08-09-2007
Linen Love
I don’t know for certain exactly what it’s supposed to do. I have my suspicions and have heard the ancient tales like most of us, but we have yet to discover anything definitive about the use of linen strops. I’ve heard it said, for example, that the linen knocks away minute traces of corroded metal on the razor’s edge from the previous shave to give a smoother shave. Personally, I’d always thought it warmed up the edge with friction so that the metal responded better to whetting on the strop. If that’s the case, running the blade under hot water or indeed using any heating method should have the same relative effect. I wonder if there is an adendum to ‘The Great Experiment’ which can be tried to help determine its best usefulness. Some have said to use it after the leather, but most will, like myself, still use it as a first step before the leather.
I had fallen off the use of my linen recently for no good reason. I let my mind slip off the task at hand a little and would go straight for the leather. I was actually doing this for a couple of weeks before realising it. My Wade & Butcher has been my only shaving sharp razor in that time (Can you believe I fell off the use of my hones as well? More on that soon) and it was beginning to pull on the against-the-grain pass. Just the other day, as absent mindedly as I’d fallen off using it, I reached for the linen to start my stropping ritual. 20 firm laps on the linen, 60 on the leather and then into the shave. The blade performed better than it had been doing for the previous few shaves. And this isn’t the first time I’ve noticed it so something is going on. I believe that, while it’s not essential, the use of linen seems to improve the shave. Why is that?
Posted by xman in Sink or Swim | No Comments »
06-26-2007
Finish in Mind
“Does anybody really strop that much?”
“I think the fervour over hot lather is overrated”.
Statements like these go against my grain for the most part. I think of the athlete, like a swimmer and why they wear funny suits and/or swimming caps and/or shave their body hair. They do it to swim faster, because hair produces drag in the water. I think of why they don’t kick with their legs until the last few laps because it uses up too much oxygen and they’ll end up tiring themselves out too soon that way, or why they stop breathing during the last lap, because their body already has all the oxygen it needs to finish and taking those breaths breaks their perfect stride at a critical time in the race. Sure they end up in severe oxygen deprivation as they reach the finish, but they have all the time in the world to pant their way back to a resting heart rate after the race is done. I think of shaving as I think of such an athlete. This is a world where a few tenths of a second means the difference between the gold medal and better luck making the podium next year.
Okay sure, I can do the requisite 30 laps on the strop and build a tepid lather if I like and those will work for a decent shave, but is a decent shave really enough? Not often enough for me actually. I’ll wait days between shaves just for the ecstatic comparison after that ultra close BBS sensation. The warm lather helps prepare my face and whiskers that tenth more than cold does and it feels so good on my face. I can try and get through the shave sooner, but we all know where that leads. Don’t get me wrong, I know there’s that little devil on my shoulder who tries to convince me every now and again, “You don’t really need to focus that much on today’s shave” and not too often, but often enough he’s successful. The result is a dissatisfying shave at best and a minor mishap at worst, and I wonder why I put myself through it just long enough to dispel the little devil and vow again with renewed conviction to attend to my preferred diligence.
I don’t mean to set anybody off who’s decided that they don’t need to do all the little things we each talk about doing to best the better shave. Hell you may be right for all I know, but here’s what I do know; When I open my razor to start stropping I’ve got the finish line in mind, and when I soak my brush and bowl in hot water I’ve got the finish line in mind and when I close the door and take my time without distraction I’ve still got that finish line in mind. I know they don’t hand out medals for BBS, boys, y’know I’m not crazy or anything, but sometimes I sure feel like they do … and I like it.
Posted by xman in Sink or Swim | No Comments »
03-17-2007
Check This
There has been a lot of talk recently about the Standard Sharpness Tests so I thought I’d document what I have learned, especially for the benefit of some of the new guys. These things are described elsewhere to one degree or another, but the conventional or group wisdom, most of which is espoused here, sometimes varies from traditional sources. I’m here to waltz you through them so let’s start at the beginning shall we?
TST - The Shave Test
Performing The Test:
1. Shave. Enough said.
Interpretations:
1. If you achieve a close comfortable shave with no pulling or scratching then your edge is in good trim.
2. Pulling or getting caught up on the whiskers is a sign that the razor is not sharp enough.
3. Skimming over the whiskers or a scratchy sensation, particularly one which leaves prolonged razor rashing in appearance and/or sensation is a sign that the edge has been overhoned. With an overhoned or Rolled Edge, the tip of the bevel has become too thin and folds back too easily.
Finer points:
1. TST is the only difinitive test for a finished straight edge. No arguments.
2. Stick to your regular routine. Don’t try any new preparation or experimental shaving techniques and you will know explicitly how well your razor shaves.
3. With unsatisfactory edges one may feel a tendency to ‘muscle through’ the shave which should be resisted. Go back to the hone until you get the easy ‘hot knife through butter’ response indicative of a great shaving edge.
