I had my mail held back during our vacation and I went to fetch it all this morning. My tub of No Scrub 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.

Episode link

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.

So, there is some contradictory information about Friodur razors floating around the interwebs. For instance, according to the text of German Wikipedia (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.

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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:

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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):

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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.

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A big Eye of Providence:

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A Freemason's Star (apparently not really a star of David, but a geometric regularization of the square-and-compass symbol of the Freemasons

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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.

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Here's the whole thing! I'm not sure yet whether I think it's pretty, but it's sure interesting!

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I'm going to hone this puppy to get it ready for Austere August, $FriodomRiders, and $Honemeisterschaft

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

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.

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 videos by @gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social), 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 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.

Episode link

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.

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!

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It was so hard that I was convinced I was cutting into the glue bump and had finally figured out its shape:

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But the actual glue came a few mm deeper.

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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: !

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.

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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.

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.

Share your shave of the day!

Like @DaveWave94@sub.wetshaving.social the other day, I also have taken advantage of Yourshaving's anniversary sale and got myself three new brushies to break in:

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I've been meaning to try a Semogue Owner's club for a while now, mainly because of @Old_Hiker@sub.wetshaving.social 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 among others. This one will wait for LG.

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.

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edit: I just only now realised that Beaudelaire the frag isn't spelled like the Baudelaire the author.

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:

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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.

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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.

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Here's a close-up.

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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.

Share your shave of the day!

Share your shave of the day!

Share your shave of the day!

Share your shave of the day!