Web Store!

I have, at long last, started to use a web store format. It's still a bit rough around the edges, but should be better and better as time goes by. Check it out at: http://www.freewebstore.org/Shaving-Smart

Lathering: A Few Pointers

Lathering

One of the most deceptively simple-sounding keys to a good shave is producing a good lather. With Gillette, Edge, Barbasol and friends wantonly promoting the idea that lather ought squirt out of a can in an unbroken ribbon of blue goop which then decompresses into dry white foam, many would not consider the care that can be put into the lather. With a few simple changes, though, even the shave from a cartridge razor can be dramatically improved.

1. Buy a decent brush.

This doesn't need to be incredibly expensive, good brushes can be had for as little as $10, and $30 can buy you a surprisingly nice brush.

2. Get a good soap or cream.

A lot of people skimp on this, thinking that a $20 tub of cream will only last as long as their $3 can-of-shite from Gillette. Wrong! A good puck of soap can last many, many months or-- as my friend Ron can tell you-- years!

3. Less is More

It doesn't take a lot of cream to make lots of good lather. Too much will foul your brush and make it hard to raise a decent lather-- try using a very small amount and working up, rather than down.

4. Use enough Soap

You want to make that puck last, I know, but really load your brush. Soaps are drier and harder than creams, so you have to work more to get the same material loaded into your brush.

5. Try Distilled Water

Hard water can mess up most soaps and creams. If you're having trouble with lather being the wrong consistency and drying out no matter how you change the soap/water ratio, try using distilled or deionized water.

6. Soak your Brush

Soaking your brush in hot water for even 2 minutes will dramatically improve the results of your lathering.

Tuckmar Best-Quality

This started as a project at the MO meet-- a demonstration on scale making-- but I didn't bring everything needed to finish it. I brought it back home, did it up all pretty, and now Will from SRP is getting his first razor back all dressed up pretty!

Walnut scales, hand-rubbed and oiled, with a blood-wood wedge.

Hope you enjoy it, Will!


NOTE: I must have taken that wedge-end shot from a goofy angle. It is symmetrical in real life...

Bargain Beauty I: Smiling 6/8 High Class

Intentions are funny things, aren't they? I always mean to write more in this blog than I do; I also mean to buy fewer razors than I wind up getting. I was going through the project pile this weekend and decided that my overstocking can be gain for everyone involved- some beautiful razors at bargain prices. Over the next few days I'll be cleaning up and posting a number of great razors at great prices- perfect for growing your collection, or for beginners looking to try straight shaving without spending too many dollars.

First up is a real gem, a smiling 6/8 hollow ground etched "High Class Razor Co." on the tang with no other identification marks. The biggest trouble is that the scales are warped a bit: The razor will not stand up on its scales, but the blade closes without any need for extra care. There is a little pitting on the spine above the pivot, and a couple tarnish spots that minimal polishing didn't remove. Time on a buffer and this razor would look like new, because it is: zero hone wear prior to my honing it to shave ready. The bevel on this thing is invisible, and aside from those spots where oil gunked up and tarnished the blade it is mirror-polished.

This razor is a sweet shaver, and I'm tempted to keep it- if you're interested you best let me know before I change my mind! This will be a great razor as is or- as I suspect will happen- would be just stunning in a new set of acrylic tuxedo scales. (I might happen to know someone who could help with that.)

This razor is yours; shave-ready, shave-tested, sterilized, stropped, oiled; shipped USPS 1st Class Insured anywhere in the CONUS for $55

$55 Shipped anywhere in the CONUS. International may incur extra shipping.

Interested? Email benjamin.kratchmer (at) gmail (.) com

7/8 Lawton Cutlery Company "Square Deal"

Lawton Cutlery Co

7/8 "Square Deal"

Restore & Rescale in Macassar Ebony

I have two apologies about this one- first, that I didn't get before pictures. As the owner could tell you, it was awfully dirty. He didn't think the etch would live, but with some gentle TLC it has come through splendidly. He requested that I use ebony, but rather than blackwood (Gaboon ebony) I used Macassar ebony, which has purple and brown streaks running through it. A razor this shape needs hefty scales, and I thought the subtle ripples of the wood helped to break up the vast expanse.

