Sunday SOTD Thread - October 6th, 2024 (#483)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    Sun Oct 06 2024

    • Brush: Zenith 506B MB (27 mm × 51 mm Manchurian badger)
    • Razor: Thiers Issard 14 Médaille d'Or 1921 Exposition d'Algier Acier Spécial (7/8", extra hollow, square point, carbon steel)
    • Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
    • Post Shave: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
    • Fragrance: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original

    Continuing my run through my 14s with this vintage TI. The razor hasn't been stored properly by a previous owner and has specks of surface rust as a result. The rust is purely a cosmetic issue though, and none of the edge is affected. Coincidentally, this TI 14 Médaille d'Or 1921 Exposition d'Algier actually came to me from a Moroccan seller.

    This one feels a bit different than most 14s I've tried in that it's much less loud. Even though visually, the grinds look similar, this TI certainly sounds like a thicker grind. It feels more like a 17 than a 14 IMO, but that's just saying that it feels like a different fantastic razor.

    Happy Sunday to you all!

    3
  • Saturday SOTD Thread - October 5th, 2024 (#482)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    My skin is very dry these days

    Mine too. Cerave face moisturising lotion helps me a lot.

    3
  • Saturday SOTD Thread - October 5th, 2024 (#482)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    I bought one in my quest to dezingify my den, and I'm curious about the difference.

    2
  • Saturday SOTD Thread - October 5th, 2024 (#482)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    I love the scent of Nocturne in the Zing version. It has me curious about the new BaM release, which supposedly smells like Will intented.

    3
  • Saturday SOTD Thread - October 5th, 2024 (#482)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    Sat Oct 05 2024

    • Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Tabak Oridjinal, now with 28 mm Gelousy knot
    • Razor: Zwilling J. A. Henckels 14 (8/8", extra hollow ground, carbon steel)
    • Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
    • Post Shave: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
    • Fragrance: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original

    Continuing my run through the 14s in my den, today with the Henckels, the predecessor of yesterday's Heckels Fiodur 14. The freshly refreshed edge is sublime.

    5
  • Thursday SOTD Thread - October 3rd, 2024 (#480)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    Oh wow. Every time I see how knife makers handle straights, I'm thinking I'm over-babying mine :)

    2
  • Friday SOTD Thread - October 4th, 2024 (#481)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    Fri Oct 04 2024

    • Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Tabak Oridjinal, now with 28 mm Gelousy knot
    • Razor: Zwilling J. A. Henckels Friodur 14 (8/8", extra hollow ground, stainless steel)
    • Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
    • Post Shave: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
    • Fragrance: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original

    My new Böker 14er is waiting on the to-hone pile, but I still wanted some 14 goodness today, so I brought out the trusty Friodur, hands-down my favourite razor. The 14 form factor and it's stainless? What's not to love?

    Unsurprisingly, I had a wonderful stankening with this tried and true hard and software.

    4
  • Thursday SOTD Thread - October 3rd, 2024 (#480)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    Let's hope the best for the future.

    This is the general tenor when commenting on the reunification and the current political situation. Who would have thought that in the early nineties? 😞

    3
  • Thursday SOTD Thread - October 3rd, 2024 (#480)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    That's what I do with eBay razors, too. But I like to try factory edges. So far I'm at Koaraat ++, Ralf Aust++, Friodur++, Thiers Issard--, Böker--.

    2
  • shavette razor - some thoughts
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    I see 🙂

    I have a similar one. The awkwardness will go away

    2
  • Thursday SOTD Thread - October 3rd, 2024 (#480)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    The Thu Oct 03 2024

    • Brush: Mühle Boar Brush ☭ 🇩🇪
    • Razor: Böker – 14er (8/8", extra hollow, carbon steel, square point) 💱 🇩🇪
    • Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original 💱 🇩🇪
    • Post Shave: Pitralon – Classic 💱 🇩🇪
    • Fragrance: Sir – Irisch Moos 💱🇩🇪

    So this slightly ridiculous, but pretty 14er arrived yesterday, and I'm quite impressed with the overall build quality. There's a little write-up of what I found noteworthy with some detail pictures here.