TPT - Thumb Pad Test
Performing The Test:
1. Hold the razor in your dominant hand and aim the edge upward.
2. Place the fingers of your off hand along the downward facing spine for absolute control over how your thumb contacts the shaving edge.
3. With a moistened thumb pad, draw your thumb very gingerly across, not along, the edge repeating all along its length to feel how it grips or bites into your thumb print.
Interpretations:
1. If the edge has a faint tickling sensation and just starts to grip onto your thumb pad then you are in the right neighbourhood for a shave test.
2. If the edge bites and grips your thumb pad relentlessly wanting to cut in and not let go, then the edge may be overhoned.
3. If the edge tickles your thumb and feels like a very sharp knife with a good cutting edge then you are not sharp enough. This sensation is usually felt coming off a medium hone like a 4,000 grit waterstone.
Finer points:
1. The cross edge action of the thumb is done much more carefully than one would normally do it for a knife since you are looking for different responding factors.
2. I regularly perform this test after every few laps on the hone to chart the progress in the creation of the edge.
3. The sensations described above are from my personal vantage point and your perceptions may vary. The definitions cannot substitute for the actual experience of sensation since perceptions depend primarily on the tactile sensitivity of the tester. Calloused hands, for example, may find it difficult to accurately grade a razor’s edge with this test.
HHT - Hanging Hair Test
Performing The Test:
1. Hold the razor in your dominant hand and aim the edge upward.
2. Hold a clean hair, root end out in your off hand.
3. Slowly* bring the hair down on the upturned edge about 1-2 cm (½”-1″) out from where your finger grips the hair. Repeat all along the length of the edge.
* Under no circumstances should you swipe the hair or razor in an action anything closely resembling a swift motion!
Randy’s signature image shows this test better than any photo I could take.
Interpretations:
1. If the hair falls away from the razor cleanly and effortlessly then your edge is in excellent shape for a shave test.
2. If the hair catches or sounds as it clips then it is some minor fraction less than perfect, but may still provide a very comfortable shave. The razor may be overhoned and still pass the HHT in this manner in which case the razor will provide a less than comfortable shave.
3. If the razor grabs the hair and tears it down its length rather than cutting it in half then it is unlikely that the edge is sharp enough to shave well.
Finer points:
1. These are interpretations of results form a razor off a fine hone. Razors will ‘pass’ more easily after having been stropped, but that defeats the purpose of the test somewhat. I strive for the most exacting of circumstances by testing after honing on an 8,000 grit Norton. With this methodology I have found that when I consistently get a good pass on the HHT, I get a great shave.
2. There are variations, like moving the razor above your skin to see if it clips extended arm hairs and such and these are all fine, just remember that each change you make to the standard operations described above, changes the way the razor responds and may change the interpretation of those results.
3. There is probably no other test that is as widely discussed on the forums as HHT and for good reason. There are so many variable factors in HHT, especially to the uninitiated, that it is sometimes impossible to use. The quality of the razor itself has some part to play, but the action of the tester is, I suspect, more unique. How far out do you make the cut? What angle do you hold the hair at? Do you draw the hair along the cutting edge at all or bring it straight down? All these factors and more come into play. Confounding the test even more is the fact that no two individual hairs are alike. Finer hairs will prove more challenging to pass than coarser ones. Clean, freshly washed hairs will also pass easier than a hair with a day or two worth of oil on it. I’m sure this list could go on. Attempts to standardise HHT so that conditions are the same or relatively the same for all testers are, in my humble opinion, futile. The effort needed would likely be time consuming and the determinations questionable at best. Instead, I trust in this. Barbers have been using HHT for centuries at least and have the combined wisdom and experience to lead us in the right directions. We do not need to reinvent the wheel. I’ve just told you how to make it round. The only thing left to do is perform HHT many times and begin to understand for yourself what it means when the razor responds in different ways. If you are not convinced a hair is up to the test, try a different one. If the right tools like clean, coarse hairs are your troops, then persistence is your greatest ally.
TNT - Thumb Nail Test
Performing The Test:
1. Hold the razor in your dominant hand with the edge facing downward.
2. Extend your wet thumb nail, face up.
3. Slowly and gently draw the edge along the top of your thumbnail.
Interpretations:
1. If the razor passes cleanly over your nail, cutting in slightly then you may either be close to Shave Ready or you may have a Wire Edge.
2. If the razor glides smoothly and effortlessly over your nail, it has likely been over honed and you have a Round Edge.
3. If the razor catches or bumps across your nail, then it likely has some micro chips that need to be honed out.
Finer points:
1. This test can damage the shaving edge so it should only be done on an edge that you intend to keep honing, or at least very carefully to protect your thumb as well as the quality of the edge. It’s primary purpose is to determine how far, and sometimes in which direction, the edge has gone.
2. This test seems the least useful to me since it’s the most dangerous to the shaving edge and the results are also the most vague to interpret.
