Well readers of the side forum. It if time for our 9th installment of the Soap Forum Spotlight. I would like to introduce you to Rob @Blade4vor coming to us from the great state of New York.
1. Name,job field, age/generation:
My name is Rob. I'm an engineering instrumentation technician. I help maintain and calibrate a variety of machines, computers(Linux & M$,) and attached peripherals involved in collecting data. And, I'm 48 years old.
2. What’s the meaning behind your username?:
My username is a hold over from when I was younger, collecting knives, and belonged to several forums dedicated to knives and other edged tools. It it is meant to be read, "blade fervor." As it turns out, it seems to fit in the world of traditional wet shaving, too.
3. When did you join B&B and why did you join us?:
I joined B&B in October of 2014. This is when I started using a DE, shaving brush, and shaving soap/cream.
4. Talk to us about your acquisition disorders:
The first acquisition disorder to hit me was RAD. I went on eBay one day to acquire a vintage Gillette Super Speed. Many on here had suggested to at least try vintage razors. Well, some 50-75 vintage Gillette, Schick, GEM, Ever-Ready, and etc razors later, I seem to have RAD under control. I did manage to acquire a nice Gillette No.44 set and a Toggle before RAD finally started to wane.
SBAD. This is one AD that I thought I would never have. Maybe one badger, one boar, and one synthetic, right? How wrong I was about that! I have probably a dozen badger, a half dozen boar and another half dozen synthetic shaving brushes.
I'm not sure where they all came from.
SSAD hit early and it hit hard for me. I wouldconservatively guess that I have acquired somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 shaving soaps over the past 3 years. I have never sold any and have only finished one. I have PIF'd about 25 shaving soaps, though. I have not purchased any shaving soaps in the past 6 months, but I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY want to!
5. Favorite soap and why?:
Well, this is like asking me which of my kids is my favorite! If pressed, I would have to say thatDesmond's Barrow was my favorite. I have 5 tins to tide me over until maybe it is released again. Mike's Natural soaps was my first artisan soap and it still works wonderfully for me, so that is one that holds a special place in my den. Also right up there for me is: L&L Grooming, PannaCrema Nuavia, B&M, Mystic Water, CRSW, WSP, and Sapone di Paolo.
6. How do you lather?:
I face lather almost exclusively these days. I started out in the beginning bowl lathering, but slowly worked my way to face lathering. I do occasionally bowl lather as a sort of a check to push a soap to the limit to see how much water it really will take.
7. Tallow vs. Veg vs. Glycerin:
Tallow. While I have all 3, I find that my favorites tend to be tallow. There are exceptions, but the majority are tallow.
8. 3017 or variety? If Variety have you ever used up a soap?
Definitely variety. I do follow the 3017 thread and find the information there to be excellent, but have not been able to commit to one soap after another, start to finish. The only shaving soap I've used up was a puck of St. Charles Shave Cedarwood. That is the only one I started and burned straight through.
9. Did B&B introduce you to anything else? Like Nib, photography, etc.?:
Maybe photography in the sense of SOTD picts. I don't think it has introduced any other AD's.
10. Favorite sub forum on B&B not named Soap?:
This is kind of tough, because the majority of my time here is probably spent in the Shaving Soap sub-forum. I would guess maybe the Shaving Brush or Razor sub-forums.
11. Tell us a story:
I grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania. Hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping took up every waking moment when not in school. My best friend lived about a half a mile away "as the the crow flies." There never seemed to be a time when we weren't moving silently through the woods, the fields, and the creeks(that's pronounced "cricks," to you city folks.) Such simpler times. I think back on those simpler times very fondly. I also think about how different things are today. Although, as they say, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.
12. Soap or Cream?:
Soap. Soap. Soap. And, then maybe cream. Yup, with all of those shaving soaps, I probably have about 15 shaving creams laying about. I use them occasionally, but there's just something about swirling that shaving brush on shaving soap that is especially satisfying for me and that always brings me back to the numerous shaving soaps.
Thank you Rob for taking the time to answer our questions. It is great to get to know you a little more.