    I decided to try the factory edge, so I didn't expect the smoothest of shaves, and sure enough, this edge sucks 😅. It's easy to understand why Brad Maggard hones all his Bökers before they go out to the customers. So on the to-hone pile it goes.

    I appreciate the great jimping on the shank. This razor really feels natural in the hand. I do need to be careful, though, because this razor has the overall geometry of a 14, which I'm very familiar with, but with a wicked sharp point, unlike all my other 14s. I managed to get a decent shave and didn't poke any holes, and I'm looking forward to enjoying this razor after it's been properly honed.

    For today's theme, there's an imbalance between eastern and western German products, and this is kind of a parallel to how the German reunification went. The west dominates united Germany and the east struggles catching up and is economically disadvantaged. With the political implications we've just seen in the latest state elections.

    5
  • shavette razor - some thoughts
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    There's a saying that it takes 100 open blade shaves to become proficient at it, so don't expect the awkwardness to go away immediately.

    May I ask what kind of shavette you got? Of it's one that takes DE blades (full or half), those are asking the more difficult open blade razors to learn to handle.

    3
  • Mailcall
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    Form and function ‘A’, glamour ‘C’.

    That sums up my first impression succinctly 🙂

    I'm hoping tomorrow's test shave confirms the first part.

    5
  • I think project Moarteen has made me impatient and when I found a new Böker 14er at a shockingly high discount, I cracked and ordered this beauty. I've been playing with the idea of buying one for close to two years, but at its regular price of €350+ it's quite the indulgence for me, especially since I prefer utilitarian design over lavish decorations. Function over form. Further, it's this in-between level of lavish. Yes, it's goldwashed, but a bit sloppily, yes, it has a decorated face and spine, but it's cheap laser engraving. It's the Trump brand kind of luxury. Shiny on the outside, but only at first glance. ***However***: every Böker I've ever tried was just fantastic quality work where it counts: perfect geometry with no wobble and perfectly even bevels, best-in-class jimping (which sounds a bit funny to me every time I mention it, but it makes the shanks just so damn ergonomic, clear straight lines in the entire geometry, without imperfections ground and filed away and polished over like Henckels, Filarmónicas, W&B, etc, (not that this last bit matters for shave quality, but I appreciate attention to such details, and it gives me confidence that the manufacturer has the right priorities). Anyway, enough rationalisation of my impulse buy. I cracked and this pretty goldwashed modern 14 is the result: ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/5b4f1751-ca98-4d47-b57f-d50908d43141.webp) I hadn't seen on the pictures that the scales are actually dark blurple, rather than black and I like it a lot. Note that the goldwash is uneven around the shank and even missing on a spot under the "14". The shiny decorated face and the little tree inlay in the scales look even better in person, but I didn't have the patience to fiddle with the photo setup to capture them right. ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/ca705b7b-9700-466b-bf5d-a2324325b2a9.webp) The shank shows what I mean when I say that Böker has the best geometric tolerances among all mass-producing straight razor manufacturers I know: The spine and tail are rounded for comfort, but the curvature flows into the perfectly rectangular cross section of the shank that makes Brad Maggard get all dreamy saying ["there's just this nice, big, flat spot for you to put your thumb and fingers on"](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0PXA0yekO8MWwDGm3pR2Xs). The transition is perfectly symmetric viewed from the top (should have taken that picture too, but oh well). You can already kinda see it in this picture, but the jimping is perfectly regular on both the top and bottom of the shank. Here's a better view on it: ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/77a157e5-ccb8-42d4-a05c-2f72092a073c.webp) See it? Isn't that just the nicest grip you've ever seen on a mass-produced razor? BTW, It's the same quality on my vintage [Böker S.S. Paris wins which I described in some details during last year's TabOKtoberfest](https://sub.wetshaving.social/post/247672/668479), the [pretty Abalone](https://wetshaving.social/@djundjila/113231420913440146), and on VisceralWatch's Böker that I [test-shaved recently](https://sub.wetshaving.social/post/1337545/2092139). The QA in this company seems consistently good where it counts (i.e., not the goldwash 😅). The spine is also prettily decorated similarly to a 472/472½ Friodur. Nice if you're into that kinda thing. ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/52770b26-c641-4b54-a48c-669ce5ab7a8e.webp) Finally, it wouldn't be a fancy Böker without the deadly point 💀 ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/955cea3e-5a20-47ad-93da-7270907c86b6.webp) I'm looking forward to giving this new 14 a wirl. I'm also curious about the factory edge on this.

