Shaving notes of the MaineYooper

I think it was Eric that got me using a Synbad brush, I still like 'em.

While exchanging a few PMs with HighSpeed, Mike mentioned using his Enders Speed Shaver. Being easily influenced , I of course used mine!



A very nice shave with probably my favorite brush/knot, the 26mm SynBad in the Nacar Oscuro handle by Trotter Handcrafts. Hope you all have a good weekend!

I love the Synbad knots too, Eric. I have four brushes with them now, including my Trotter Oscuro (twins!). Unfortunately, I think I got a 28mm knot by accident for this brush. The result is that it doesn't splay well at all - too tight of a fit. Not nearly as smooth as the Synbad should be. Nonetheless, they're still among my favorites.

Just be careful with ordering from APSCs.

I have the same problem with my 28mm SynBad! I was just mentioning that today to another guy, that maybe I need to reset it higher.

Hmm. Mine is a 26 (supposedly). It barely fits in the Trotter handle... I can't possibly set it higher. I'm pretty sure Paul drills his 26 holes to 27. In addition, I'm pretty sure most 26 knots are actually between 25 and 25.5mm. So, I can't see how I got the correct size. If yours in the pic is drilled for a 28 by Paul, you're in the same Boat: should be ~27 going into a 29.

Maybe QC at APShaveCo is going downhill? I hope not. I love his knots.

I think it was Eric that got me using a Synbad brush, I still like 'em.

Roger that! And it was the 26mm in the faux marble handle that was my favorite for years, until I went nuts buying Trotter handles and trying a gazillion different knots!!

I love the Synbad knots too, Eric. I have four brushes with them now, including my Trotter Oscuro (twins!). Unfortunately, I think I got a 28mm knot by accident for this brush. The result is that it doesn't splay well at all - too tight of a fit. Not nearly as smooth as the Synbad should be. Nonetheless, they're still among my favorites.

Just be careful with ordering from APSCs.

I have the same problem with my 28mm SynBad! I was just mentioning that today to another guy, that maybe I need to reset it higher.

Hmm. Mine is a 26 (supposedly). It barely fits in the Trotter handle... I can't possibly set it higher. I'm pretty sure Paul drills his 26 holes to 27. In addition, I'm pretty sure most 26 knots are actually between 25 and 25.5mm. So, I can't see how I got the correct size. If yours in the pic is drilled for a 28 by Paul, you're in the same Boat: should be ~27 going into a 29.

Maybe QC at APShaveCo is going downhill? I hope not. I love his knots.

It is a 28mm. I compared them before setting, as the 26 seemed a little small in the Aurora Borealis handle. But the 26mm in my Oscuro was purchased at roughly the same time and I remember being surprised at the 28mm's "stiffness." I had a 30mm SynBad in the white faux marble from AP, and it was like using a cloud! It gave a Cashmere a run for its money.

I think it was Eric that got me using a Synbad brush, I still like 'em.

Roger that! And it was the 26mm in the faux marble handle that was my favorite for years, until I went nuts buying Trotter handles and trying a gazillion different knots!!

That's right it was like a cloud you said.
   I think you went nuts and caught up with the rest of us maybe passed alot of us too. I'll tell that to my wife maybe she will understand my habit/addiction.
   I really enjoy looking at all of those Trotter handles those are nice.
    Carry on I want to see what about the millimeter sizes and all.

I agree with keto: You guys have been showing some beautiful Trotter handles!

Hi Eric. It makes me happy to see you still using those early resin handles. I hope you enjoy them. I’m sorry I don’t hang out on DFS any more, Instagram and Discord are all I seem to have time for these days on the social media front.

Take care my friend,
Paul

Hi Eric. It makes me happy to see you still using those early resin handles. I hope you enjoy them. I’m sorry I don’t hang out on DFS any more, Instagram and Discord are all I seem to have time for these days on the social media front.

Take care my friend,
Paul

It’s nice to hear from you Paul. It sounds like you’re thriving.

Hi Eric. It makes me happy to see you still using those early resin handles. I hope you enjoy them. I’m sorry I don’t hang out on DFS any more, Instagram and Discord are all I seem to have time for these days on the social media front.

Take care my friend,
Paul

Hey Paul! thanks for stopping by. Yes, your early work appears quite frequently in SOTDs, I notice. Another favorite of mine is my Laminar Flow, shown below, and I see Dave using his Kick Flip as well!

Some experimentation planned for this week.



In that vein, when I used a Feather DE in the Tartara Masamune and used different top cap and base plate combinations, I had too many nicks or red spots around my mouth. So this week, I am repeating the combos with my favorite blade, the Personna Platinum Chrome (formerly known as the Israeli Red). This particular blade is a NOS, and the other blades I've used from this dispenser are The Real Deal. 

I am also comparing my two HMW badger knots.



On the left is a Shave Forge 22mm HMW in a restored (by Freddiep318ti, thanks!) Ever-Ready 836A handle. On the bottom is a TGN 21mm HMW in another of Freddie's restos, an Ever-Ready 200T.

The combos will be the Nodachi top cap and Masamune base, what I call Nodamune for short, and the Masamune cap and Nodachi base, known as Masadochi.


I find the straight Masamune to be pretty darn good. And as others have found, I don't feel a harsher shave when using a combo, but my pie-hole areas, especially ATG around the corners of my mouth and ATG on the chin, produce tiny weepers, or red spots, which heal fast (and sting when alum or a styptic is applied). That irritation was with the Feather DE. 

If you look at the chart (thanks Mike HighSpeed for posting this elsewhere!), you can see the combos I selected stay negative or neutral for blade exposure, but the blade gap increases. That 0.90mm gap with the Nodachi plate had me a tad wary, but I found, as others have stated, that the slightly negative exposure made the combo feel smooth, especially WTG. 

So there is my science experiment. Adam approved, as I am writing stuff down!

Today was the Nodamune combo, and it went perfect. One red spot in the center of my chin where I either took down a bump or slide the razor or something dumb. No pain, gone with a splash of water, and that was it. And the badger was the TGN in the Ever-Ready 200T. This is my floppiest knot. I don't think I put any spacer in, but I need to check my notes. This one is right on the edge of being too floppy, or too much splay, for my liking. Nonetheless, it performed well and got better as I worked the lather better to be a little less runny or airy. That splay can add a bit of air to the building of the lather, if I think about it. So it made sense to spend more time luxuriating in the building process!

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None shave related, I spent a bit of time yesterday and today fixing a broken dryer vent. It works again, but I need to get the outside sealed up. Another use for my knot silione?!