Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Orange Soap
Lather: Prairie Creations Walter Shaving Soap
Brush: Vie Long 14033 mixed badger/horse
Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic DE, with a Trig blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
There is a certain overlap between traditional wetshaving – using yesterdays razors today, because they give a superior shave – and steampunk.*
If you’re travelling the internet and have a taste for the steampunk aesthetic – and I quite enjoy the steampunk aesthetic – you can’t fail to spot a few really niiice razors here and there. Mostly straights, but then there is a limit to what you can do to a DE or SE… not enough surface area for a good etch, gluing some gears on simply isn’t good enough, and some of them look pretty steampunk already.**
Anyhow.. here is a few steampunk inspired straights I spotted around the web lately:
*) According to Wikipedia: Steampunk perhaps most recognisably features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era’s perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art.
**) My brass GEM 1912 springs to mind, not to mention the Rolls Razor with it’s built in honing device.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Eucalyptus Soap
Lather: C&E Sandalwood
Brush: Vie Long 13051M unbleached pure horse
Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic DE, with a Trig blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
A New-Safety Razor with a Lamp Attachment
AN Englishman, weary of bloodshed, has bethought him of a means of enlightening the gloomy and otherwise dangerous ritual of the shave. He has invented a miniature electric lamp provided with an adjustable clip and flexible cord which may be attached to the razor and light the path of the blade through the tough bristles of the human face.
With his lamp attachment one may plunge fearlessly into the blackest depths of a three days’ growth of beard and emerge from the ordeal unscathed. The lamp is attached to a conventional type of razor by a simple clip. It travels with the blade or with the motion of the hand. By looking in the mirror the man shaving himself can determine just what progress he is making and whether or not he is going to come through the operation with his two ears intact.
The lamp clip can be attached to any one of the many makes of safety razors. The inventor is now busy on another lamp attachment for the old type of razor.
Gloomy and dangerous my bum… well, maybe it was in August of 1916.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint Soap
Lather: RazoRock XXX
Brush: Semogue TSN 2012 LE mixed badger/boar
Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic DE, with a fresh Trig blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest 80 Below
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Orange Soap
Lather: Mike’s Natural Orange, Cedarwood & Black Pepper Shave Stick
Brush: Vie Long 13051M unbleached pure horse
Razor: Lord Racer with a Lord Cool Super Stainless
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and BodyShop Maca Root Face Protector
About seven weeks ago, the scuttle I ordered from Yoresh on Etsy arrived. Since then, I’ve used it for the majority of my shaves.
It performs well – the fact that I have used it for almost all my shaves is a testament to that.
The bowl is slightly shallow, but a deeper bowl would mean a much larger scuttle overall, so it’s a trade off that is worth it in my opinion. The patterning in the bottom helps building the lather, even more so if your brush is springy with lots of backbone.
It retains the heat well when I fill it with hot water, and even without water it stays warm to the touch for quite some time – the thich walls gives it quite some thermal mass. The downside of that is that it needs time to preheat as well… again, a trade off that is worth it.
Bottom line, if you’re in need for a scuttle, a Yoresh might be just the thing.
Pre-shave: GzD Shave Stick
Lather: GzD Shave Stick
Brush: Turkish No6
Razor: Lord Racer with a Lord Cool Super Stainless
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Thayers Original Witch Hazel
I’m having a broken tooth extracted today – long story, not all that relevant here, etc.
But the real, burning, important question I keep coming back to is this; Will the swelling go down so I can shave tomorrow? Because, as you all know, shaving is important.
Pre-shave: Arko Shave Stick
Lather: Arko Shave Stick
Brush: Semogue TSN 2012 LE mixed boar/badger
Razor: Lord Racer with a fresh Lord Cool Super Stainless
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Prototype Menthol