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    Wednesday SOTD Thread - October 2nd, 2024 (#479)
  • djundjila djundjila Now 100%

    Wed Oct 02 2024 – Victorian Stank

    • Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Tabak Oridjinal, now with 28 mm Gelousy knot
    • Razor: Victoria 4 (6/8″, half hollow, round tip, carbon steel)
    • Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
    • Post Shave: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
    • Fragrance: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original

    En rechtige Giel het n Hegel em Sack.

    Growing up in Switzerland, Victorinox Swiss army knives had a special significance, and ever since I was a cub scout over 30 years ago, I've been carrying one in my pocket. A habit so deeply ingrained that I've had to "donate" a dozen or so at airport security checks because I forgot to check them in.

    Victoria was briefly (from 1909 on) the old name of Victorinox. In 1921, the company specialized in stainless steel so completely that they changed the company name to Victorinox (= Victoria + acier inoxydable), way before Friodur patented the cryogenic hardening process for knife steel, btw. This means that this pristine Victoria half-hollow with the pretty horn scales must have had very meticulous owner in the last 100+ years, because there is not a speck of rust on it. It looks like it was manufactured yesterday. The only give-away is the half-hollow grind without belly which completely fell out of favour sometime in the first half of the last century. I've only ever seen two Victoria straight razors for sale and the other one wasn't anywhere near this well preserved.

    A wonderful shaver, this, and it feels similar to my Heljestrand (unsurprisingly also a half-hollow). It has the weight of a hollow with the sound of a wedge, which sounds like exactly the wrong combination (i.e., the opposite of a big 14) but it's just butter smooth unlike the tiny wedges like the Spike, which feel like a hard pencil on rough paper. And maybe I have a bit of a bias for sentimental reasons, too.

    4
  • [This is not a drill](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/2693ad6a-e47e-4048-85cb-843bd254a43e.webp)! Operation Moarteen proceeds and the next step is you signing up. ## What happens next? ### 1) Sign-up You fill out [***this form***](https://forms.gle/QpsdhWtXfvMu5zBF6) with your name, address, reddit user name, email address (You need to specify the email address linked to your paypal account, so we can link you to your payment.) #### Why do we need all that information? We use your reddit user name do determine your priority in case we need to set up a wait list (more on this later). We use your email address linked to your paypal so we can request payment from you. We communicate your shipping address to Ulrik together with your email address, so he can ship your Moarteen and send you tracking info. ### 2) Prioritisation In the unlikely event that we hit the limit of 50 razors we will prioritise members based on how active they've been in this last inter-sub-exclusive interval. (Measured by (a) the number of sub-exclusive hardware group buys they've organised and (b) the number of comments posted between the announcement of Moar Boar on Fri Aug 5, 2022, 10:51:31 UTC and the announcement of Moarteen on Fri Sep 20, 2024, 06:26:15 UTC). This seemed fairer than a first-come-first-served list which would favour some time zones over others. Note that this prioritisation scheme automatically allocates the highest priority to the three members of the Project Moarteen Organising Committee (PMOC/OCPM), I hope that isn't surprising to anyone) People who don't make in into the top 50 get put on a wait list for any spots that might open up. ### 3) Confirmation with Ulrik Once we have a number, we make the final confirmation with Ulrik of Koraat and get a formal offer where we and he commit to the price. At this point, we will also know whether Ulrik managed to source the exact colour of the Moar Boar handle for the scales. ### 4) Down payment Once you've made it on the list and Ulrik has confirmed, we will ask you for a down payment of EUR 25. The goal here is to avoid flakes like we had with Operation Moar Boar my forcing you to have some skin in the game when taking up a spot. ### 5) Production Ulrik produces the razors. The estimated timeline is by end of the first quarter of 2025, but Ulrik said that it could be longer if we order closer to the end of this year. ### 6) Final invoice Once Ulrik is done with the razors, he will invoice us. At this point, we will request payment from all of you for the remaining cost of the razor, shipping and the 5% flake buffer mentioned [in the announcement](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wetshaving/comments/1fl5kss/sub_exclusive_operation_moarteen_because_moar/). ### 7) Shipping and ensuing happiness Ulrik ships the razors and wetshavedom rejoices. --- Please put your questions, suggestions, and complaints in the comments here and we'll address them. If any changes to the procedure outlined here should become necessary, we will try to stick to their intent and meaning as well as we can and communicate proactively.

