The Scandal Sheet: Straights and other stuff

[Darth Scandalous]

No photos again today. A little rushed lately, some ongoing kid drama which I don't really want to delve into here. But it's okay.

Winter is back, for today anyway, so the Red was up again. Vestavia silvertip brush. Rudy Stehlo straight. Did some experimental finish honing on it last night. It was pretty nice. Although I think it suffers a little in comparison to some of my other razors. Not really fair, it's a great razor in its own right. I am going to have to give it some thought, I may list it... just need to figure out if I'll regret it later.

DE work was the Fatip/Bic (2). Still a notable alignment issue based on feel, even after disassembling and realigning. Maybe it's the blade.

Finish was Proraso Red. Smooth, no drama shave.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

My FOCS arrived today. Along with 100 Feathers and Myrsol Limón. The Fatip plating quality is up to the usual standard although no significant flaws. I loaded a Bic in it for tomorrow, and to check the alignment. I had mentioned that the Bic currently resting in my other Fatip seemed off from one side to the other. The new one was quite obviously biased to one side in the new slant (gauged from the baseplate). I grabbed a Feather from the open tuck in my drawer and it looks just fine. So I guess the first shave with the FOCS will be with a Feather. I ain't skeered...though using a less sharp blade would tell me more about the razor's efficiency.

I tested the Myrsol. Scent is nice enough, just a hint of bitter rind so it's not a sugary lemon drop scent, menthol level seems tolerable too. And the skin feel is surprisingly nice. Looking forward to using it for real tomorrow.

 

[blethenstrom]

My FOCS arrived today. Along with 100 Feathers and Myrsol Limón. The Fatip plating quality is up to the usual standard although no significant flaws. I loaded a Bic in it for tomorrow, and to check the alignment. I had mentioned that the Bic currently resting in my other Fatip seemed off from one side to the other. The new one was quite obviously biased to one side in the new slant (gauged from the baseplate). I grabbed a Feather from the open tuck in my drawer and it looks just fine. So I guess the first shave with the FOCS will be with a Feather. I ain't skeered...though using a less sharp blade would tell me more about the razor's efficiency.

I tested the Myrsol. Scent is nice enough, just a hint of bitter rind so it's not a sugary lemon drop scent, menthol level seems tolerable too. And the skin feel is surprisingly nice. Looking forward to using it for real tomorrow.

Never tried a slant. It will be interesting to hear your take on it. Looking forward to it.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Shave report today: was a little less rushed, but also trying new things, so ended up be a little rushed at the end anyway. No worries.

The straight was the Danshaku 70, an almost perfect design for the way I shave. Soap was MdC Agrumes lathered with a Yaqi two-band. The straight portion of the shave was perfection, frankly. Very, very nice.

I had the Fatip slant loaded with a Feather, so that got the nod today. Well, I also had cut a blade down to make a shim for the other Fatip, more as an experiment than anything else. I did a couple swipes with it and honestly didn't feel a lot of difference. I'll give it a more thorough outing soon. The new Fatip is a Piccolo handle, short but also has a nice mass. The head may be a little heavier too, overall I like the balance. Not much to say about the shave-- oddly, the Feather, which I find to be brilliant in the regular Fatip, felt kind of neutral. Maybe a touch more blade feel-- more of an awareness, than anything, and possibly a touch less efficient? I'm not sure about that. I find I can get away with a little more judicious pressure on the regular Fatip, and between the weight and the blade-feel of the slant I was using a very, very light touch. No irritation of any kind and ultimately that portion of the shave was very close, too. I've described the regular Fatip as "inviting;" I don't get that impression from the slant (yet). I'm curious how it will perform with other blades and a little more experience. From an alignment perspective, there was no notable difference from one side to the other.

Splash was Myrsol Limon. Really pairs well with the soap, and the scent is still hanging on a couple hours later, but subtle. Very nice. The menthol is noticeable but not overwhelming, the burn fades after 15-20 minutes. And the skin feel is really, really nice. Not sticky but a little more moisturizing than say, Clubman products, which leave my skin a little more glassy.

Music today was Tony Rice Guitar. Easy, fun, uplifting.

Be well, all.

 

[Eric_75]

I've always enjoyed this one.

Have a blessed Friday, Matt.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I did a little more experimentation today. For Frameback Friday I chose my little E.A. Berg-- a known quantity-- and that provided a very smooth shave. I used my Vielong horsehair brush, which is nicely floppy but also has a tendency to tangle if I look at it wrong. But I did more of the Italian barber style pinch while I worked the lather in the bowl--didn't overwork it, started a little wetter and it was very nice. This brush used to be a little pokey/prickly too but since I plucked the 20 or so dark, coarse hairs, it is more of scrubber than a poker. I really need to use it more to encourage the ends to split. Horsehair doesn't split like boar does, exactly, but the ends eventually fray and make for a nice face feel. But it takes time. Soap was MdC Agrumes again. It seems like MdC benefits a little more from starting wetter, as opposed to some soaps where I like to start pasty and slowly add water.