3. I only use TNT to diagnose micro chips because I hate this test. It feels to me exactly how fingernails on a chalk board sounds. That could be partially responsible for why I can’t interpret as fine a result from it as the other Standard Sharpness Tests. I had to be honest about that.
Conclusions:
1. It’s largely up to you. You will get better stimuli from different tests than the next guy and that’s fine. Do what works for you.
2. Keep the discussion going. Even though people tend to describe the tests in their own way, sometimes talking about it can give you a new perspective or help you correct a minor error in performance. I hope this entry helps to facilitate that discussion.
3. There are also some Non-Standard tests that get used such as Dry Arm Shaving and the Paper Towel Test and these should continue to be explored as well. For some guys they may supplement the Standard Sharpness Tests, for others they may replace one. This too is a topic for discussion that I would like to encourage. Although I’m getting more and more comfortable all the time with the Standard Sharpness Tests, I’m always eager to learn what others have discovered.
That’s all for this entry. If I’m terribly off the mark on any of it I hope one of the more experienced guys will set the record straight.
Posted by xman in Sink or Swim | No Comments »
03-04-2007
Restore This
In the last year I’ve gotten some razors from some of the up and coming restoration journeymen at the forum and I just want to post a quick summary for you all. I was hoping to do some more restorations myself, even bought a few tools, coping saw, table vice, and some wood blanks for scales. I’ve come to my senses about that. I’m sure I could get some decent restorations done with lots of time and effort, but it’s really not my area of expertise. To put it into proper perspective for you, my wife is the one who owns the power tools in this family. So when I found myself holding The Gary Seven from garythepenman, which all could benefit from a little work I took Jason aka ToxIc up on his offer to advance his skills on some of blades I had around. Just to get you clear on all these blades, they are, as numbered;
1. Bengal Tonsor 11/16 Roundpoint with custom bloodwood scales.
2. Lockwood Bros of Sheffield “Pampa” 5/8 oblique with faux ivory scales.
3. Marples & Co Sheffield “The Hamburg Ring Razor” 7/8 round with bone or some other natural scales.
4. Goa “Finest Razor Shaver” made in Japan. English Steel. 5/8 round point with faux ivory scales.
5. Bengall 6/8 round point with custom mahogony scales.
6. Neverust with nice cherry and brass lines scales.
7. Wellman “Altona” 7/8 round point with custom walnut scales.
I don’t have a ‘before’ picture of the Neverust blade, but it was in the worst shape with some heavy stains and some pitting so it got shipped to Jason along with two other blades in bad need of some doctoring. I wanted to challenge Jason and see how far he could go. As you’ll see he did mighty fine in the outcome.
This Thiers Issard frameback 69 came from Alex who is member LX_Emergency and although the scales weren’t too bad, the blade had some pitting that needed to be taken care of.
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The result, with brazilian rosewood scales is ominous. All the pitting is gone and the blade is dying for me to put a good edge along its length, but as it’s pretty worn it has been a bit of a challenge for me so far, so hasn’t entered my rotation.
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This Wm. Greaves and Sons wedge looked very promising in the eBay pic shown here. I was sure I’d be able to polish the marks away and put some scales on it. As it turned out, the stains were actually deep pitting that had been covered with chrome plating to disguise/protect it from detection/corrosion. The horn scales were worm eaten and needed replacing too. This blade had one foot in the grave.
I took the chrome off and did some sanding, but Jason took the blade from this:
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to this:
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And put some kingwood scales on that I sent to him, along with the razors. What can I say. What a difference. This blade lives on. I sent Jason three blades to challenge his talents and he came out with three winners for me. I’ve even shaved with the Greaves and he put a blazingly sharp edge on it. A bit too sharp really. I’ve been having some real challenges honing the wedge I won in Bill Ellis’ giveaway and Jason has the nerve to send me this one back as sharp as my sharpest edge. B*****d!
Here’s my criticism and I have to take part of the blame for this one myself. Jason was also new to using Tung Oil as a wood finisher and I thought it would give a more natural feel to the wood so I encouraged him to use that on the scales and I understand the Kingwood was particularly challenging. That finish is a bit tacky to the feel and it either needs further refinement or to be discarded in favour of cyanoacrylate or something else and it takes days for each coat to dry leaving lots of opportunity for debris to gather on the wood. Even in an enclosed box, the Greaves scales managed to pick up a stray hair which is now imbedded in the finish.
I have since also bought a Utica Red Point razor with lacewood scales from Gary just because I couldn’t resist and I couldn’t be happier with it. If you’re looking to have some work done on a razor or see one that they post in the Buy/Sell/Trade Forum, you could do a lot worse than to deal with these gentlemen. In general the restoration work that has been shown on SRP lately has been great to see. Lot’s of new craftsmen taking the plunge and some old hands keeping at it. I love it and hope you guys continue to impress those of us who aren’t so inclined.