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    19

    Alright, it's been a minute since the [last sub-exclusive hardware announcement](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wetshaving/comments/wgeqfh/sub_exclusive_rwetshaving_a_solution_to_your_soap/), and it's time for a new project. We all have our sub-exclusive Moar Boars, and they're clamouring for a matching sub-exclusive razor. But it can't be just any razor. In sub-exclusive hardware tradition, it has to be the very best razor of its class at an affordable price. *Project Moarteen Organising Committee (PMOC/OCPM), what is this about?* I'm glad you asked! One of the best straight razor formats in the world is the 14. You know it, I know it, deep down even Pudding and Infernal with their paddles know it. There are lots of great razors, but the 14 stands out as universally loved: the big size makes it run calm like a near wedge, the extra hollow grind makes it flexible and gentle as a feather, the square point with the slightly rounded point makes it forgiving. It's the best of all worlds for beginners and aficionados alike. *Yes, PMOC, but 14s are super expensive, aren't they?* You're right, good modern 14s like the Böker 14er, Koraat 14-2.0 or River Razors 14 are *pricey*. *But could I not just buy a vintage 14? I hear those are great!* Yes, you could! But mint or NOS vintage 14s like the Filarmónica, the Henckels, the Iberia, the Frio, etc, cost a lot too, plus probably need to be honed. *That's terrible! How will we get 14 goodness to the masses?* I have an idea: 1) The [Koraat Sparschweinchen](http://www.koraat-knives.at/sparschweinchen-messer.html) is an excellent and very affordable straight razor with a roughly similar shape as the 14. It has a thicker grind and a round (yet surprisingly pointy) point, so it doesn't feel like a 14 at all. But 2) Ulrik, one of the artisans behind Koraat, also makes the [Koraat 14-2.0](http://www.koraat-knives.at/14-2.0.html), a highly acclaimed 14 razor. 🤔 1) + 2) = 💡 We could ask Ulrik of Koraat to make us a 14 razor with the finish of a Sparschweinchen! *PMOC?* Yes? *You already asked Ulrik, didn't you?* Yes, we did! And he's all in! Ulrik agrees to make a sub-exclusive Moarteen version of the 14-2.0 with the following modifications: * Instead of the 14-2.0 stamp, these will be stamped with [lathersnoo](https://i.imgur.com/wrSFNNQ.png), a simplified version of the Moar Boar logo to mark them as our sub-exclusive. * The contours (spine, tang, tail), will have the raw forged finish like the Sparschweinchen. * The scales will have a simpler, turned spacer to simplify assembly. * The scales colour will be RAL 6035, i.e., the exact colour of the Moar Boar handle (*in J33p's voice:* matchy matchy 💅). *PMOC, that sounds like all of the points that make the 14 a great format are still there‽* Why yes! It's a real 14 razor. It's 15/16" wide, has a full hollow grind, thin belly, and square point with slightly rounded corner. *Oh, but how much will it cost?* This is the great part! In this configuration, Ulrik is willing to make them at the Sparschweinchen price, EUR 165 a piece, as long as we order no more than 50 razors. *That's a great price! How about shipping?* All shipping is handled by Ulrik, and he only sends tracked and insured parcels. Prices are in three tiers: 1. EU: EUR 18, but EU group members will also have to pay 20% Austrian VAT. 2. Near EU (E.g., Switzerland, UK, Norway): EUR 17, no VAT. 3. Worldwide (excluding China and North Korea): EUR 25 - 30 *That sounds fair, what's the timeline on this?* If we commit to an order in early October, Ulrik estimates that we'll have them in hand in Q1 2025. *How would we order this? Who would we pay?* It is a group buy, and we will reuse the Moar Boar infrastructure. If you commit to ordering a Moarteen, you will be asked to pay your part by Paypal to rwetshavingsubexclusives@gmail.com like last time. Our treasurer gcgallant will hound the stragglers. ***Important***: From experience with the Moar Boar, we should expect that there will be some people who change their mind and ghost us after having committed. Some of the organisers ended up a couple hundred EUR short (Ok, it was me). We would like to spread that risk among all of us this time by raising the price of each individual razor by 5% (or EUR 8.25). If no one flakes, we simply leave the extra cash in the paypal account for the next sub exclusive project, and if too many flake and the 5% turn out to be insufficient, gcgallant and I will carry that financial risk. *Ok, where do we go from here?* We will publish a sign-up post soon™, but we wanted to make this pre-announcement to get some feedback in case we overlooked a major detail and to answer questions you might have.

