Grandpa Justice

I took some "me" time to tinker with Ruby on my birthday, while the family went to soccer practice. That curvature of the blade toward the safety bar, while perhaps making the corners safe, still gave me an unpleasant, "back of the blade" feeling.

I guess it was like four little slants opposing each other, driving the center to higher traction. Because when I used a mini square file to sharpen up the door corners, and took a punch and mallet to the downturned edges of the baseplate, where it meets the blade, the razor became much more Weishi-like. I couldn't get the edge true up to Gillette standards, but within normal tolerances, which made a big, big difference.

Not necessarily in a good way. Without the traction, I actually wonder if Ruby will remain #1. But today, I was looking for a break, anyway, after a pretty severe b-day shave (for Mom) that used both Ruby and the slant. The Stanhome mixed bristle brush confirmed the lesson of the Ever-Ready: old American brushes supported one pass only. But this one was soft and floppy enough to be usable, at least. I could imagine someone whipping it around in a mug, even though that was clearly just an old marketing gimmick. So narrow that there was a baleen effect, water coming off the side of the brush. We definitely have it better nowadays.

I used a not-so-fancy prep of Witch Hazel infused with rose petals, an easy experiment for the last of my $1 bottle. And Williams, of course. One pass WTG, light ATG on a mere soapy solution squeezed from the brush. I cheated a little, using moisturizer as a cleanse before splashing again with the Witch Hazel, but that seemed more comfort-oriented than Vaseline.

"Velvety!" And I am well-prepared for the annual skin hardening, except that I should probably move the slant to the closet, and bring in the 41C.