Winter always seems to be a time of hibernation for me, but I think the sun is coming back out so I should as well. This is just a quick apology for not posting in this blog for the last eight weeks. I’ve got some thought stored up which I’ll organise for you again soon. Stay tuned.
Oh, and thanks, Gary. Thanks, Jason. You rock!
Posted by xman in Sink or Swim | No Comments »
01-05-2007
Cream of the Crop: The Gentlemen’s Quarter
It was just last December when Colleen Hurley (churley) showed up at our shaving forum looking for some willing guinea pigs for her new line of shaving soaps. She’d been messing around with traditional soap recipes for a while and felt like it might be time to widen her market. Given the course that the last year has taken for her I’d say she moved at just the right time. Now we hear her tell us once every few months how the orders are coming in almost faster than she can fill them, how trade shows covet her participation around West Virginia neighourhood, and how she’s even selling overseas in England already. The Gentlemen’s Quarter is looking like the little soap business that could. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that Colleen herself is such a kind person, the kind of proprietor one hopes to deal with. I’m very happy for Colleen’s success, but that’s not the subject of this post. What I want to do is to write about some of my limited experience with Colleen’s products. I should state that although I’ve been a wet shaver for about a year and a half, I’ve only spent about half of that using a brush and soap (or cream as the case may be) so my opinions, while sound, are somewhat inexperienced.
It all started for me last spring when Colleen was looking for some feedback on a new line of shaving creams she was developing. She’d already had a few other members jump in face first to get some of those traditionally made samples (yes that’s you Ilija) and must have been ready for the new challenges associated with cream production. Apparently there’s waiting time and spoilage concerns. I don’t know anything about all that. Colleen’s Soaps thread has it all documented if you have a few days to read it all. Otherwise you could just ask her for the chemistry lesson and I’m sure she’d oblige you. I’ve always found soaps drying to my skin and what I was looking for was something definitely a cut above. Like many of us I’d given up on commercial shaving foam and never had much faith in corporate production. I had used some of the ‘natural’ shaving creams in the past, but nothing that required a brush. I’d been wondering and dreaming about badger brushes and it was about time I took that plunge so the timing seemed right as well. I signed up with Colleen, went brush shopping and a few weeks later was entering a new world with Colleen’s test creams.
The batch I was sent was her fourth trial and the sample bags (teeny little zip locks) arrived labelled simply 4A, 4B and 4C. They were all from the same batch made from a traditional nineteenth century recipe and had no discernible scent to me. I’m not the best judge of that as you I’ll explain later. The difference between them was simply the consistency or viscosity. For ‘A’ there was no thickening agent, for ‘B’ there was and for ‘C’ there really was. I started with the ‘A’ and was extremely pleased with it. It lathered very well and to my great surprise, moisturised just as well as the Lush Ambrosia which I’d been using. This was a real surprise for me. I guess that old recipe proved useful. Back then things were done differently as many of us straight shavers are aware. Emphasis was put on quality and service and they must have strove to please. The ‘B’ and ‘C’ samples worked equally well in that regard but were increasingly harder to lather because they were thicker than the pure ‘A’. I told Colleen so and I guess others must have as well because she already knew that and was going to make the next batch. It was a good start, but it felt to me a bit amateur. Like someone trying to punch above their weight. Perhaps that was just because they were creams which were newer to her.
I had the … presence of mind (insight? obsession?) last summer to order a custom brush from Matt (shavethebadgeer) and he was good enough to include some of the samples of Colleen’s wares for my enjoyment. It’s a reciprocal thing in case you didn’t know. Matt made a brush for Colleen to help her with demonstrations at those trade shows she’s been forced to attend. It’s a beaut too as you can see. Just as nice as mine. What’s better than whipping up a lather with a brush that people will be bound to ask where you got it. Nice thinkin’ Matt. Anyhow, Matt’s custom brush came with a sample size of official TGQ Desert Ironwood soap as well as the Gentlemen’s Oak & Moss shaving cream, shaving soap and bath soap. What a trip. My gal loves the Oak & Moss scent as much as I do and is very happy that the bath soap sample is still in action for me months later. I gave away the shaving soaps as not moist enough for me no matter how good they smelled, and finished the cream in short order. It was every bit as moisturising as what I had remembered if somewhat resistant to lathering. It was almost as congealed as the 4C sample I received a few months earlier and it gave me some concern. “Was there some reason”, I thought to myself, “that Colleen is making shaving cream which demands effort to lather? And what was the deal with the Desert Ironwood? It was a decent scent after all, The truth is it just wasn’t quite to my taste. Some men like muskier scents (me), others like the fresher scents and still others like different scents, like the smoky Desert Ironwood. It makes me wonder if I’d like the Cavendish Black at all. All this gave me some reason to be concerned about the development of Colleen’s line of creams particularly and I told her so when I asked for another, a third round, to see how things were sitting.