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    4

    I had my mail held back during our vacation and I went to fetch it all this morning. My tub of [No Scrub](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wetshaving/comments/1cj39ld/announcing_the_no_scrub_award_for_non_scruba/) made it me 🎉. I also got a pristine NOS Friodur 17 that I'm excited about, and finally a regular sized Tabac EdC and a comically large Tabac splash. If only it wasn't Austere August 😅 I see some honing and second luxury shaves in my near future.

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    3
    podcasters.spotify.com

    [Episode link](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lgpodcast7/episodes/Lather-Games-2024-Podcast-week-4--5-recap--and-other-details-e2m6hfn) The last 9 days ~~up nort'~~ *of the 10th annual Lather Games* have come and passed and you must be eagerly awaiting your dose of of gossip, shenanigans, rankings, champions taking victory laps, and inside baseball. Come join Chief Podcast Djustice OnionMiasma as he guides the honourable Lather Games and side contest djudges through this retrospective and celebration.

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    1

    So, there is some contradictory information about Friodur razors floating around the interwebs. For instance, according to the [text of German Wikipedia](https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwilling_J._A._Henckels) (English Wikipedia, the ice-hardening process for hardening stainless steel was invented in 1939 and patented in 1951, but according to the time table in the same article, it was patented in 1939 but the name Friodur was only introduced with the first ice-hardened blades in 1951. But then I saw a mysterious 7/8 Friodur 50 on eBay with a patent stamp D. R. PAT 41-DL4678. ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/f5fc879d-f37e-48c1-a665-4d0b2f4dad6d.webp) Now I can't find that patent document, but it seems to be a patent stamp from the patent office of the German Reich (presumably of the third kind given that the Friodur name appeared in at the earliest 1939 and the Reich Patent Office was dissolved after the allied victory). So it seems that this is a 1941 Friodur model. It's also the only Friodur I've ever seen to have etchings on both sides of the blade. Here's the usually blank back side with a big sweeping Friodur logo: ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/84f13ade-f28f-4dea-bc8e-5e161ea72ffa.webp) It seems like the early Friodurs made a really big deal of being Friodurs. Must have been expensive razors. The front side has the typical shank markings of earlier carbon steel Henckels straights (Later Friodurs have the swirly Friodur logo in addition to the Zwilling (twin) logo): ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/109c24d5-5719-46fc-8203-7264f61445e2.webp) But the really interesting part is the decoration etched into the front face of the blade. First, there's what looks like the double-headed eagle of the [Scottish rite of Freemasonry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-headed_eagle). ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/5d4c87bb-bd9a-4088-85a8-05466e3ce9f8.webp) A big [Eye of Providence](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eye_of_Providence&diffonly=true): ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/1aac0a73-131a-4508-a6de-b3591f5d80f6.webp) A Freemason's Star (apparently not really a star of David, but a geometric regularization of the square-and-compass symbol of the Freemasons ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/600de939-f09f-4154-b63e-22754206e2c3.webp) And finally this image I couldn't find information on that doesn't make me want to put on a tinfoil hat. Supposedly a scythe and a winged hourglass symbolising time as the destroyer of humankind's institutions. I will not link to my fishy sources. ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/ff24a663-9cd1-44d9-8220-776a4b385576.webp) Here's the whole thing! I'm not sure yet whether I think it's pretty, but it's sure interesting! ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/b3d06fb0-c111-49b5-b8c9-6a5717a8faf7.webp) I'm going to hone this puppy to get it ready for Austere August, [$FriodomRiders](https://sub.wetshaving.social/post/1074458), and [$Honemeisterschaft](https://sub.wetshaving.social/post/1074456)

