Micromatic Monday

[geneaut]

I've been participating in the One Blade in February challenge. Today I took the SuperMax I've been using all month and snapped it in half, and loaded one side into my ER 1912. I'll finish out February with this combination.

The shave today was lovely. Smooth and easy.

 

[Ron R]

GEMonday, February 26th, 2024.

Razor : Gem Featherweight 1st generation-Mfg 1950-52, 2nd Gen 1953-54, tame mid range. The razor weighs 1 OZ I recall and performs like a champion. I always enjoy this razor and is a good razor to use with a fresh PTFE blade for maximum efficiency has been my experiences taking advantage of a very sharp blade. Had a close comfortable shave this morning.
Blade : Gem Personna SS PTFE(7) Very sharp, excellent longevity, smooths out nicely, predictable + safest blade to handle.
Soap : Razorock Irish Countryside, nice scented soap(similar to Irish Creed scent according RR) with excellent lather qualities.
Brush : Yaqi "Rainbow" 26mm brown whiskers synthetic. Excellent lather generator, luxury heavenly cloud like soft tips, gentle splay scrubber. Excellent all around shaving brush from knot to handle for my shaving needs.
Pre shave : (Dedicated Cashmere synthetic)Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser with a dollop of clear Aloe Vera on the cleaned beard area.
Prep : Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups. WTG + ATG + pickups.
Post shave : Razorock Irish Countryside splash with witch hazel + a dollop of CeraVe moisturizing lotion(scentless).
Results : or CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + no weepers= Had a close comfortable shave this morning with my Gem Featherweight with a Gem coated blade.

Have some great shaves!

 

[Whiterook]

Razor: Gem Micromatic Gold Flying Wing Guiding Eye
Blade: Personna GEM PTFE Stainless Steel Blade
Brush: Rudy Vey 2020 B & B Group Buy
Pre-Shave: Proraso White Pre-Shave Cream
Lather: Spearhead Shaving Seaforth Black Watch
Aftershave: Seaforth! Black Watch Aftershave Toner
Additional Care:
Thayers Facial Tonic Witch Hazel Unscented
Nivea Post Shave Balm

 

[Tanuki]

For the last Micromatic Monday of February I stropped my century+ Ever-Ready blade on the leather/green compound bench strop. Looking to slide smoothly out with this blade, I was not disappointed. Close and very comfortable.

>Ever-Ready '1924 Shovelhead'
>One Tested Ever-Ready Safety Razor Blade
>Stag Sharpener
>Mitchell's Wool Fat stick
>Ever-Ready brush
re-knotted in black badger
>Captain's Choice Bay Rum

Pricing in the first decade of the 20th century:
Razor, 12 blades, stropping handle, inexpensive case - $1.00
10 new blades - 50¢
Exchange service for 10 dull blades - 35¢ plus postage

Inflated from 1905 to 2024? $35 for the set, $1.75 per replacement blade, exchange service for $12.25 plus postage for 10 dull blades. Modern DE and SE shaving suddenly looks cheaper and the 'five and dime' Ben Franklin store looks just like the Dollar Store.

Sounds like the 'razors&blades' business model in full flight. And don't give the dull blades to your cheapskate brother-in-law to hone and strop. Mail them to ASR in New York and get the discount!

 

[LJBraaten]

Again this week I’m using a half feather to stay in the OBIF challenge. Only this week I have a good blade holder, thanks to @albsat for alerting me to an old thread about how to make one. It’s two Gem blades glued together, after the spine had been removed. The dull side makes a slot for inserting the half blade.

I used it with my Gem Jr (1912). The handling of the blades has deteriorated the quality, but I still got a 9.4 finish. ( I taped the blades together and sharpened them, I’ll find out tomorrow if they are improved.)

Here’s more about the process:

Thanks for sending me the link to this thread! I was attempting to rebuild the wheel, and this one is much better! I finally got around to making this yesterday, I let the epoxy dry 24+ hours. It fits in a 1912 series (Gem/ Star / Ever- Ready), and with a little trimming of the blade overlap it can be loaded into an Ever-Ready 24-14 (Little Lather Catcher). With extra edge trimming (see photos) and removal of the spine (it’s impossible to get tight), it can be carefully loaded into a Micromatic.