In the mean time Ilija (FiReSTaRT) sent me a well used sample soap of Colleen’s Lime Margarita shave soap to try, once I’d finished with the samples from Matt. It was my own fault after all. I wanted to get involved in soap and cream trades to broaden my limited horizons and Ilija was the first to offer up. That Lime Margarita is a perfect example of a fresh scent that isn’t my kind of thing. For those that like the very fresh scents, you can’t go wrong with TGQ Lime Margarita. It lathers as well as any soap I’ve tried (few in total) and does the job to 100% specs like Colleen’s other soaps. I feel the same about the Crabtree & Evelyn Nomad cream I got for Christmas. I was curious because some guys ’round these parts quite dig it, but it’s another fresh scent that I can like, but not love. Shortly after that I received four cream samples from Chris (xChris) which were all new to me. The Musgo Real cream attracted me right away because of the the mild musky smell, but not quite as much as the Oak & Moss from Colleen. The Musgo Real was nicely thin and very easy to lather though and that’s a plus for it. The George F. Trumpers Coconut lathered like mad, but was quite coconutty and not as moisturising as I’ve come to expect from my shaving creams. I haven’t tried the Taylor’s Avocado or the Cyril R. Salter’s Almond yet and while they both look good, they also both smell a bit fresh and I’m a musk man. I wear Nigerian Green Musk essential oil as cologne because my lady goes CUH-RA-A-AY-ZEE for it and don’t want anything to conflict with that.
That could be why, when Colleen’s new samples arrived I was drawn to the new Leatherneck right away. This is one I can’t really explain reasonably. I put my nose to all the samples, the Oak & Moss, Lavender and Highlander creams, Leatherneck and Highlander soaps, even the Blackberry bath soap, but the subtle yet undeniably present warm muskiness of the Leatherneck caught me. I was really looking forward to shaving with the Oak & Moss again and this thing just wouldn’t let me. At first I thought it didn’t have any scent at all, but then it slowly came to me. Gentle, but firm, a hint of nutmeg maybe. I still can’t put my finger on it. It lathered great and I felt fantastic afterward. So good in fact I couldn’t resist trying the others out even though I had just shaved. The Highlander cream was first. Now Colleen had warned me about the grapefruit smell and I know she plans to change the cream to match up more with the soap which is more pine and a touch of rosemary, but this was not right. Pink is not a manly colour. The cream was also of a slightly thicker consistency than I would have liked and while I briefly wondered if it was a winter thing or perhaps the batch, I was shaking my head the whole time about that cream. Wrong, colour, wrong smell. I don’t like it” I was thinking to myself right up until I rinsed it off. There it was. The TGQ smooth moisturising sensation. Suddenly I didn’t care what it smelled like or looked like and I was falling in love with it. This prompted me to go straight for the next sampler, the Lavender. Now Lavender isn’t known for being a particularly manly scent and I would never choose it instinctively. “Oh lavender, great! That’s the one for me”. Never happen. But this was nice. Gentle and warm and I’d use it again in a flash if the Oak & Moss which I tried right away as well wasn’t as fantastic as I had remembered, beating it out as a lightly floral yet musky masculine smell. I’d found that cream I like best again. That was enough for the first day.
I was looking forward to trying the Highlander shaving soap and dispelling my fears about it based on having tried the cream, but that Leatherneck wouldn’t leave my thoughts and it was still sitting in my soap dish, so a few days later I used it again. This time the scent was actually noticeable to me and I really enjoyed it. It really did call to mind those leather clad fly boys from the middle of the last century. I was still curious as to what my wife would think so I asked her to have another sniff, this time of me after having shaved without telling her it was the same soap. She liked it the second time, and the third and fourth. Maybe it was just something her nose was unfamiliar with at first, or perhaps she was having an off day with the sniffer that first day, but I eventually fessed up to her and she seemed to find her reactions as intriguing as I did. Three weeks later this soap is still occupying my thoughts. It’s a great scent. Very manly, yet not overpowering and ‘Leatherneck’ is indeed the perfect name for it. I did manage to tear myself away to appreciate the fresh pine forest, airy quality of the Highlander soap which should suit those gents who like fresh scents. I don’t particularly, but this is one I could get used to.
A quick final word about the bath soaps. Like all her products, Colleen uses only natural ingredients in her bath soaps so they equal the quality of her shave soaps and creams. I’ve only tried two samples she has sent me and just to reiterate they are the Gentleman’s Oak & Moss and the Blackberry Sage and in every respect they must be considered some of the highest quality soaps available. I have only encountered one style of soap which surpasses the moisturising of any other soap and that would be the Buttercream line from Lush. Those soaps don’t lather, but clean very well and absolutely DON’T dry my skin at all the way all other soaps, even TGQ a little, seem to. To give Colleen her proper due, I can barely notice any drying sensation with her bath soaps and the scents on the two testers I have tried are unparalleled. Lush is known for their scents, but they still don’t hold a candle to Colleen’s aromas. I will say straight up that $8 a bar seems a bit dear to me, especially when my own wife likes to make soap occasionally and I don’t usually want a scented bath soap, but if you do, you couldn’t find any better than Colleen’s. The Blackberry Sage actually smells better than it sounds. Colleen really has an especially talented nose. Makes me think she might produce the best Sandalwood scent known to man which is in my opinion a scent which can and has gone wrong often enough. Maybe I should break down and try some of her after shaves as well. Hmm.