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    abbateylamantia.it

    Has anyone tried this new AYLM scent? I'm curious to hear opinions

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    6

    Are you a straight shaver? Do you hate rust? Do you like great razors? This is for **you**! This is about leveraging the only meaningful innovation in straight razor manufacture in the last 75 years for a relaxed Austere August without worrying about your precious razor rusting while you enjoy your summer. **This is about Friodom!** (from rust) #### TL/DR: 1. Get yourself a Friodur, Inox, Eisgehärtet, Edelstahl (or any differently named stainless steel) straight razor. 2. Participate in AA with it. 3. Profit! #### What do I need? A stainless steel razor (If you don't have one and are tempted by this challenge, I strongly suggest getting a Friodur 5/8 or larger, they are all very good, and typically in can be found in great condition on eBay). #### Can I combine $FriodomRiders with other challenges? Yes! $FriodomRiders is compatible with $headless, $RawHoggin, $Honemeisterschaft and all the software challenges. #### How do I participate? Include the character string "$FriodomRiders" in your SOTD posts. (Yes, that's a Dollar sign $, not a hashtag #. If I never have to talk about hashtags in SOTD posts again, it's still too soon 😅) #### What do I get? The honour of displaying the 🗽FriodomRider🏇 flair. #### Backstory The heyday of straight razors is the late 19th century, and a 130 year old full hollow ground Böker looks exactly like one made this year. Even modern razors who try new design languages are typically made exactly like a century ago: A blank of carbon steel is forged, tempered, ground, and scaled. After an initial learning curve, a good straight razor delivers fantastic shaves for a lifetime if properly cared for, and here lies the rub. Most straight razors rust. You need to keep them dry and oiled between uses, or they will turn into expensive red powder. We're not really used to things rusting any more in our lives. Our cutlery, pots, pans, and most kitchen knives are made from stainless steel, so why aren't razors? The first stainless steel knives appeared in 1914, and they weren't a success, but known as "the knife that would not cut". The ice-hardening process for quality blades in stainless steel was only invented in 1939 and patented by Zwilling in 1951 under the name Friodur (pseudo latin for cold-hard). This means that good stainless steel came about only after the straight razors fell out of fashion. Zwilling (Friodur), Weltmeister (eisgehärtet), Thiers Issard and Dovo (Inox), Ralf Aust (Edelstahl) all produced or still produce stainless steel razors. I'm convinced that good stainless steal razors are on par with good carbon steel razors, and they have an undeservedly bad reputation. Join me in shining light on the best straight razors ever made.

