I used some sandpaper to try and take down some of the old glue (unfortunately 150 grit was the finest I had, but I figured it didn't matter since this part wouldn't show). After that, I broke out the Krazy Glue and put some small dots around the perimeter.

Unfortunately, I didn't pay attention when I was dry fitting to the fact that not everything was perfectly smooth, nor did I appreciate just how fast Krazy Glue works. While I planned to rotate the top piece to spread the glue, I only made it an 1/8th of a turn before it locked tight. Needless to say, the clamp you see in the background went unused. My end product was just slightly off of what it should've been.

No matter, it'll do.

To be continued...

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Monday night shave

Pre: Ivory bar in the shower
Soap: A&E Kaizen
Brush: Stirling Kong
Razor: Gillette N2 1968 Slim, setting 5
Blade: Astra SP (#1)
Post: Alum followed by A&E Kaizen

Good shave tonight. Got a little close on my upper lip and chin and felt the alum sting, but nothing too bad. Face-lathered the soap, which is an incredible scent. Had the lather dialed by the second pass, nice and slick. Using the Kong to face lather is just comical, though. That thing is huge! Bowl only for that one from now on. Aftershave was great--maybe a bit sweeter to my nose than the soap, but Kaizen gets a definite thumbs-up from me.

Moving up to setting 6 on the Slim tomorrow.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

First of the post-GRUME brushes arrived yesterday and I’m really pleased with all of them. The SOC handles are really comfortable, as are the Simpsons. Never having held a Simpson before, I could instantly tell why people like them so much—the handles are solid and have a very nice feel to them.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Tuesday night shave

Pre: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: Turtleship Shave Co. Te Java
Brush: Omega Mighty Mixed Midget
Razor: Gillette N2 1968 Slim, setting 6
Blade: Astra SP (#2)
Post: Alum followed by Clubman Reserve Brandy Spice aftershave

Very enjoyable shave tonight. First night on setting 6 and zero feedback from the alum. Soap wasn't too slick, so a bit of tugging on my lower neck. I'll run it with less water next time. Scent was supposed to be tea and honey. Not sure I really detected that, but it was pleasant enough. The Midget has started shedding again, so the last couple of shed-free shaves were not the end after all. Great little brush even so.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Man, am I coming off a 4-day post-GRUME bender! Every time I turned around the BST had something I wanted at a really good price.

I now find myself with the following inbound:

Two SOCs, four Simpsons; two Shavemacs; two Omegas; a Vulfix Grosvenor; and an Epsilon.

And to top it all off, a Karve brass Christopher Bradley razor with three plates.

I think I've earned a membership to BOSC now!

And, incredibly, it didn’t stop there because I saw a post on B&B (of course I did!) that somehow had me looking at (mostly) vintage brushes on the Bay and that combined with my first time perusing the restoration sub-forum (who knew such delights and challenges existed? Keep out those of you with ADs, keep out I say!) led to the following restoration brushes inbound: a Sanax, a MadeRite, a lot of 4 (a MadeRite, an Ever-Ready, and two unknown), and a lot of 2 (Stanhome and a Baton. But, in perusing for cool looking brushes, I also ended up with an EJ Super Badger (I really like the two EJ brushes I currently have in Best and Silvertip and couldn’t resist an opportunity to try their mid-grade), what looks to be a NOS Certifyd, and a NOS Century. B&B is solely to blame for the Century thanks to this post from earlier this year: NOS Century brush review Not sure, but I may have purchased from the same seller as they still had (and have, if you’re interested) some available.

And then I saw that a NOS Beecham Aqua Velva I’d put on my watchlist during the GRUME was still available. How could I refuse? I couldn’t.

If I hadn't punched my ticket to BOSC before, surely I'll qualify now!

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Just checked eBay and saw a NOS Every-Ready with a puck of NOS Williams Mug Soap that I’d watched a few days ago now had 7 watching it. Went ahead and pulled the trigger on that, too.

And I’m done. For now.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

My father-in-law does brass polishing as a hobby and sometimes as a side gig and always has projects going. Through him, I've learned to really appreciate brass as a metal and material for various objects. So, when I saw a Karve Christopher Bradley available on the BST, I couldn't resist picking it up. This has been a razor that's been on my try list for a while and I'm looking forward to adding it to the Great Razor Experiment, aka Roll-a-Shave.