Following are my ratings out of 5 on the TGQ products I’ve tried.
Scent is self explanatory
For Lather I considered how easily a lather comes and its consistency.
Texture is primarily a consideration of viscosity, smoothness, slipperiness or moisturising effect which is important to the shave.
Price is a comparison to other products on the market and a consideration of actual value for your dollar.
Saving Soaps first
Scent 5 (still thinking of the Leatherneck)
Lather 5
Texture 5 (the smoothest finish of all the soaps I’ve tried so far)
Price 4.5
Shaving Creams next
Scent 5 (excluding the grapefruity Highlander because it’ll change)
Lather 4.5 (just ‘cuz I’d like it to lather a little easier than it does but it won’t stop me from buying some next month)
Texture 5 (I’d give it a 6 out of 5 if I could)
Price 4.5
Bath Soaps for good measure
Scent 5
Lather 5
Texture 4.5 (only because the Lush Buttercream soaps are less drying on my skin, but not by much)
Price 4
All in all if I were to evaluate Colleen’s products as they appear now I’d have to give them a big thumbs up. Her thread is the largest on SRP for a reason. Soon she’ll have her own website, but I hope she stays in touch. She’s done us all a great service by getting us in on the ground floor. I also know Colleen is a perfectionist and will continue to improve her line where she can and add great new soaps and creams for us to try in the future. Please keep it up Colleen. I’m lovin’ this stuff!
Posted by xman in Sink or Swim | No Comments »
12-15-2006
This Dying Art
The straight razor was something which drifted into and out of my scattered mind for quite some time, years actually, before I ever took up the blade. I’m sure I’ve mentioned at least once before that if I hadn’t found SRP I might still be struggling with the idea instead of struggling with honing my wedges as I am today. It was an interesting catalyst which one year later would find me here, and in some sense that has come full circle now.
Her name is Sheila and she used to have her own barber shop decked out with all the old style trimmings, near an upscale neighbourhood and I chanced to stumble in looking for a haircut on my way back from work one sunny afternoon, looking forward to getting right back out in the sun to take off the white walls left behind and hoping for a good result. My hair is very fine and if it’s not cut just so I’m unsatisfied. Too short on top and it sticks up or off to one side and won’t behave at all until it starts to grow in, and by the time the top is manageable the back looks unsightly and it’ poking into my ears. Too long and it’ll start hanging in my eyes or curling from under my hat too soon prompting an early revisit when I’m bound to get something too short again. Well with hardly a word about it Sheila seemed to know just what was needed and set about the task of grooming my head with all the professional confidence a good barber who has been practicing their craft for many years should have. Like many barbers and hairdressers also, she can talk. She told me about how she really liked styling men’s hair which is why she studied barbering instead of salon training and also happened to mention that she did shaves too. Real straight razor shaves. She must have sensed my interest because she pointed out that she didn’t own many razors because she didn’t have many shave customers so she would use a shavette unless I had my own razor which she could keep at the shop for me or I could take home if that was my preference. She also said she could try and help me procure one if I didn’t have one pointing out that if I already did, I’d likely already know how to use it and could perhaps give myself a better shave than she were able to, myself knowing my face and beard growth better than anyone. Also, with her newborn daughter sleeping in the back room of the shop guarded faithfully by two toy poodles, she told me that she knew how to take care of her razors, but she admitted to sending them out to a honing service, not having the time or inclination for it herself. I’ve wondered many times if that might be Lynn.
I never did take her up on a shave that summer, but my two visits to her heritage style shop not only delivered some of the most pleasing hairstyles I can ever remember sporting, but a brighter interest in the art of the straight razor shave. I left town to attend, as groomsman, a dear friend’s wedding (looking sharp, thank-you Sheila). As a result of meeting an old friend, then the Artistic Director of Nakai Theatre in the Yukon Territory. I was very shortly offered an immediate job to take the place of an actor who had to pull out of the production.
It was promised to be and delivered on being a life changing opportunity since I would get to tour the gorgeous territory at an exciting time of year, the autumn, when we would lose six minutes of sunlight each day, enjoy dazzling northern lights and watch the depth of an arctic winter rush upon us all in the course of about eight weeks. Ironically, the role would require that I not shave at all so I experienced a blessed lack thereof. Remember, this was over two years ago when I hadn’t even been shaved by a straight razor (discounting the back of my neck over twenty years earlier) let alone enjoyed completing the task myself so shaving was then the normal drudgery for me that it is for most men. So, outside one hair curling into my lip from the corner of my mouth which had to be plucked once early on, not so much as a clip occurred to my facial hair for almost two months.