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    Are you a honemeister? A casual honer? A honeapprentice? Interested in learning to hone? This is for **you**! This is not your typical tough guy AA challenge. No Ultra Nightmare Mode, no tuggy blades, just **31 good shaves**. Straight razor maintenance is a very accessible and satisfying skill to learn, but it can feel daunting at the beginning. The goal is to create small welcoming AA community for those curious about getting into straight razor maintenance, perfecting their technique, or talking shop with fellow straight razor maintainers. This challenge is about straight razor appreciation and lowering the entry hurdle to straight razor maintenance. #### TL/DR: 1. You start with a shave-ready straight razor of your choice 2. you use it daily with the same soap and brush to keep the number of variables to a minimum 3. If you're new to honing, you read up on honing straight razors (I also recommend watching [these](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FymZYX6aPiY&pp=ygUMZ3JlZyBnYWxsYW50) [videos](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R0W2MVo6fio) by [@gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social](https://sub.wetshaving.social/u/gcgallant)), and ask questions about honing. If you have experience in honing straight razors, you answer questions of the newbies. Feel free to share videos, meet for voice calls on discord or matrix. Get a conversation going. 4. On the weekend of August 17/18, we all refresh the edge on our straights, to experience, discuss, and share the effect of a refreshed edge. 5. Profit! #### What do I need? A shave ready straight, a finishing stone, a strop, a brush, a soap, styrofoam packing peanuts. If you need a finishing stone, Naniwa 10k or Naniwa 12k water stones are widely recognised a as good value. You can get one [here](https://maggardrazors.com/collections/naniwa/products/naniwa-s1-490-super-stone-water-stone-10000-grit) for instance. #### Can I combine $Honemeisterschaft with other challenges? Mostly yes. $Honemeisterschaft is compatible with $FriodomRiders, $RawHoggin, and all the software challenges, but it is incompatible with the no-honing rule of $headless. #### What if my edge is bad? Do I have to wait for the 17th? No, this is about having a good experience with your favourite straight. If the shave-ready edge turned out to be less than, or you have a stropping mishap, or you have the world's toughest beard and softest razor, whatever, refresh your edge, that's what the hone is for. It is recommended to start with a good edge and wait for the 17th, so as to make the effect of the refresh noticeable. If you keep refreshing your edge, the effect of maintenance is hidden. #### How do I participate? Include the character string "$Honemeisterschaft" in your SOTD posts. (Yes, that's a Dollar sign $, not a hashtag #. If I never have to talk about hashtags in SOTD posts again, it's still too soon 😅) #### What do I get? The honour of displaying the 🗡Honemeister🔨 flair.

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    podcasters.spotify.com

    [Episode link](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lgpodcast7/episodes/Lather-Games-2024-Podcast-Week-3-recap-e2l9ipe) The third week of the 10th annual Lather Games has come and passed and you must be eagerly awaiting your dose of of gossip, shenanigans, ditch shittings, miscarriages of djustice, and inside baseball. You're probably also looking to glean intel about your fierce competitors. Come join Chief Podcast Djustice OnionMiasma as he guides hon. Merikus and djundjila through this retrospective and definitely doesn't forget to edit some parts out. Also, tell us when you're doing the challenge, please and thank you.

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    This Moar Boar of a sub member was loosing a lot of bristles. They were done with it and let me have it. I was surprised how hard it is to cut off all the bristles of a boar knot! ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/4ac58f06-a7d9-4f93-8080-73e8e6829aaa.jpeg) It was so hard that I was convinced I was cutting into the glue bump and had finally figured out its shape: ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/aaa2e534-4289-4627-aab1-b30cc0546e28.jpeg) But the actual glue came a few mm deeper. ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/5672b066-61de-401a-885c-f45f706a79d9.jpeg) I was worried at first that the tiny hand mill wouldn't be up to the task and that I'd need to find a 32 mm Forstner bit and figure out a way to grip the handle strong enough to withstand the torque of the Forstner bit on a drill press without ruining it, but as it turns out, it was quite easy and quick to get the hole deep enough: ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/27ed7636-3260-45d1-a414-4d348be694c8.jpeg) I've set the handle with a 30 mm Maggard Silvertip knot, and I'm looking forward to trying the most exclusive of all subbrooshes, the Moar Badger soon. ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/12c3cf06-6ed2-4e0a-a594-619cb47a8916.jpeg)

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    podcasters.spotify.com

    The second week of the 10th annual Lather Games has come and passed and you must be eagerly awaiting your dose of of gossip, shenanigans, Osma poisonings, and inside baseball. You're probably also looking to glean intel about your fierce competitors. Come join Chief Podcast Djustice OnionMiasma as he guides hon. VisceralWatch, J33pGuy13, and RedMosquitoMM through this retrospective and definitely doesn't forget to edit some parts out. Also, get your spelling right, please and thank you.

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    podcasters.spotify.com

    The first week of the 10th annual Lather Games has come and passed and you must be eagerly awaiting your dose of of gossip, shenanigans, Osma poisonings, and inside baseball. You're probably also looking to glean intel about your fierce competitors. Come join Chief Podcast Djustice OnionMiasma as he guides hon. VisceralWatch, J33pGuy13, RedMosquitoMM, Wallygator88, and djundjila through this retrospective. Also, get your formatting right, please and thank you.