The experimentation portion was the DE pass. I started with the Fatip Retro, Bic CP, with a shim. Today, I could tell the shim was there. Marginally more blade feel, marginally more efficient. Marginally less smooth. I'm not sure the trade-offs in the smoothness department are worth the efficiency. I'll keep testing it, though. I did a final cleanup with the FOCS/Feather combo. I think a little more familiarity allowed me to be a little less tentative and the results were good. Frankly, I was picking up stubble that I didn't even know was still there. Even in a few spots where I'd gone ATG with the straight and were very smooth.

So, what did I learn there? I think the FOCS is quite capable of a very close shave, but it requires a higher level of stubble reduction to really get there. Obviously this is just based on two shaves with the same blade-- more testing is needed here too. I do still prefer the feel of the standard Fatip OC on my face, but that may change with familiarity.

I feared that I might have overshaved a little, and maybe I did, but the Myrsol didn't sting particularly, beyond the natural menthol burn. And the postshave is quite nice, again. It seems to have some healing qualities that may cover a multitude of sins.

Be well!

@Eric_75 great track. Thanks.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Great shave today. Soap and brush were MdC Rose and the Oumo Armor. Straight was the Shell 71. A brilliant shaver.

I loaded a Treet 7 day in the FOCS and it was almost like a different razor. In a good way. Not sure what to make of that. It was smooth, efficient, very close. I did manage a tiny bit of harshness on the tip of my Adam's apple. Went back for one more swipe even though I knew better. No blood but I definitely felt it when I splashed on the Veg.

I did notice that I'm using a shallower angle with the slant than I do with the regular Fatip, to get the same level of cutting efficiency. For whatever that's worth.

Be well.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Killer shave today. No notes. The cast: MdC Agrumes, Vestavia silvertip, Osuga Sain, Fatip Retro, Feather, and Myrsol Limón.

I was up early and it's warm enough now to be on the sun porch. Mew is never happier than when she's observing the coming and goings in the back yard.

Be well.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Cat is still holding her window vigil.

 

[Eric_75]

Cat is still holding her window vigil.
View attachment 1806318

She looks like a Bill Evans fan to me.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Shave today was pretty uneventful. Soap and brush were Proraso Red and the Proraso Pro boar. Straight was Heljestrand MK 24. Second shave on the Feather in the Fatip Retro was just as nice as the first. Maybe I can get another shave out of this one. Splash was the Veg. Only thing to note is there is a patch just to the right of my adam's apple that has been a little stubbly lately. I over-shaved it the other day and got a little sting, and it's still sensitive although I've managed not to irritate it further. Not sure what's going on there, as I have typically been getting very close in that spot without drama for a few months. On the other hand, a couple other trouble spots in the neck hollows have been dolphin smooth lately, as my DE technique has improved. Maybe this one was always there and I didn't notice. It's only palpable at a very specific angle and even then not always. On the other hand, I haven't been bullfrogging my throat lately so maybe that's it.

Forgot to listen to music today but I saw a Greyhound bus as I was walking in to work and I've had Simon and Garfunkel's "America" stuck in my head ever since.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Shave today was pretty uneventful. Soap and brush were Proraso Red and the Proraso Pro boar. Straight was Heljestrand MK 24. Second shave on the Feather in the Fatip Retro was just as nice as the first. Maybe I can get another shave out of this one. Splash was the Veg. Only thing to note is there is a patch just to the right of my adam's apple that has been a little stubbly lately. I over-shaved it the other day and got a little sting, and it's still sensitive although I've managed not to irritate it further. Not sure what's going on there, as I have typically been getting very close in that spot without drama for a few months. On the other hand, a couple other trouble spots in the neck hollows have been dolphin smooth lately, as my DE technique has improved. Maybe this one was always there and I didn't notice. It's only palpable at a very specific angle and even then not always. On the other hand, I haven't been bullfrogging my throat lately so maybe that's it.

Forgot to listen to music today but I saw a Greyhound bus as I was walking in to work and I've had Simon and Garfunkel's "America" stuck in my head ever since.

That's a great tune.....