I could go on and on about the beauty of the landscape and the wonderful, honest, generous, caring nature of the inhabitants of that remote land, but I might never stop glowing on those topics. Instead let me turn back to shaving, or the lack thereof.
Yukoners are well acquainted with their beards and their leg hairs. Every January 1st they begin growing them for the big beard growing contest at the Sourdough Rendezvous in February. New residents, experiencing their first winter have been pulled over by the RCMP and put in jail for hours for NOT growing their beards. My scruffy growth was no eyesore to them. They’d seen many more over the years.
And it’s comforting to be around such colourful characters without pretense. One feels that not only are they allowed to be themselves, but expected to be. Nobody has time for anyone putting on airs and you’re bound not to be liked by anyone that way. Be yourself and those that appreciate you for who you are will do so honestly.
. . . . . . . . . But I begin to glow.
Our last stop on the tour was the historic gold rush town of Dawson City after all the tourists had gone and the ice had begun to float down the Yukon River where I took, quite literally, the last ferry of the season. What could be better than to finally take the plunge and have a straight razor shave of several weeks of growth in a real old west mining town historically preserved and on the edge of being engulfed by the darkness of winter where they would barely see the sun at all just a few weeks away. Home of Bombay Peggy’s Brothel (now a B&B) and the Sourtoe Cocktail. I had planned it and was looking forward to it with great excitement. Imagine my despondency when I was told that the town barber had shut down for beard season. 72 hours later I was back in urban Canada looking like a dunce who didn’t know how to use a twin blade. That was the catalyst. Five months later I started researching straight razors and looking for my first which would end up being a Dubl Duck Special No. 1 (now waiting to be pimped).
I finally connected up with Sheila again recently. Seems the location of her business was not quite near enough to that upscale part of town and the responsibilities of being a new mother were making it difficult for her to hold that shop together. When I returned to the shop it had been sold to an Armenian Canadian and turned into a unisex hair salon. She did tip me off to where Sheila had gone though. Franks Barber shop has been a bit of a feature in town for decades and although Frank still owns the place, he’s retired and the shop is run by his daughter. It looks like Sheila is the second string there now. The last time I was there was the first of September and Sheila’s moving day. It would have been mine too if I hadn’t intentionally arranged it for a less frantic, non Labour Day weekend. Consequently I’d missed her and had gotten a bad haircut by someone filling in for her who didn’t understand my head. Yesterday I found her again. Got a great hair cut, but still no shave. The chairs in Franks cozy little shop are gloriously retro art deco beauties, but the wrong style, no tilt. Sheila confessed she doesn’t do shaves any more, but recommended someone who does. I may still get one, but if that day doesn’t come soon, I may never get to. I want to thank all the Gentlemen who are upholding this art form of shaving. It has meant a lot to me and I know it will continue to mean a lot to others. We see them all the time in the form of new members arriving in a steady flow to the forums. Some drop by, get what they need and move on and that’s ok. Others stay longer and take a more active roll so that those who have lesser needs can find those and move on as well and that’s still ok. Let’s keep up our good work in our little way. It’s only shaving, but it’s also ancient knowledge and a quickly dying art.
Happy Holidays everyone and here’s hoping you’ve all been good enough to earn some shaving gear in your stockings this year or however you might culturally find it.
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12-05-2006
Safety First
A few weks ago I posted in the forum that I had accidentally wacked myself in the knuckle with my W&B resulting in a nice little cut and quite a sting. It was really a stupid mistake where my stretching hand got ahead of the razor hand while I was changing positions slightly. Thanks to eveyone who offered advice about how to deal with it. It was such a shallow cut what with the bone being so close to the surface that I didn’t need to super glue it or even bandage it. I suppose it would have been a good idea to disinfect, but I had just showered and everything I was working with was clean so I just washed it, rinsed under cold water, applied a few minutes of direct pressure to keep the scab down and went off to work. It healed nicely by the way.
I foolishly gave myself another superficial cut at my sideburn the other day too. I have been in the habit of doing water only passes on odd days just to trim up the sides and this time I was groggy in the early morning and let my skin get too dry. Of course the Heljestrand caught the skin and gave me a nice red zebra stripe. This one didn’t hurt at all, but I could tell by the way the razor slipped that something had happened and sure enough a few seconds later the blood started to show. Same first aid routine as on the finger and it is coming along as well.
