Rubbing It In

The general public can at least read the Excalibur thread on Badger and Blade (if one knows exactly that that is what one is looking for):
http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/excalibur-club-blade-longevity-de-se-and-injector.431416/

Somewhere in there is a polite inquisition by myself of the old master Bosse, (Politeness: vestigial chivalry? Christ knows, it has nothing to do with lawyers.) 'Tis he that I honor when brandishing Parker 87R "Ruby."  Looking at the distorted edge as clamped down in the cheap facsimile, I thought again about tossing the blade... she's no Aristocrat. But I know that she has the best exposure for my skin and hair's particular elastic characteristics -- the closest I'll ever get to an Excalibur.

Surveying for pointers, I noticed that while he favors oil for beard softening (I ate a banana with the peel on, last night), Bosse eschews rinsing between passes. My skin cries for hydration after the lather is removed, and I wouldn't deny myself that pleasure, with the dry soaps I favor. But I could take the time to rub the lather back in, like I do in the initial prep. Using my new luxury soap in this manner, I was able to safely hack away at my beard in extended battle. The idea to speed up my strokes, in practice manifested as tightened grip, greater applied force at a low angle of attack. There was a frightening moment when, after trying to loosen the blade, it was completely freed, and dug straight into my left jawline. No damage -- which just goes to show how dull this blade is.

I fought hard for my BBS, with a lot of buffing, but still missed a spot on the other jawline, and had to take it with a dry stroke after my rubdown with Witch Hazel and cocoa butter. (Bosse, interestingly, mentions a preference for another kind of emollient butter.)

Looks like I'll have to give it another six years of everyday BBS, before I'll be able to milk my blade for 100 shaves!  For now, this metal is going to the recycling tin.