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Didn't really have time for photos today. Was doing a bit of a comparison between a couple razors, Ribbon 100 and Heljestrand MK 8. They're quite different, the Ribbon is as close to a European style full hollow as I've found in a Japanese razor and the Helje is a half hollow. It was more that I was comparing edges, and ultimately the final results. I had listed both of these on the auction site a few days ago (along with a couple others) in a fit of downsizing but I immediately had second thoughts. So I canceled the listing on these two since there were no bids yet. Anyway. The details aren't very interesting but the shave confirmed that it's worth keeping them around. Soap was Agrumes, brush was...hmm... can't remember. This is why photos are important. LOL. The DE was the FOCS, Treet 7 day (second shave, maybe? Not sure). It was efficient enough. Still less "inviting" than the regular Fatip but no discomfort. I did manage to eliminate all the stubble in the one trouble spot on the throat. Still not sure why it's become a trouble spot lately, although I note that I have a few bumps in the area that may or may not be shave related, but regardless, they make it hard to shave that spot without creating drama. However, they look less prominent now than they did before the shave. So I think that's good. Splash was Myrsol Limon. The other day I splashed it on with my face still pretty wet and it tamed down the menthol a lot. Today, I patted my face dry with the towel first, and the menthol burn was much stronger. Still tolerable, but a good data point for me going forward, depending on how much burn I want on a given day.

The boy and I listened to Rite of Spring, Part 2 last night and then some Chick Corea for a palate cleanser.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

The straight today was the MK 8 again. I got a lightly used Naniwa 12k off the BST and wanted to see what it could do. I've experienced other people's edges of the Naniwa and most of them I didn't like. The exception being the maker's edge on my Rigarazor, which is flawless. So I figured, take a razor I just shaved with while it's fresh in my memory.

One thing that a very fine synthetic stone will do, is reveal flaws that may have been hiding out from previous work. Both because it polishes to a high mirror, and it also is fine enough that any weaknesses at the apex will tend to fall apart. Which is what I found: a couple of deep scratches that ran all the way to the apex that were beginning to want to chip. I'm pretty sure these predated my owning the razor, because they were deeper and coarser than what I'd expect from the coarse stone I use as a bevel setter. Probably from a diamond plate. Diamonds have a tendency to create weak steel underneath the striation, which often hides until it's revealed down the road, either due to fine polishing or wear causing chips.

At any rate, it meant that I took the razor back to the 1.5k to get to uncompromised steel, then through a full synthetic progression ending on the 12k. I also took the time to grind the heel forward a little as the cutting edge was getting closer to the shoulder than I wanted.

The shave was really nice. Maybe a *hint* less smooth than a really good natural edge but maybe not. No complaints. The soap was MdC Rose, lathered with the Simpsons Emperor 3. I left a little more water in the brush to start and the lather was quite foamy. Almost frothy. But it worked just fine; very well in fact. The DE was the Fatip Retro with a new Bic and that performed flawlessly too. I finished up with Myrsol Limon.

Listened to Kris Kristofferson's Border Lord album on the way in to work. That was nice.

 

[Eric_75]

Listened to Kris Kristofferson's Border Lord album on the way in to work. That was nice.

The late, great Pete Drake plays pedal steel on that one.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

The late, great Pete Drake plays pedal steel on that one.

He was on a couple of Dylan albums too, right?
I feel like Border Lord doesn't get a lot of good press but I happen to really like it.

 

[Eric_75]

He was on a couple of Dylan albums too, right?
I feel like Border Lord doesn't get a lot of good press but I happen to really like it.

Yep, John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline come to mind.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Yep, John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline come to mind.

I should put Nashville Skyline in the queue. I always liked that album. Probably because the vocals are less...Dylan.

 

[Eric_75]

Matt, another favorite pedal steel player of mine is Red Rhodes. Here's some of his work with Michael Nesmith.

Red Rhodes - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Today is a little crazy. A lot going on, mostly out of my control. But the shave was very calm and rewarding.

The straight was a Kikuboshi 2002 "Jutsu" newly arrived from France yesterday. So I honed it up last night and it delivered a brilliant shave this morning. "Jutsu" can mean skill, technique, method, art..often seen as a compound word like "Jujutsu" etc. I think the implication is a skill or technique derived through dedicated practice and study. At any rate, it's a lovely razor, in the half-hollowish realm and impeccably made. Kikuboshi (which still exists as a beauty products company today) has always had a philosophy of excellence. I found a quote from their founder, Shiro Takehana: "You must not be satisfied with anything less than a product that is excellent among excellence; that is perfect and faultless; and that can show its true value every time it is used. Only when passion and capability are concentrated and all life and spirit poured into a product is a Kikuboshi product born.”

Soap was MdC rose and the brush was the Elite finest. DE work was mostly accomplished by the Fatip Retro/Bic (2) but I did do a few very light cleanup strokes with the FOCS that confirm again, that it's capable of getting a little closer. Splash was the Veg. Lots of Veg.

I listened to John Wesley Harding last night, I'm not sure I ever listened to the whole thing before...I'm, uh... not a fan of the vocal style or the harmonica playing on that album. Yeah, I'm a Philistine. I listened to Nashville Skyline this morning and that's more my jam stylistically anyway. Then I started on an album that I really love, Roseanne Cash's The River and the Thread. It's very well thought out. More bluesy than country in some ways, actually really hard to pigeonhole. I'm looking forward to digging back into it over the next couple days.