After I purchased it, I sent a photo from the listing to my father-in-law to show him. We ended up getting into a text conversation about razors and I didn't realize that he has a collection of both razors and brushes. I knew he had a few brushes because I had seen three or four displayed, but I thought they were just part of my in-laws' general love of antiques. Turns out it's a little more extensive than that (particularly on the brushes), and I'm looking forward to checking it out next time we're up there. Meanwhile, he sent me a photo of one of the razors.

Near as I can tell, it's a Gillette New open comb Exposition Model from the 1933 Chicago World Fair, at least judging by Mr-Razor. It belonged to my mother-in-law's father and they lived in Chicago during that time. Pretty cool even if I've got the wrong i.d. on the razor!

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Wednesday night shave

Pre: Ivory bar in the shower
Soap: Noble Otter Monarch
Brush: Vie-Long Silvertip badger
Razor: Gillette N2 1968 Slim, setting 6
Blade: Astra SP (#3)
Post: Alum followed by NO Monarch aftershave

A surprisingly good shave tonight saved, in no small part, by the great NO aftershave. First pass was, standard for me, on the thin side. In fact, way too thin. One would think I'd learned by now to stop, add soap, then try again. Nnnnnaaaaahhhhh. Just went with it and it was what I should have expected: lots of tugging and dragging. Duh.

Added some soap and, surprise (not really), the second pass was awesome. No complaints at all. Because of the first pass, though, the alum gave some pronounced feedback. NO's aftershave to the rescue--it's a very, I don't know, nourishing aftershave for lack of a better term. It just feels good and seems to be able to correct for poor technique. I really do love NO products--probably my favorite of the US soap makers. I like everything from soap and aftershave performance to scents to the packaging. I passed on Monarch the first time I saw it because I'm not fond of powder scents and this lists it as one of the notes. Well, not for me. I get what a lot of other people get, which is grape. Lots and lots of grape. And I like it!

Oh, one other lesson learned tonight: I should save the Marco Method for when I'm lathering off the puck. I don't usually try it when I use a bowl, but I did tonight, and I didn't quite do it right--probably due to lack of soap on the initial go-round.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Rolled the dice earlier and the Omega Mixed Midget is back tonight.

As is, for the first time...

(hint)

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Yesterday’s mail call

Two purchases from eBay, all intended for messing around with restoration. L to R, Made Rite, unknown, Made Rite, Ever-Ready, unknown. My favorites are the two on the ends. Never having held a vintage brush until this week I’m struck by how lightweight and cheap-feeling they are, particularly the three in the middle. As part of restoring, I intend to add some weight to them.

 

[thombrogan]

Disposing of Fonzie’s Cadaver from Declaration Grooming?

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Disposing of Fonzie’s Cadaver from Declaration Grooming?

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Thursday night shave

Pre: Noxzema face wash
Soap: Chiseled Face Midnight Stag
Brush: Omega Mighty Mixed Midget
Razor: Gillette N2 1968 Slim, setting 6
Blade: Astra SP (#4)
Post: Alum followed by Soap Commander Integrity Balm

An enjoyable shave tonight. Last night on setting 6 and some feedback from the alum. Soap is... interesting with its notes of leather, gasoline, smoke, and wood. I definitely get the gasoline and leather. Maybe a bit of smoke. I got a sample because I knew it was a polarizing scent. Off the sample the scent is really strong. It mellows a bit and opens up while lathering. I can still smell it now while I'm writing this. I originally thought "no way" when I first smelled it, but after using it, I'm going to put it on my buy list. It's unusual and I like it! Heck, my wife and oldest daughter didn't hate it--and that's pretty high praise from those critics! One thought it smelled like a plastic raft and the other like an Expo dry erase marker. I say "yep" to both.

The performance was great for me. It is really soft--so soft I just rubbed it on my stubble like a soap stick and then face-lathered with the Midget. Was slightly dry on first pass and corrected on second. Plenty slick. Still had some feedback from the alum, but I think it's because I was too steep on the razor tonight.

The Midget lost no hairs tonight. I'll take that. I'm also constantly surprised how much water that little brush holds--you squeeze it out, start building lather, and another few ounces will pour out unexpectedly.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Today’s mail call

First arrivals: a Baton, a Stanhome, what looks to be NOS Certifyd, NOS Beecham Aqua Velva, and a brass Karve Christopher Bradley with SB-B, C, and D plates. Contrary to some of the brushes from yesterday, I really like the Baton handle—good size and some weight to it. The Certifyd is my first American-style barber handle and I think will be usable as is after some sanitizing. It is really light, maybe too light. The Karve has been on my list for awhile so I jumped when I saw it on the BST earlier this week. I look forward to trying it! Finally, I am really pleased to own the Aqua Velva. No, it’s not the Williams version, but it is what I consider the Aqua Velva because this is exactly the version I used when I started shaving in the 80s. I still love Aqua Velva and I wasn’t so much after the juice as I was the bottle, which I intend to keep refilling. I despise the crappy plastic bottles AV comes in nowadays. Problem solved.

