This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.
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September 5, 2023
I am getting the hang of it - nice shave!
That looks like a very nice TI! The muscle memory for straights is returning?
I found the TI on ebay for a very reasonable price, it's really beautiful with the pattern on the back.
I mainly lost my ability to only get the lather on the blade, and not further back - but it's coming back.
I never had that ability. I like runny lather, and on east-west passes with the point up, there's always lather getting into the pin. I just dry the razor as well as I can and let it air-dry for the rest, and I never ran into trouble. Knocking on wood.
On my first try in September, some lather ran into the pin, and I visibly didn't dry enough, because there's now some slight staining where the scales cover in closed position the tang - I hope it's not fully rusting around the pin (touching wood)
@PorkButtsNTaters666
I should mention that I keep the pins slightly oiled (with Dovo razor oil, which I think is a generic mineral oil). So even when lather/water gets to the pin, it's really unlikely to get into the pub hole and sit for a long time.
@djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social
Would you mind sharing how you get the oil through the pin to the blade? I had assumed that the pin prevented anything getting there.
@PorkButtsNTaters666
Oh, I really don't do anything special, just a little drop of oil near the pin. You can feel that it goes in because the friction holding the scales diminishes.
I repeat that every few shaves. I *think* this treatment keeps water from getting in there
With a video! Thanks!
Sep. 5, 2023
Great shave.
September 5, 2023
Brush: Wald Stratos Goldvein 29mm A1 Fan
Razor: Tanifuji Spalding 0411 6/8" Full Hollow (Straight Shave 317)
Lather: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Soap
Post Shave: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Aftershave
Post Shave: Thayers - Rose - Toner
Fragrance: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Eau de Parfum
2 passes. Face lather. Good shave.
A sub-10 minute slurry lather shave today.
September 5, 2023
Very enjoyable. Out of the samples I got, Guy Noir is the only one that I don't want a tub of. It doesn't smell bad, but it's not really my style.
Sep 5, 2023 - Sample September: Bell Ringer
Just when we thought things were cooling off, the temperatures have spiked again. Bell Ringer seemed like an appropriate scent to use this morning to counter the heat. The fruity notes in Bellringer paired well with Daydream, also by SBS. The passion fruit in Daydream is something else.
Followed up with Chaotic Neutral for #teatuesday.
I had to check that I put a blade in the razor because the first pass didn't really offer any feedback from the Rocca, which usually gives feedback in spades. After the WR4 shave yesterday, there just wasn't enough stubble length that had grown back yet. I moved on to the XTG pass, and started from there. All-in-all, it was an excellent shave with the Rocca.
Rating: 4/5
A Fili 14 with red scales, a Zenith B21 boar, a sample tub of BaM Behold the Whatis soap, a bottle of WK Entropy Man splash, and a sample bottle of Stirling Sweet Stuff frag on a pink towel
I dug out the sweetest combination from my den for this one. Definitely not something for every day, but it's been fun this morning.
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
I'm not officially doing anything for "Sample September", but I do have this Presto sample I was hoping to use up before the weather cools off. It has some light menthol, for those of you who haven't tried it. And those of you who haven't tried it, I highly recommend trying it!
Prep: Splash of Cool Water
Razor: Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 Open Comb
Blade: Gillette - Nacet (Marathon) (532)
Lather: House of Mammoth Tusk - Misfit
Brush: Declaration Grooming - B13 Dogwood/Briar Hybrid 28mm (17 uses)
Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Four Horsemen - Famine
How blessed am I to get to shave with a rare creation from Ben/Mammoth! Due to the generosity of JeepGuy, he shared with me a smush of a soap Ben created just for him as a prize in the Lather Games (over on reddit /r/wetshaving).
Thanks so much, Jeep!
I'm also doing a test today of the Nacet blade I've been marathoning, just to see if it's still up to the task of delivering a quality shave. Spoiler: it was.
I'm also going to enjoy the cloud-like touch of a super-soft badger for the first time in a month!
(Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹532 uses›)
With such a great lather, the razor moved easily and lightly, making 5 passes easy to accomplish quickly. Nice comfort, and a great, close shave at the end, with the old blade requiring some slanted approaches as well as so targeted, and ever-so-light near ATG on the neck.
Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)
(House of Mammoth Tusk - Misfit)
Misfit is a personalized and custom scent created by Ben at House of Mammoth, for J33pGuy13. Jeep won it as a prize in the 2023 Lather games on /r/wetshaving. Only two sets (soap, splash, and EDT) were made, and I consider it an honor that Jeep has sent me a smush to enjoy.
Them: "Young adulthood. The confidence and the confusion. The enthusiasm and the ennui. ~ Misfit is a study in disparate elements coming together in harmony, a snapshot in time. ~ Its exuberant opening features a bright, waxy citrus peel mixed with a bit of natural creamy musk, bounding forward to greet the day. ~ Next, a beautiful heart of moss, sparkling amber, herbs, and light florals emerges, juxtaposed with splashes of industrial goods and beer. Nature and digital environments fight and interweave strangely. ~ Finally, the fragrance sighs into a relieved and expansive sandalwood and tobacco with spices and vanilla, adorned with the tiniest hint of goat."
Top: bergamot peel, musk
Middle: floral, amber, moss, herbs, beer, vinyl
Base: sandalwood, cardamom, saffron, pink pepper, tobacco, vanilla, musk, goat
MammothBen continues: "While this was a personal project only for him, J33pGuy13 has generously agreed to allow us to make a second Misfit trifecta for raffle. ~ Proceeds from the Misfit raffle will be donated to Restore NYC and their mission to make freedom real for survivors of trafficking in the United States."
Me: The soap of course is not the truest expression of the scent as created by the maker. However, I was able to get many of the notes mentioned.
What strikes me as particularly wonderful about this creation, is that it is enjoyable from two perspectives: the simple user will just notice that it's really nice as it has well-controlled happy notes along side more anchoring and natural/base ones; but the scholar of the scent profile will also thoroughly enjoy how the one side plays against the other, in complete harmony.
The scholar will see the citrus and musk as a classic start, making the citrus pleasant, but well-grounded. They'll also enjoy how the florals are held in check by the herby moss and harshness of a touch of vinyl. And finally, they'll appreciate how it all settles down into the base notes that are familiar, classic, manly, skillfully-blended, and light, all at the same time.
Lather... Well, we know that Tusk base is amazing (thanks /u/mammothben), so the performance was a given. But I did happen to totally nail it today, with the lather being so wet, but still having that light luxurious creaminess that is my personal sweet spot.
The protection it offered was more than adequate for the 5 passes I bathed in today.
Hydration: Perfect (for me)
Bowl: Roger Quintero 3D Printed Bowl
I use the XL version of this bowl.
(Declaration Grooming - B13 Dogwood/Briar Hybrid 28mm ‹17 uses›)
Oh what a difference this brush was from using the Moar Boar all month.
First it was lighter by a noticeable amount, since a badger holds less water.
And of course the broad 28mm expanse of ultrasoft tips. Wooosh!
During the Shave Feel:
Cheeks: Felt blade but comfortable
Neck: Felt blade but comfortable
After the Shave Closeness:
Cheeks: Very Close Shave
Neck: Few hairs are showing some tip length (with most being cut flush)
Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet
