sgrdddy

Thanks for the info!

• Prep: Splash of Cool Water
• Razor: Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb
• Blade: Gillette - Nacet (Marathon) (501)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag (White Label)
• Brush: Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL (26 uses)
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag (White Label)
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag

Austere August: Day: 3
MRTNG's Ultra Nightmare Mode
Midnight Stag Challenge

Gear Pic :: Video

䷀ General Notes

Start of Austere August for me, on Day 3 here. I'll make up for it in September.

Going to keep using the Nacet, and this is shave 501 with it.

䷀ Razor and Blade Notes

(Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹501 uses›)

A little tuggy on first pass, and it just too 4 to get the job done enough for tonight. Close result.

Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)

䷀ Soap Notes

(Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - White Label)

I just love all the aspects of this scent!

Scent Strength: 6/10, nicely present during shaving.

Lather... Thought I'd try the slurry lather today. So I started with a very wet brush. Loaded for 10 seconds or so, and then put that on my face. It wasn't quite enough soap to get going, so I went back for a little more. This gave me that slurry, slick super wet layer on my face, which was pass 1.

Pass 2 started looking more like a mature lather, since it was starting to come together more.

I had plenty of lather for 5 passes using this face lathering method. How about that you overloaders?!

Hydration: Perfect (for me)

• 20 sec load with a Very Wet brush
• = 5 passes of lather

Bowl: No Bowl

䷀ Brush Notes

(Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL ‹26 uses›)

Since this guy is still young, the slurry lather method still translated a lot of backbone, though the tips softened it up somewhat.

During the Shave Feel:
  Cheeks: Just a little tugging
  Neck: Just a little tugging
After the Shave Closeness:
  Cheeks: Very Close Shave
  Neck: Many hairs show whisker tips with a little length to them

Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet

Prep: Splash of Cool Water
Razor: Henson - Aluminum ++
Blade: Gillette - Nacet (1)
Lather: Noble Otter - Batter's Up
Brush: Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL (24 uses)

Gear Pic :: Video

䷀ General Notes

Trying a Nacet in the Henson, and a new divisive scent from Noble Otter.

䷀ Razor and Blade Notes

(Henson - Aluminum ++ ::: Gillette - Nacet ‹1 uses›)

Shaving off 1.5 weeks of growth, and it did it without a hitch. The first pass was patchy, but that's to be expected considering. The second pass cleaned it up nicely.

The Nacet agrees with the Henson well, as does pretty much every blade I've tried with it.

Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 4 out of 5 (Very Good)

䷀ Soap Notes

(Noble Otter - Batter's Up)

Them: "Attention all baseball fans! Gather around and get ready to hear the tale of Batters Up. This fragrance will take you on a journey through the sights and smells of the baseball diamond. ~~ As the game begins, the scent of fresh green pepper and crisp aldehydes fills the air, creating a sense of excitement and anticipation. The crack of the bat can be heard in the distance, as the tarred maple bat hits the ball with a satisfying thwack. ~~ As the game progresses, the scent of violet leaf and musk mingles with the aroma of the baseball glove, evoking memories of those long summer afternoons spent playing catch in the backyard. The fragrance is rounded out with a hint of patchouli, giving it a subtle, earthy undertone. ~~ But what really sets "Batters Up" apart is its strong used leather scent. As you lather up with this shave soap, you'll feel as though you're holding a well-worn baseball glove in your hand."

Notes: Green Pepper, Fresh Aldehydes, Tarred Maple Bat, Violet Leaf, Musk, Baseball Glove, Patchouli

Scent: I could see the green pepper note in there, but it was minimal to me, and it mainly smelled like a brand spanking new leather ball glove. Maybe the aldehydes and tar were what made that happen. I loved it.

Scent Strength: 5/10, present during shaving.

Lather... I did need to add some water after the first pass, but then it was pretty much perfect.

Hydration: A Little Too Dry (for me)

• (0.4 tsp) soap with a Lightly-Wet brush
• 19 ml (3.9 tsp) added to build the lather
• = 9 passes of lather

Bowl: Dollar Tree DIY Bowl w Glass Beads

䷀ Brush Notes

(Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL ‹24 uses›)

Same: soft tips, backed with firm backbone at the bottom 50% of the bristles

During the Shave Feel:
  Cheeks: Just a little tugging
  Neck: Just a little tugging
After the Shave Closeness:
  Cheeks: Near BBS - About as close as I'll ever get
  Neck: Cut flush to where I just see the tips (above average for me)

Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet

Prep: Splash of Cool Water
Razor: Henson - Aluminum ++
Blade: Gillette - 7 o'clock (Black) Super Platinum (14)
Lather: Stirling - Arkadia
Brush: Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL (23 uses)
Post Shave: Pre de Provence - No. 63

Gear Pic :: Video

䷀ General Notes

Fast and fairly quiet shave today. Arkadia is a favorite, and we'll try another blade (7o Black) in the Henson.

䷀ Razor and Blade Notes

(Henson - Aluminum ++ ::: Gillette - 7 o'clock - Blk ‹14 uses›)

Very comfortable, but not as efficient during the first pass. However, the second and third more than made up for it.

It takes practice to shave with this razor quickly, since the right angle must be maintained, especially in the concave curvature of the neck.

Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 4 out of 5 (Very Good)

䷀ Soap Notes

(Stirling - Arkadia)

Them: "This scent has top notes of Orange and Grapefruit, middle notes of Black Pepper and Pelargonium (Geranium), and base notes of Patchouli, Cedar, Vetiver, and Vanilla. It's elegant, grassy, and amazingly provocative. ~~ Inspired by Terre d'Hermes"

Scent: I'm no expert on TdH as a cologne, so I don't know how accurate this is. However, I know I like it. It's well-blended, so the notes are a bit hard to pick out sometimes.

None of the notes mentioned above really stand out to me, they're just all working well together.

Scent Strength: 5/10, nicely present during shaving.

Lather... quick one thrown together. Having worked with Stirling so much lately, with this same brush, it paid off, with such an efficient whip-up.

Very good one.

12 seconds of loading gave me about 5 passes of lather, so, plenty.

Hydration: Wet End of Perfect (for me)

• 12 sec load with a Lightly-Wet brush
• 15 ml (3 tsp) added to build the lather
• = 5 passes of lather

Bowl: Dollar Tree DIY Bowl w Glass Beads

䷀ Brush Notes

(Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL ‹23 uses›)

Softer feel than yesterday. very nice, while still having that core backbone, that may never leave this chunky knot.

During the Shave Feel:
  Cheeks: Felt blade but comfortable
  Neck: Felt blade but comfortable
After the Shave Closeness:
  Cheeks: Near BBS - About as close as I'll ever get
  Neck: Few hairs are showing some tip length (with most being cut flush)

Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet

In our hobby, there are so many times when a shaver will ask the same questions as hundreds before them. In that case, it's great to have the "Daily" threads because it keeps those common things from clogging up the main feed yet again.

Yes, it does seem clunky when there aren't very many people on here especially. But as the usercount grows, grouping these things in daily threads becomes an even better idea, IMO.

I don't like how you don't have continuity when asking questions, and so sometimes in the past I have advocated for a longer duration, like Weekly Simple Questions thread, etc. I"ve often asked questions that were too involved for a Daily thread, and it resulted in not as many answers. But they were also too "small" for posting in the main root.

To mitigate that, there's the policy where if you need more input than one "daily" thread gave you, just post again the next day. That has usually made up the difference for me.

So the daily questions idea is not perfect, but it's pretty close to a good system.

The interior depth and height, I initially alowed for a 1/4" range/variation. They said they could hit it, so I didn't bother scoping out more leeway. I'm certain I could work with a 3/8" variation as well.

I realize that clay shrinks in the process. But I figured that they'd be able to predict it well enough to hit that range.

Well boys, I'm disappointed. And commiseration is the first reason for this post.

I have spent years refining my specs for my attempt at a perfect-for-me ceramic lather bowl.

I love the Symmetrical Pottery Sheet Metal design with what seems like just the right amount of bumps. I gave them my specs, in an interior height and width range, and they said they could do it. So I refined the other preferences, like the base color, the thumb ring, etc and paid them for the custom bowl.

But after waiting over 15 weeks, a torturous time period to wait for some cool shave gear ;-), They showed me the final bowl and it turns out they weren't able to hit my spec range for internal dimensions.

So... no joy in Mudville tonight.

They were prompt to issue a refund, though, so at least there's that. They'll be able to sell the bowl on their site I'm sure.

So the second reason for the post here... is to ask about finding a local potter to do the custom bowl for me.

• Does anyone know of an organization with some kind of directory that I could search for local potters?

• I thought maybe contacting some trade schools that offer pottery classes, to maybe find a student who could do the work, or maybe a reference from a teacher.

• Obviously, I could go to the yellow pages/web and search for local pottery people and just start calling and asking questions.

Any other ideas?

1. Gillette - Ranger Tech - probably 1941. Just one year, which is why so rare. Later, they would start to produce the Super speed line, which would look similar to this one. So maybe this one is the grandfather of the highly successful Super speeds.
2. Gillette - Super Speed Flare Tip - usually a mid range aggression shaver that was super popular back when (50s & 60s). Probably shaves similar to the ranger tech.
3. Gillette - Fat Boy Adjustable - they made these for about four years, about '59 time period. This is one of my favorite vintage razors, because of its look and heft, and at the lower ranges, it is so smooth. Gillette changed to one we call the "Slim", which looks similar, but has a slimmer handle and a slight change in head design, and made that one for a lot longer. So the Fat Boy, being more rare, is more valuable.

All of these razors have much better workmanship and materials that most modern ones created today. So many these days are just plated pot metal, and will usually break after a few years of use. And there are companies like Vikings Blade that are adding a story and marking them up super high.

But these that you have are brass at their core, which will outlive you.

As far as dating goes, most of these will have a date code at the bottom, under the baseplate. A letter will be on the left end, and a number will be on the right. The letter is the year, and the number is the quarter of that year.

https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/wiki/US_Gillette_Dating_Information

Scroll down to the section: 1950-1988 (letter codes)

That's good stuff there!

I think I can see that razor is Geneva, which is good steel. And looks in great shape too.

And that first DE, that's no normal 40s style superspeed, that's a much more rare Ranger Tech!

Prep: Splash of Cool Water
Razor: Henson - Aluminum ++
Blade: Gillette - Platinum (4)
Lather: Stirling Mutton Tallow - Port-au-Prince
Brush: Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL (21 uses)
Post Shave: Stirling - Agar

Gear Pic :: Video

䷀ General Notes

Trying a different blade in the Henson, and more Stirling soap!

䷀ Razor and Blade Notes

(Henson - Aluminum ++ ::: Gillette - Platinum ‹4 uses›)

Another blade that works well in the Henson. Not as efficient as the Kai, but still got a great shave by the end, and no hint of irritation.

Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 4 out of 5 (Very Good)

䷀ Soap Notes

(Stirling Mutton Tallow - Port-au-Prince)

Them: "Earthy, grassy, and pungently sweet Haitian Vetiver combined with a small but uplifting kick of Lemongrass"

Scent: My take seems in line with the description above. I really enjoyed this one during the shave.

Scent Strength: 6/10, nicely present during shaving.

Lather... A little bit wetter than perfect, but still worked so well. Skin feels so nourished with this soap base.

Hydration: Wet End of Perfect (for me)

• 15 sec load with a Lightly-Wet brush
• 20 ml (4.1 tsp) added to build the lather
• = 5 passes of lather

Bowl: Dollar Tree DIY Bowl w Glass Beads

䷀ Brush Notes

(Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL ‹21 uses›)

Same: soft tips but rest of bristle strong backbone. Splays pretty easily the first 33% or so.

During the Shave Feel:
  Cheeks: Felt blade but comfortable
  Neck: Felt blade but comfortable
After the Shave Closeness:
  Cheeks: Near BBS - About as close as I'll ever get
  Neck: Cut flush to where I just see the tips (above average for me)

Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet

Yeah, later I would learn that many "older" sandalwood shaving products just naturally had all those florals and other things in there.

One of the worst scents in a shaving soap I've ever used was the TOBS Sandalwood. Smelled like a truck stop urinal cake! AND... it wouldn't go away. I smelled it on myself for several hours later that day!

But on the flip side, the one tub of TOBS I kept was Jermyn St. Love that scent.