A later arrival today, this is a Sanax brush. Of the vintage ones I purchased, this is my favorite. A really perfect size, and great weight. It reminded me of a screwdriver handle. Super easy to grip and I think the knot is in good enough condition to use as it is. It’s badger encased, which I think means badger on the outside and boar in the middle. Which is a-ok with me—I like the mixed brushes. (See Mixed Midget above.)

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Yesterday’s mail call
View attachment 1165830
Two purchases from eBay, all intended for messing around with restoration. L to R, Made Rite, unknown, Made Rite, Ever-Ready, unknown. My favorites are the two on the ends. Never having held a vintage brush until this week I’m struck by how lightweight and cheap-feeling they are, particularly the three in the middle. As part of restoring, I intend to add some weight to them.

Turns out the second from the left is commonly referred to as an NSY Sterilized.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Yesterday’s mail call

EJ Super and a Shavemac Pure. Really looking forward to using these! That EJ handle is by far the largest of my now three EJs and is very comfortable. Though smaller, the Shavemac is also really nice and quite a looker with its coffee and cream swirls.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Skipped Friday

Saturday night shave

Pre: Ivory in the shower
Soap: MdC Fougere
Brush: RazoRock chrome Plissoft
Razor: Gillette N2 1968 Slim, setting 7
Blade: Astra SP (#5 and banked)
Post: Alum followed by Brut aftershave

In spite of the fifth use of the blade tonight, and even with a hint of redness on my neck which I attribute to that fifth use on two days' growth, this was a really enjoyable shave. First shave on setting seven and I think I had the angle down a bit better than Thursday's shave. In any event, hardly a peep from the alum--even with that red spot on my neck.

Tonight really proved the value of a sample because as much as I love MdC, I won't be getting a full jar of the Fougere. The scent is just okay to me and I like their other scents much better.

The RazoRock will stay in the rotation until Roll-a-Shave gets into full swing, but it's definitely going to hit the BST at some point. Too heavy for my preference and I'm ambivalent at best when it comes to synthetics. I do like the way it looks, however.

 

[wombadom]

Here’s the TL;DR of the below: I’m still new to wet shaving and went deep into the rabbit hole very quickly, and now it’s time to work my way through my razors, soaps/creams, and brushes in a random fashion by rolling dice to see what gets tried. There will be blood. And pain. And regret. And joy. So, pretty much the human condition through shaving.

Hello, B&B! I’ve decided to document my wet shaving journey in the hopes that someone may find some amusement at my foibles or perhaps something worthwhile in my experiences.

I first joined B&B in 2007 right after I’d moved to Tennessee to take a new job. I don’t remember how I first came across the forums, but after a lot or reading and researching, I de-lurked and got some helpful advice from the members and started out with a Merkur 34C, an Edwin Jagger Best Badger, a blade sampler pack, and a couple of soaps and creams. The first shaves were rough and, looking back over my initial posts, I never did get to a truly comfortable shave, though I definitely had some improvements. About a month after I started I had the opportunity to attend Dave Ramsey’s taping for “Financial Peace University” and got all fired up to pay off the last of my school debt. That meant taking on a second job and that meant my time was now further constrained. Wet shaving was dropped in favor of an electric to save me a few minutes a day.

I finally paid off the school debt in 2009 thanks to a civilian deployment to Iraq, but stuck with the electric due to an okay shave and because with two young kids and a long commute the time savings was worth it to me.

Fast forward to 2014 and I got interested in DE again, going so far as to hit B&B to see what had been going on in the wet shaving world and coming across several interesting posts, one on slants and one on sticking with Astra SP blades rather than trying samplers. Shortly thereafter I put in my first order to West Coast Shaving for a 100-pack of Astra Superior Platinum blades and a Badger & Blade edition boar brush. Before I could get started however, I found myself on the move to Florida for a new job.