Do you want to be a member Spotlight? If so head over here to sign up
Member Spotlights
1. Name,job field, age/generation:
My name is Rob. I'm an engineering instrumentation technician. I help maintain and calibrate a variety of machines, computers(Linux & M$,) and attached peripherals involved in collecting data. And, I'm 48 years old.
2. What’s the meaning behind your username?:
My username is a hold over from when I was younger, collecting knives, and belonged to several forums dedicated to knives and other edged tools. It it is meant to be read, "blade fervor." As it turns out, it seems to fit in the world of traditional wet shaving, too.
3. When did you join B&B and why did you join us?:
I joined B&B in October of 2014. This is when I started using a DE, shaving brush, and shaving soap/cream.
4. Talk to us about your acquisition disorders:
The first acquisition disorder to hit me was RAD. I went on eBay one day to acquire a vintage Gillette Super Speed. Many on here had suggested to at least try vintage razors. Well, some 50-75 vintage Gillette, Schick, GEM, Ever-Ready, and etc razors later, I seem to have RAD under control. I did manage to acquire a nice Gillette No.44 set and a Toggle before RAD finally started to wane.
SBAD. This is one AD that I thought I would never have. Maybe one badger, one boar, and one synthetic, right? How wrong I was about that! I have probably a dozen badger, a half dozen boar and another half dozen synthetic shaving brushes.
I'm not sure where they all came from.SSAD hit early and it hit hard for me. I wouldconservatively guess that I have acquired somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 shaving soaps over the past 3 years. I have never sold any and have only finished one. I have PIF'd about 25 shaving soaps, though. I have not purchased any shaving soaps in the past 6 months, but I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY want to!
5. Favorite soap and why?:
Well, this is like asking me which of my kids is my favorite! If pressed, I would have to say thatDesmond's Barrow was my favorite. I have 5 tins to tide me over until maybe it is released again. Mike's Natural soaps was my first artisan soap and it still works wonderfully for me, so that is one that holds a special place in my den. Also right up there for me is: L&L Grooming, PannaCrema Nuavia, B&M, Mystic Water, CRSW, WSP, and Sapone di Paolo.
6. How do you lather?:
I face lather almost exclusively these days. I started out in the beginning bowl lathering, but slowly worked my way to face lathering. I do occasionally bowl lather as a sort of a check to push a soap to the limit to see how much water it really will take.
7. Tallow vs. Veg vs. Glycerin:
Tallow. While I have all 3, I find that my favorites tend to be tallow. There are exceptions, but the majority are tallow.
8. 3017 or variety? If Variety have you ever used up a soap?
Definitely variety. I do follow the 3017 thread and find the information there to be excellent, but have not been able to commit to one soap after another, start to finish. The only shaving soap I've used up was a puck of St. Charles Shave Cedarwood. That is the only one I started and burned straight through.
9. Did B&B introduce you to anything else? Like Nib, photography, etc.?:
Maybe photography in the sense of SOTD picts. I don't think it has introduced any other AD's.
10. Favorite sub forum on B&B not named Soap?:
This is kind of tough, because the majority of my time here is probably spent in the Shaving Soap sub-forum. I would guess maybe the Shaving Brush or Razor sub-forums.
11. Tell us a story:
I grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania. Hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping took up every waking moment when not in school. My best friend lived about a half a mile away "as the the crow flies." There never seemed to be a time when we weren't moving silently through the woods, the fields, and the creeks(that's pronounced "cricks," to you city folks.) Such simpler times. I think back on those simpler times very fondly. I also think about how different things are today. Although, as they say, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.
12. Soap or Cream?:
Soap. Soap. Soap. And, then maybe cream. Yup, with all of those shaving soaps, I probably have about 15 shaving creams laying about. I use them occasionally, but there's just something about swirling that shaving brush on shaving soap that is especially satisfying for me and that always brings me back to the numerous shaving soaps.
Thank you Rob for taking the time to answer our questions. It is great to get to know you a little more.
Do you want to be a member Spotlight? If so head over here to sign up
Member Spotlights