What is it that has changed in my approach to give me two clear cuts a week apart? Am I getting cocky? That wouldn’t be beyond me. Am I not paying attention? Since I was keenly aware of both incidents as they occured I doubt it’s that. I was even aware that my skin was drying before the Esketuna bit me. I suspect I’m just not fucussing, concentrating and being as careful as I should be. What I really suspect is that this is all becoming a very normal part of my routine and I’m forgetting to take the time to make sure all my ducks are in a row before I begin, everything is proceeding as it should throughout the shave and everything else looks good along the way as well. This can clearly be the source of many mishaps and I’d better reassess my priorities quickly or I could be in for more and worse occurences.
Many of us often talk about the the fact that while we have different reasons for starting this obsession, whether they’re ecologically resonant or even perhaps if we just like shiny, sharp things, one of the most cited reasons for continuing is the fantastic shaves we experience.. While getting great shaves could be argued as the very raison d’etre for taking up straight shaving, as a priority I choose again to do myself no harm and let the shaves land how they will.
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11-27-2006
Livin’ Large
Josh AKA member JLStorm was generous enough to let me borrow this 8/8 Friodur round point of his, fresh from Lynn’s hone to see if I could take to the larger blades and if I might like the stainless steel those Henckells are made of. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity and for Lynn’s hand in it’s arrival, but, and I want to just get this out of the way right at the start, it wasn’t sharp enough. Lynn has said that even he is human so I won’t make a big deal of it or talk at all about how the edge shaves since I don’t think it’s fair to do so. I will say that I cut myself every time I used it which is one reason why I feel it’s not up to snuff.
On to aesthetics. I only ever really go ga-ga over a nice grained hard wood for scales, but the blue cracked ice cannot be considered unattractive by any means. When I spoke to my wife about it she repeatedly referred to it as “the one with the pretty blue handle” and she’s got good taste. If it wasn’t for her dressing me, I’d look pretty drab all the time these days. Now if I could just get her to understand that one is not supposed to wield it by the scales … The round point is not only pleasing to look at, but also extremely comfortable on this, as with all razors, but I still lament the lack of point precision I get with a spike.
Let’s talk size shall we?
The first time I took this beast to my face it felt like I was shaving with two razors and I damn near was! Even though there isn’t twice the width, I’m sure that there’s at least twice as much steel on this inch wide monster as on a standard 5/8. It’s MASSIVE! It’s noticably larger than my 6/8 Wade & Butcher which was surprising to me since that W&B is almost 7/8. The only thing equally surprising was how I started to get used to that width by the third and fourth shave.
Although I don’t think this would be a razor for me, it does get me thinking fresh about size an grind and how I’d like to try some more. I’ve sent some razors to Jason including a 6/8 which is a size I haven’t used in a while. Variety is the spice of life after all. Thanks for the new flavour, Josh.
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11-03-2006
Perversions
The enigmatic nineteenth century American writer Edgar Allen Poe was an imaginative poet and a renowned short story writer. It has been pointed out by many that he popularised the short story for his generation. It has also been argued by many that he practically invented short horror fiction. As with a few other pre-modern writers, I spent some time exploring Poe’s work.
One of Poe’s stories entitled The Imp of the Perverse has been on my mind recently. In it the narrator talks about his love for his wife and how he wouldn’t want anything to happen to her. As a surety for her safety he spends time considering how she might be vulnerable. Indeed he does consider one way in which she might be attacked, even killed, but since noone but he is aware of her weakness, noone but he could succeed.
This is where the so called perversion takes hold of him. The thought that he could get away with her murder pries at his mind until he can no longer resist it. Even though he loves her completely and abhores the thought of her demise, he is compelled to carry through with his terrible imaginings … and it works. Noone suspects him. Noone suspects anything. Nor, he knows, will they. Unless, of course, he himself were careless enough to let it slip. Irony of ironies as the perversion grips him again until he runs uncontrollably into the street to scream out his confession.
I’m afriad I have a dose of Poe’s imp of the perverse in myself. I was unpacking all my bathroom boxes in my new apartment I discovered my old Track II razor and the last two cartridges. Initially I had only kept them around in case I needed them for travel, but haven’t needed to go there. Now these skeleton’s from my medicine cabinet are calling to me. “You don’t actually remember how simple and easy it was any more now do you?” they say and, “Stop being such a razor chauvanist! Disposables give a fine shave”.
I haven’t acted on any of these perverse notions, but I must confess that I don’t know how long I can keep my curiosity at bay. It seems I don’t quite remember how a disposable shave feels after more than a year of straight shaving. As a good skeptic I am also forced to question what I think it is which I believe about the quality of a straight razor shave. All those other men I see out there seem to have decent enough shaves on every day and I know they’re mostly using Mach III’s. It doesn’t matter that from time to time another member will give in to the very same temptation and report back to the forum what a terrible shave he just had. I seem obsessed to scratch the itch. Who knows, maybe I’ll hold out for long enogh to forget about it for a while and not digress for many months or maybe I’ll report back in the forums tomorrow about what an unpleasant shave I just had and wonder how other men can do it every day or even how I managed to. We’ll have to see. Anybody care to sart a pool?
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