Skip ahead to 2020 and I needed a new head for my Braun. Trouble was, due to Covid shortages, I was having a hard time finding one and the reviews on the replacement heads were horrendous—screens wearing through in three months and the like. Given the cost and the issues (not to mention with plenty of time on my hands from teleworking and saving an hour a day in commuting), I looked at DE again. After considering it for a few weeks, and remembering the posts I’d read in 2014, I dug out my Astras and other shaving supplies and ordered a Parker Semi-slant and some Speick and Salter creams from WCS and a bunch of samples and a Kong brush from Stirling.

I then started DE shaving in July. And it’s been an overall great experience so far. I’ve stuck exclusively with the Parker, but have rotated soaps, creams, and brushes.

After doing some reading on B&B, I started thinking about a birth year razor and peeked into the Buy-Sell-Trade forum here. That was a mistake! Right away I found a 1968 Gillette Slim and bought it. But that innocent purchase resulted in a lot more purchases of brushes, razors, and soaps. And then of course, eBay and the Reddit Shave Bazaar contributed more. And naturally I picked up some more blade sampler packs from Amazon.

Of course, I’m really just kidding. The re-sell aspect of the community is part of what makes this so much fun and has allowed me to get a lot of stuff to try at great prices. I’ve only had one purchase go bad, and you can read about that on this thread: Don't Be a Paypal Chump Spoiler: I was one of the chumps–but I learned! There is some excellent advice on that thread and I highly recommend it to you for your consideration. I did not let that one scammer stop me from utilizing the BST and it is a great way for folks to get started. In fact, with a little patience, you’ll see members selling kits that will provide you with everything you need to get started at very reasonable prices.

Wanting to cool the jets on my purchases, I enrolled in the September 2020 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End (September 2020 GRUME), which has been a good way for me to move beyond the “if it’s available, I must buy it” phase and on to (perhaps) more considered purchasing. I’m 20 days into the GRUME and do believe I’ll make it to October. I don’t know that I’ll do the October GRUME because I’ve got a shopping list going… but stay tuned.

Reading–and enjoying—other journal entries as I searched different things on B&B, I thought it’d be fun to document my own progress with the items I’d purchased. So, I first cast about for a suggested order. I got some great responses at this thread: Suggestions for a razor tryout order?

My initial thought was to work the DEs from mild to aggressive/efficient and then try out the SEs in the same general pattern. However, I was really struck by @santamariasteve's comment that: “As to the rotation order, it makes no difference. Randomness in life has an element of sweetness.”

Indeed it does, and after considering the suggestions in that thread, my plan is to start with the Slim, work my way up the dial, and try my unused soaps. To get the randomness started, I’ll roll the bones (i.e., dice for those unfamiliar with the phrase) to randomly pick a soap and brush for each shave. For this first part, as a soap gets used it will come off the list so that I can get through them.

After that, the fun will start in earnest as I work my way through the shave den in random fashion. Every night I’ll roll for software and brush and every two weeks or so I’ll roll for a new razor. I’ll stick to the dice roll except when I roll the same badger or boar twice in a row (I’d like to let them dry in between). For the razor rolls, if it’s one I’ve already used then I’ll use it that night and roll again the next day. If it’s a new one then I’ll use it for two weeks before rolling for another. And to keep the random theme, I’ll roll for face or bowl lathering, too (except when a shave stick comes up—those will automatically be face lather). The only thing I won’t choose randomly is aftershave—if I have one that matches the soap, then I’ll use it. Otherwise, I’ll choose something to go with whatever soap or cream is used that day. At some point I’ll work pre-shaves and blades into the mix, too.

As I obtain more items, I’ll add them to the mix, too. Items I use that I’m not crazy about will be set aside to sell or PIF. In fact, I’ve already got a BST box going, but I’m going to throw most of it back into use to give them at least one more try. Who knows—my opinion of them may change.

I think this will be fun!

I recommend an Edwin Jagger as a razor not babyface mild and not aggressive (of course anything with a blade can cut you). It's not dirt cheap but it won't break the bank. Then later when you know more about what you'd like you can spring for more if you want. Enjoy the Journey.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

 

[4and20blackbirds]

I recommend an Edwin Jagger as a razor not babyface mild and not aggressive (of course anything with a blade can cut you). It's not dirt cheap but it won't break the bank. Then later when you know more about what you'd like you can spring for more if you want. Enjoy the Journey.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

Thanks, @wombadom! Which EJ in particular? I’ve got the Muhle R89, which I think is exactly the same as the EJ DE89 and I’m looking forward to trying it. I’ve also heard really good things about the 3ONE6.