View attachment 1802937

View attachment 1802935View attachment 1802936

View attachment 1802938

And here’s the thread explaining how to make it:

'Making a DE blade holder for your GEM razor'
Making a DE blade holder for your GEM razor - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/making-a-de-blade-holder-for-your-gem-razor.77370/

 

[GAW9576]

Again this week I’m using a half feather to stay in the OBIF challenge. Only this week I have a good blade holder, thanks to @albsat for alerting me to an old thread about how to make one. It’s two Gem blades glued together, after the spine had been removed. The dull side makes a slot for inserting the half blade.


View attachment 1802945

I used it with my Gem Jr (1912). The handling of the blades has deteriorated the quality, but I still got a 9.4 finish. ( I taped the blades together and sharpened them, I’ll find out tomorrow if they are improved.)

Here’s more about the process:

And here’s the thread explaining how to make it:

'Making a DE blade holder for your GEM razor'
Making a DE blade holder for your GEM razor - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/making-a-de-blade-holder-for-your-gem-razor.77370/

Great idea.

 

[LJBraaten]

A second shave with a half Feather in my blade holder, this time with my Kampfe Bros. Star New Model 1902 lather catcher. The blade was a little sharper after running it through the Allegro and Twinplex. It felt a bit more aggressive than my usual Gem Blade. I rate the shave a 9.2 out of 10, I was able get a much closer shave in some spots than in others.

 

[thombrogan]

Happy Birthday, @Flintstone65 !

 

[Flintstone65]

Happy Birthday, @Flintstone65 !

Thank you all!

 

[GAW9576]

Thank you all!

Happy Birthday.

 

[ChrisPL68]

 

[Texchappy]

 

[Ron R]

MMMonday, March 4th 2024

Razor : GEM Micromatic buttonless variant - Mfg 1930-32, mid range. Well built to last generations and enjoyable shaving when mastered. Had a stellar close comfortable shave this morning.
Blade : Gem Personna SS PTFE (8) very sharp, excellent longevity, smooths out nicely, predictable + safest blade to handle.
Soap : Mitchell's wool fat, mild clean scent + great lather qualities. Makes excellent ubber lather.
Brush : Yaqi "Moka express" 24mm synthetic brush. Excellent lather generator, heavenly luxury cloud like soft tips, gentle splay scrubber + excellent lather painter.
Pre shave : (Dedicated Cashmere synthetic)Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser with a dollop of clear Aloe Vera on the cleaned beard area.
Prep : Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups. WTG + ATG + pickups.
Post shave : Pinaud Clubman aftershave + a dollop of CeraVe moisturizing lotion(scentless).
Results : or CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + no weepers= Had a stellar close comfortable shave this morning with my Gem Micromatic razor with a coated Gem blade.

Have some great shaves!

 

[Whiterook]

Razor: Gem Junior The Parade Baton Handle
Blade: Personna GEM PTFE Stainless Steel Blade
Brush: Rubberset 200-3 TNS Boss knot
Pre-Shave: Proraso White Pre-Shave Cream
Lather: Spearhead Shaving Seaforth Black Watch
Aftershave: Seaforth! Black Watch Aftershave Toner
Additional Care:
Thayers Facial Tonic Witch Hazel Unscented
Nivea Post Shave Balm

 

[Tanuki]

First, happy belated birthday @Flintstone65 !!

I saw a very pristine Pushbutton at a very low price, so I am a Pushbutton owner once again. This shave was set up 16 hours ago, but the Furies intervened. MMTu...

>Gem Pushbutton, cheeks and neck E-W, etc
>Gem PTFE (5)
>Ogallala Bay Rum Limes & Peppercorns
>E-R re-knotted small barber style boar
>alum

 

[LJBraaten]

Oops! I remembered it was Micromatic Monday halfway through my shave yesterday, so this is another makeup day for me. I shaved with the other half of my Feather in my blade holder. My razor was my Gem Junior 1912 series. The blade felt a little aggressive, I probably should have use my RIGS shim. I got a decent 9.6, not bad for a blade with over 40 shaves on it!

 

[LJBraaten]

Well, my curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to see if I could get a little better shave than yesterday with my Gem and half Feather. I got out my Stag Sharpener and just ran the blade over the whetstone a few times. I was a little more thorough with the strops, finishing with the horsehide strop that came with the Stag. I loaded the razor with blade and RIGS shim. I got the lather a little better consistency than yesterday. It turned out to be a 9.7 shave!

 

[fengcs]

I'm starting to like gem！

 

[Texchappy]

 

[geneaut]

I tried a vintage London Bridge blade in the ER 1912 today. It was a lovely shave.