The scales are a design of his choosing- from several I drew up for him- and are really nice, in my opinion. They are no thicker than 3/16 of an inch, and taper dramatically toward the ends. The wedge is done in translucent smoky horn that is polished so much you can see the pins through it. All the hardware on this beauty is brass.

Apology no. 2: I had already sent my lightbox to a different location without photographing this razor. What you get is some kind of fuzzy, poorly-lit photos. I had to use the flash on the camera to get the grain to show.... if I get my lightbox back up here, I will see if I can get it back from him (he's a local chap) for some better photos. In the mean time, try to enjoy. :)

6/8 Hortense Razor Company

Hortense Razor Company

6/8 Restore and Rescale in Bloodwood

This one I did a few months ago for a fellow over at Straight Razor Place, as part of a way to say thank you to that community for getting me started (and sunk completely!) into this hobby. This razor was quite tarnished, and had been very aggressively buffed or sanded at some point, leaving the etched blade and tang almost unreadable. I managed to decipher them, though, but didn't (oops) take any before pictures. I need a secretary or something, to remind me...

Rescaled in bloodwood, imitating some scales the fellow I did it for showed me that he very much admired. Many hand-rubbed coats of tung oil, then 4 thick topcoats, stacked stainless-brass washers and brass pins. This blade was ground evenly, but at an angle- not perpendicular. You can see this in the second to last photo. This made it a real bugger to get centered in the scales, but with some tweaking and an extra thrust bearing it turned out just fine- and doesn't interfere with a honing or stropping motion.

The last picture shows the lustrous finish. It was hard to send this beauty back! Hope you enjoy it, Will!

Review: KD Creations Shave Cream

KD Creations Shave Cream

I recently chose to try a new lathering product from CarrieM of SRP in two of my favorite scents, Lime and a mixture of Myhrr, Cedar, and Patchouli called 'Dragon's Blood.' CarrieM has been making creams for 18 months now, and opened her creations to market 6 months ago. She's had a hard time keeping anything in stock, and I was lucky to pick these up from her- they were her last remaining tubs after filling her most recent list of orders.

The soap arrived well packaged, in sturdy airtight tubs. These tubs are no-nonsense, but not aesthetically displeasing. A professional touch was the list of ingredients on the bottom of each tub. For the price I paid and the youth of her business I was already impressed, having lower expectations for the fit and finish of a new-to-market home product.

Upon opening the tubs I was very pleased with the scents. Scent is, of course, subjective, but I was very pleased by the presence of each fragrance- each vibrant and crisp, but not overpowering. The cream itself is thick and coarse, like ricotta cheese. There are some larger lumps I can't quite identify of a white substance that sometimes do not lather completely, but overall the texture is quite even.
To lather I have used a dollop roughly the size of a hazelnut and spring water. This cream is very forgiving in terms of water use, yielding a workable lather anywhere from a few drops of water to more than a tablespoon. I have found that this lather is not especially voluminous or stiff, but even in thin layers it is exceptionally slick and provides cushion far beyond its deceptively thin appearance. The cream requires a bit of time to lather completely- it is very thick- but is well worth the effort.

Overall, I am very pleased with this cream, and plan to try more of CarrieM's scents. Each time I lather with the cream I am more pleased with how moist it leaves my skin, and the absolutely irritation-free shaves I am getting. (Coming from someone with perpetual ingrown hair problems, this is a BIG deal. )

PACKAGING: 8

TEXTURE: 7

LATHERABILITY: 7

CUSHION: 8.5

GLIDE: 10

MOISTURIZING: 9
PRICE: 10

These creams are very much worth trying, especially for their unbelievably low price ($12.50). For the last week I have found myself reaching for the tub of KD Creations more often than anything else- partly because of my desire to learn the ins and outs of a new cream, but also because of the tantalizing scent and super-slick lather.

For inquiries CarrieM can be reached through the contact options on her SRP profile, HERE, under the 'Contact Info' tab.

Happy shaving!