Post 'Thursday Austere August SOTD Thread - Aug 01, 2024' of challenge 'Shepherds of Stirling 2024'

August 1, 2024

• Brush: Maggard 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Era - Level 3 SB
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword Classic (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Port-Au-Prince - Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Aftershave

$IRC
$Discord
$ShepherdsofStirling
Progress Album

The last time I participated in Austere August was in 2021, where I earned the "Knights of Nothing" flair for using an unscented soap (Southern Witchcrafts - Incorporeal).

I do not like Austere August, so when I found out there was a side-car contest to use a Stirling Mutton based soap, my stomach churned. As someone who's unable to not support Stirling Mutton, I slowly came to the realization that my fate included using the same soap for a whole month.

So here we are.

2024-08-01

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Port au Prince
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Alighieri
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - Guerrilla
• Brush: Yaqi Metal Timberwolf

Who else had no idea that Port au Prince was mutton tallow until just yesterday?
I'm pretty sure this is literally the single soap I've used the most of, too.

$ShepherdsofStirling

Aug. 1, 2024

• Brush: Declaration Grooming B14 “Nebula” Badger
• Razor: Schick Hydro Magic
• Blade: Schick Injector (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Sheep - Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented - Aftershave feat. House of Mammoth - Permafrost
• Osma: Osma - Osma
• Scuttle: Georgetown Pottery - G20

Well here we are—welcome to the $ShepherdsofStirling month! I really want to thank my fellow flock of friendly fjudges, /u/hugbckt and /u/TheStallionPartThree for taking this idea and running with it.

The idea came out of a $Discord conversation where I mentioned I’m using Sheep for the whole month because my wife is pretty scent adverse and I didn’t want to choose something that would bother her. /u/StBandicoot came up with the name, and in a few minutes the fjudges were planning the whole thing via DM. It literally came together in about a half hour two days ago—which is why you all had such little warning about this excellent challenge.

So we now have what is objectively the best AA challenge. It’s the best because it doesn’t ask you to shave every day. It just asks you to use what is arguably the best soap base out there, with which you can double down with one of the best scents out there (Varen++) and you have a great month ahead of you. It’s the chill challenge; the challenge reflective of the easygoing, no nonsense, no fuss vibe of our good friends over at /u/StirlingSoap. And it benefits 4H too!

(As an aside, as a kid growing up on suburban Long Island, New York, the only thing I knew about 4H was that commercial which frankly tells you nothing about the organization, and I had no fucking idea what 4H did until I moved to rural America as an adult. But for some reason that jingle always stuck with me: 4H! For you! For America! 4H!)

A few words on the other choices here. I haven’t used the Hydro Magic in a long time so that’s how that won out—looking for a month of nice easy shaves. The brush choice was simply because its pretty much become all boar all the time with my brushes, and I wanted to give my Dec some love.

Good shave, looking forward to the rest of the month!

EDIT: It would be nice if I could spell the name of my own challenge right.

$ShepherdsofStirling Austere August 2024

• Brush: Zenith B36 28x50mm Boar
• Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Outlaw Cu
• Blade: Astra SP (35)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Electric Sheep - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Glacial Lemon Chill - Balm
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes - Dragonfly Edition 2021
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Burundi Washed
• Music: Sam Evian - Plunge

I’m not giving up daily variety in my fragrances, but I’ve done a few Austere Augusts in a row, so no reason to stop now. I'm probably doing Extreme mode.

I broke in this brush during a previous Austere August, but had put it aside for a while. I’m curious if I can get the tips to change at all with more lathers; this boar knot seems stable at this point. Still not a fan of this much scrub for a daily shave.

Wrapping up my shave, this chilly balm has survived at least one Austere August this point, so it’s time to kill it. Electric Sheep demands more lemon.

August 1, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Synbad Fan
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: AccuTec Pro Premium
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Electric Sheep
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Kryptonite
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime

$ShepherdsofStirling

There’s less citronella here than I had remembered. The lemon and eucalyptus really do balance it out. If I still like this by the end of the month, I’ll put a full tub on my to-buy list.

🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑

🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑

🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑

🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑

August 1, 2024

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Grizzly Bay - Dark Magic - 26mm TNS Shoat Boar
• Razor: Blackland - Sabre
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen Soap
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Picture Day Splash

Up until yesterday, I was planning on joining the Mammoth ~~Mafia~~ Group of People Who Aren't Trying to Offend Anyone... But then I saw the $ShepherdsofStirling challenge, and with the help of the Discord Latherbot, 🐑 won out. I'm delighted to use this base for a month and happy to cause some dollars sent to 4-H. Growing up in a city, I had absolutely no knowledge of 4-H, but I wish I did and it's something that I can absolutely get behind now.

Now, for the brush. Breaking in a TNS Shoat knot this month. $RawHoggin required unboxing here. This was a loose knot from TNS and I installed it in a new Grizzly Bay handle, using Gorilla Tape - good test to see if this method holds up. When I bought the handle, I thought would look really good in SOTD pics with HoM Beloved, yet here we are using Varen. Adapt and overcome. Since TNS knots just come wrapped in this white paper, I hope this unboxing satisfies u/EldrormR's challenge requirements. I never thought to take a pic of the knot when it was loose or install pics, so no worries if it doesn't count. I'm using it all month long no matter what.

Happy Austere August everyone!

August 01 2024

• Brush: Omega 13732 24mm
• Razor: Solingen Best Silver Steel 6/8 (Straight shave #98)
• Lather: Stirling - Varen
• Post Shave: Stirling - Varen
• Fragrance: Ineke Perfumes - Idyllwild

Brush progress album

On the first day of my fourth Austere August, I'll explain my thinking on how I selected my setup. May as well say what I have to say while people are still interested and before monotony sets in.

This will be my first Austere August without using an MMOC. I do love the MMOC but the opportunity to improve my straight razor technique and contribute to what might be the largest Headless Horsemen class so far was too good to pass up. I'm using a 6/8 Solingen razor that I got from u/whosgotthepudding and that just recently returned from a touch up by straight razor savant u/gcgallant.

I was planning on using one of my newly acquired badger brushes for the month, but on my recent vacation I went to a pharmacy in Vancouver and was somewhat surprised to find a few Omega boar brushes in the shaving section. I took that as a sign to pick up a souvenir and to participate in Raw Hoggin' this year. Of course I have this same knot (I believe, same 24mm size and 55mm loft) in a different handle but I like it so that's no big deal. Tagging u/EldrormR for my first post, the brush is boxed in my SOTD pic and the first picture in the Brush Progression Album linked above shows it out of the box before the first shave.

The hardest decision for me was software. I had been waffling about doing another Mammoth Month or seeing if I could withstand a month of Terror or Northern Elixir, but then once the Sheep challenge was posted I knew a month of Varen would be fun. I'm familiar with the Sheep base but look forward to dialing it in this month. This morning the tub weighed in at 137 grams.

And for the fragrance, I'm not exactly sure if any of my three challenges requires the same frag every month, so I went with one that I will be happy to keep repeating if I need to. Idyllwild is a beautiful fougere and provides a lovely contrast to Varen.

And now on to the shave itself. This was a stupid shave! I've broken in three boar brushes from new before today, and always did a few test lathers with some towel stropping to get them opened up before use. The complete lack of splay made building a lather quite difficult, but I eventually worked in enough water with just painting strokes to get the job done. I had to reload and rehydrate between every pass, but the edge on this razor is so nice right now that I still managed a presentable shave without much irritation. Luckily what little funk this bleached boar has was overpowered by Varen.

