SOTD 13-19 December 2020

Monday, December 14

Vintage Yardley~~Commodore X3~~Dovo 91
Have a great day!

Thats a really cool shave right there. Killer gear.

WR2 1,15 / FEATHER / SHAVEMAC / ST JAMES OF LONDON / CHATILLON LUX / AMOUAGE EDP

December 14th
Stubble: 40 hrs
Razor: Paradigm 2019 Diamondback
Blade: Personna Red (7)
Brush: Simpson Duke 3 Best
Pre-shave: Hot Water Splash
Soap: Cooper & French Santa’s Workshop
Post: Ethos Succes splash/C&F Santa’s Workshop balm/Cera Ve

Result: DFS-BBS. The Ti Blackbird gave me such a close shave on Saturday there was no legitimate shaving yesterday.  This a.m., I took the Diamondback for a spin after a hiatus.  Even with seven shaves on the blade, it was a nice smooth and close shave.  I went WTG/XTG and did touch-ups ATG.  After almost a year of doing this hobby I am getting a feel for the various variables, and their respective variabilities.  Now its even more fun and rewarding because the results are more consistent.  Just lovin’ the C&F Santa’s Workshop.  It has a nice vanilla component in addition to cherry tobacco and smoke.  It could be enjoyed year-round.  The Duke is a straight-up classic badger brush.  It loads very well with a “croap,” and has a great soft feel and generous flow.  The variety of different products makes this hobby endlessly entertaining.

Happy Shaves and Holidays to All! 

SOTD MONDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 14, 2020

Today’s mug shave will feature one of the two Thistle Cut Co. straight razors I own. The first Persian model is a bit beat and on its way to Glen Mercurio for scale shortening and his usual vintage razor spa treatment. This model is in excellent shape for a 120-130 year old razor and represents one of the best kept secrets in the vintage straight razor world. It’s all about the steel grasshopper! There are better known central New York makers that command higher prices (ie Case and Genco), but the extremely fine grained steel in these blades can take an edge second to none, according to one expert restorer who shall remain nameless. He informed me that they can take and hold a 30k Shapton edge that is truly whisker melting. Well you know I had to try!

After examining the edge under my USB microscope, it was apparent that there was a rudimentary bevel that was uneven and inconsistent. The blade was a bit wavy and the seller complained that he could never get a decent edge. $15 and a brand new $5 Gold Dollar and it was mine. The razor failed Dr Matt’s Tilt ‘n Wobble test which would have resulted in shoulder and/or spine metal removal to restore it to flatness by one of his adherents of which I am not one. Being retired and a long time custom knife collector, I’ve decades of knife sharpening experience where finding the proper sharpening angle could sometimes be a challenge. The beauty of sharpening (ie honing) a straight razor is that the angle is built in.

Being retired and not a professional honer where time is money, I have the luxury of time to assess my honing progress. Last night I traveled to my son’s workshop and made use of his Shapton series progression from 1k through 30k on this razor. In conjunction with my laptop and USB microscope, I first reset the bevel on the Shapton 1k by honing, stopping and reexamining, and then returning to the hone until I had a balanced even bevel along the entire length of the blade which passed the Lynn Abrams thumb pad test. As I worked my way up the stone progression through to 30k I followed the same methodology. The result was a gleaming mirror-like edge which I then stropped on chromeox pasted linen followed by .25 and .1 diamond sprayed linen, finishing on leather.

I passed on my usual dome shave this morning to give my scalp a chance to heal from the savage drubbing it took from my French Spadson safety razor yesterday whose top cap I repaired last night on my son’s belt grinder. After my shower this morning I whipped up the nice, thin, slick MWF lather I like for my mug shaves. I can honestly say that it felt like I was just brushing the lather away during my shave. There was no burning toast melody, just a series of my usual sweeping WTG strokes on that first pass leaving behind a smooth almost whisker-free surface. The same held true for the following ATG and XTG passes that followed. I now understand ‘whisker-melting sharp’!!! I feel clean and unbelievably velveteen!

RAZOR: Thistle Cut 5/8 
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil 
BRUSH: Viking Silvertip Badger 
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat 
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Old Spice Fresh Lime.

Menthol Monday SOTD

Razor: Wilkinson Empire

Blade: Wilkinson Empire Wedge (D2)

Brush: SOC 2012 Limited Edition Badger\Boar

Bowl: The Distinctive Goat Style 10 5½” Walnut\Walnut

Pre-Shave Scrub: MRGO Lime

Pre-Shave Oil: Homemade Frosted Woodlands

Shave Soap: Frosted Woodland Custom

Balm: Saponificio Varesino Puro Burro di Karitè

Aftershave: B&M Fougère Classique

Monday, December 14, 2020 - Shave of the Day

Prep  ||  Cantu Pre-Shave Scrub

Brush  ||  RazoRock 400 Noir

Soap  ||  Grooming Dept Kölnisch

Razor  ||  Blackland Blackbird / Wizamet Super Iridium (6)

A/S  ||  Tallow + Steel West Indies

Growth  ||  48.5 Hours

Monday, 14, December, 2020.
Musgo real oil pre shave. Declaration Grooming Cuir et Épices Artisan Shaving Soap. Clubman, Pinaud, Brandy spices. Zenith, extra soft horse, olive handle (Special Edition SCNG Forum 2017). Revisor, C-steel, 8/8, full hollow ground, brown buffalo horn scales. John Varvatos, vintage, EdT.

Monday AM 2020-12-14


Rooney Stubby 2 Porcelain Finest (24/50)
Soap Commander Love (True Rose) shaving soap
Yates Precision 921-M
Wilkinson London Bridge (4)
Crabtree & Evelyn Sienna aftershave (vintage)

Monday Shave was another traditional my Favourite Italian Soap Milano Cella very nice scent and slickness. 

Can’t go wrong with Cella.

Razor - Feather WS-D2
Blade - Voskhod - Thanks to Dave in KY
Brush TDR - OUMO - SHD - Silk Hand-master
Pre Shave Oil
Post Shave - Thayer’s Original
Aftershave - Fine Fresh Vetiver
Aftershave Balm - Cella

Shaving Bowl - Captains Choice

Take care & Stay Safe

Alan H

This is for sure an EVERGREEN !!!