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    Share your shave of the day!

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    Like [@DaveWave94@sub.wetshaving.social](https://sub.wetshaving.social/u/DaveWave94) the [other day](https://sub.wetshaving.social/post/938786), I also have taken advantage of Yourshaving's anniversary sale and got myself three new brushies to break in: ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/5a459d50-4009-4470-840f-99779c77296d.jpeg) I've been meaning to try a Semogue Owner's club for a while now, mainly because of [@Old_Hiker@sub.wetshaving.social](https://sub.wetshaving.social/u/Old_Hiker) singing its praises and this is going to be perfect for this year's AA Raw Hoggin'. The pretty Butterscotch brush is a Zenith 506B Manchurian. It's my first Zenith badger, and my first silver tip badger. I'm curious to break this one in, but will probably wait for after LG. Finally, the black one is a Zenith 506N XS (you can see, I like the 506 form factor), an extra soft horse hair brush, which was recommended by [@PorkButtsNTaters666@sub.wetshaving.social](https://sub.wetshaving.social/u/PorkButtsNTaters666) among others. This one will wait for LG.

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    A combined shipment from Stirling and Barrister and Mann arrived today. From Stirling, I finally got my replacement Varen tub (and added the frag) and got a tub of Mountain man to replace my soon-to-be-killed sample of it. Braeburn was pointed out to me as a possible alternative to SBS Teacher's Pet (now sadly UnObTaInIuM) and it was a great tip. Dickens is a replacement from balm that has... not aged well, and Beaudelaire was on discount and I certainly can't resist trying a Fougère with Mousse de Saxe. Especially not if this is how Will describes it: > [*Beaudelaire: A proprietary fougère that incorporates my recreation of Mousse de Saxe. [...] I describe it as the perfume Oscar Wilde would have worn. Rich, creamy, bright at the top, leathery and dirty at the bottom.*](https://reddit.com/r/Wet_Shavers/comments/2ge0d8/ladies_and_gentlemen_i_present_to_you_barrister/ckk6vag/?context=7) ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/035315ff-bba2-48ec-bc5d-756327828242.jpeg) edit: I just only now realised that Beaudelaire the frag isn't spelled like the Baudelaire the author.

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    I cleaned, polished, and honed these three vintage razors a while ago, but didn't get to posting a mail call. The main act here is definitely the big Henckels 14: ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/77a480cd-6eab-4b81-8c04-f3f9f3b47a8e.jpeg) It is in great condition, just a bit of surface corrosion at the toe where the hollow grind touches the scales. I'm always amazed by how quickly these extra hollow 14 razors hone up. It really barely takes any work to get a great edge. This is my third 14 razor, the other two being a Filarmónica 14 and a Henckels Friodur 14 (the stainless successor of this new acquisition). Two shaves with this were wonderful. The little Puma 88 is a fairly standard ⅝" round tip German hollow ground, but it seems extremely well-made. The absolutely even stamp on the shank, the completely regular jimps, and the pretty scales with brass inlay and the stamp around the pivot pin all scream quality without opulence. I get the hard-to-describe feeling from this razor that I also get from a well made hammer or screw driver. Great shaver. ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/1b658161-57dd-40da-9f26-99d2728cfcb1.jpeg) Finally, this poor Frio 72½ took some serious abuse from its previous owner. If you look closely, you can see that the bevel looks wavy around the middle of the blade. ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/582b5a74-5451-4436-94a5-b7ca3447d45a.jpeg) Here's a close-up. ![](https://sub.wetshaving.social/pictrs/image/70404026-cbff-47c1-a022-ffd07264426a.jpeg) The reason is that the edge has been bent out of true in three places. When I bought the razor, the images for the offer were taken in a way that didn't show this issue. I almost tossed the razor after it arrived, but then I decided to give it a try and it turns out it has no impact on shave quality. I'm still not sure whether to keep this razor of PIF it maybe.

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    djundjila Now
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    djundjila

    sub.wetshaving.social