$headless

$RawHoggin

$ShepherdsofStirling

August 01, 2024

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Omega 10098 27mm Boar
• Razor: The Holy Black SR-71 Slant
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Sheep
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Witch Hazel & Aloe
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Post Shave Balm

Shoutout to u/KerblimeySkal for helping me navigate this challenge and being there for my endless questions and changes.

boar brush - STANKY

mutton soap - SUPER STANKY

no scent splash AND balm - WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO

Super stoked for how this brush develops over the month as it felt very stiff but the face lather felt good and nicely whipped. Mutton soap was amazing and the smell was obviously there but it is what it is. Unscented boys unite and stay strong!

$RawHoggin u/EldrormR

$ShepherdsofStirling

$Discord

Edit: Added eldrormr and updated imgur link

First Day of Austere August

• Prep: Hot water splash with face wash
• Razor: Rockwell 6C
• Blade: Astra SP
• Lather: Stirling Scots Pine Sheep
• Brush: Maggards 22mm B&W synthetic
• Splash: Skin Bracer

$ShepherdsofStirling

Great BBS shave. No irritation with minor bleeders on my neck. Yeah, it’s been a while, but I’m finally back home after two weeks of vacationing. I grew a beard during that span, and it was fun while it lasted. But it’s more fun shaving and participating in this challenge I’m partaking in. I might be late to the party, but fear not. I’m here for the fun. I decided to participate in this challenge for AA just because I had a Stirling mutton tallow soap already, so this was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of. The scent from it is awesome, which was the main reason I bought it in the first place. Here’s the pic to comply. Enough rambling, this shave went well without issue despite being away for two weeks, which is a nice surprise as I was worried my skills would decline as a result of the vacation. Overall, great shave to kick off AA on a high note. I’m back, and let’s get ready to rumble.

AA24 - Day 1 - Shepherds of Stirling: Varen

• Brush: Zenith Multi-Color (2006 XSE) 21mm Unbleached Boar Knot
• Razor: Aylsworth Razors Drakkant Plus
• Blade: Gillette Platinum [1]
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Soap (Mutton Tallow)

• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Splash

• Tags: $ShepherdsofStirling $RawHoggin $Discord

I had everything setup this morning to join the Mammoth Mafia for another AA, but after u/hugbckt's call to join Shepherds of Stirling yesterday, I changed my mind at the last minute. A month of Varen and the Mutton base in support of a 4-H charity and a cool new flair was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

I've managed to take this razor with a Gillette Platinum blade to 23 shaves before, so I'll see if I can push past that number for all 31 days this month.

For u/EldrormR's Raw Hoggin' challenge, this new Zenith boar brush is unbleached, which is new for me, and the stank on this knot is potent. Right now the knot feels good. However, it's not very dense, so hopefully it won't become floppy during the break-in.

Brush Break-In Progress Album

Tub Weight: 201g

Austere Aug 1, 2024 - Sheperd of Stirling

• Prep: Warm Washcloth
• Brush: Omega Boar 10098
• Razor: Ikon Shavecraft Tek
• Blade: BIC Chrome Platinum (1)
• Soap: Stirling Sheep
• Post: Shannon's Haymarket Vetiver Splash

$ShepherdsofStirling

August 1, 2024 – Everyday We Shepherdin’

• Brush: Semogue Torga C5
• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley B plate Aluminum/Maggard Handle
• Blade: Wizamet (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Varen

Well it looks like there’s more than just the three initial shepherds along for this monthlong ride on the mutton train. And for good reason, this mutton base is so slick for me and Varen is just so wonderfully dank and lingers. Paired with the Orbit it just sits underneath that cool woody rose. I can’t wait to see how this Torga develops alongside it this month. I had to reload a bit but it was pretty soft out of the box. I can’t imagine using the more common Semogue knots that are taller and skinnier, this Torga splays well fresh. Unlike u/cowzilla3 I am grateful for you and this challenge u/EldrormR. $RawHoggin

Cheers to great rest of the month of shaves and all the challenges and challengers!

Unboxing with the rest of the crew.

Before and after shave 1.

🤙🇳🇱🐑🇳🇱🤙 $ShepherdsofStirling