SOTD by u/Priusaurus

July 20, 2023

• Brush: Farvour Handcrafts with Oumo Lotus Ace 26mm Badger
• Razor: Rockwell 6s
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Stubble Buster – Evocative
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavanille
• Fragrance: Joop! – Homme Joop!
• Music: Greta Van Fleet – Highway Tune

Before I discovered this wonderful world of wetshaving, which is so intertwined with fragrances, my go to was Joop. I’m was a JoopGuy. I didn’t wear it daily, but if I was wearing a fragrance, odds are it was Joop. It’s certainly not pricey, but I loved the sweetness to it – the vanilla mixed with the cinnamon notes was, and still is, just delightful. Given how much I enjoy gourmand scents, it’s no surprise I was drawn to Joop. Then I discovered that Stubble Buster made a shaving soap and splash that is a Joop-Dupe, I was sold and immediately bought a set. At the time, a tub of Stubble Buster was like $6 and the splash was $10. And it so, so, so outperformed that price point. Now Stubble Buster costs significantly more, but that’s a different story for a different day.

Being able to shave with a soap that smells like one of my favorite scents is such a wonderful benefit of the world of dupes. Even with a dry, pasty lather today, the shave was enjoyable because of the scent of Evocative (aka Joop). I finished the shave off with B&M Lavanille Splash because, while I love Joop, I like to mix things up #ridingwithItchy style. The soap and splash share that, oh so important, vanilla connection, but Lavanille is so much more complex that it sends my nostrils through a nice journey past Vanillaville, on the way to Lavenderland, Cedartown, and Muskcity, taking the Mousse de Saxe Highway to get there. To bring all those scents back home, I finished things off with the OG: Joop, himself. While the splash of Lavanille is a nice place to visit along this #FOF journey, the comfort of Joop does brings everything right back home. Cinnamon, Vanilla, and Tonka Bean – yum, yum, yum!

For the challenge today, my lather is usually pretty balanced. But it errs on the side of “well-hydrated”, so for today, I made my lather as dry as u/MrTangerinesky’s last romantic partner. And also, similar to u/MrTangerinesky’s last romantic partner, I left underwhelmed and extremely disappointed. There was a white, sticky mess everywhere, and I couldn’t wait for this experience to be over. And exactly like u/MrTangerinesky’s last romantic partner, I ended this escapade thinking: “There is absolutely no way I’m ever doing THIS again!”

For #photocontest: Masterpieces. Took this SOTD pic at the Danforth Art Museum, in front of this painting by Lawrence Kupferman.

For my interview today, I talked to Bob Farvour, of Farvour Turncraft. Bob made the brush handle I used today and it is one of my absolutely favorite brush handles I own. We often talk about function art and our brush handles are a great way to express that. Bob is such a great artisan who makes such wonderful brush handles in the Bourbon Capital of the World. If you aren’t familiar with his stuff, check out his Etsy store and read the interview below. There’s a lot of good stuff there, including his top picks for bourbons to try! I was really happy that Bob was willing to take part in this series. I’m pleased to present to you:

10 Questions with… Farvour Turncraft

1. How did you get started turning handles (and pens)?

I started restoring vintage ones first and quickly started wanting to get a lathe and make my own. This was in about 2009-2010. I grabbed a craftsman mini lathe and started turning them in a one car garage attached to a town house I was renting. I started selling them on Badger and Blade and back then it was easy. If you wanted a custom brush then, Rudy Vey was the only option. Then you could Make a brush, post it, and it was sold in minutes every time. I stopped for several years due to a move followed by a fire that burned up everything. I finally got around to buying another lathe in 2019.

2. Your brush handles are, without a doubt, functional art. How do you decide what colors/material/shape/pattern you’re going to work with on a given day?

There’s nothing elaborate about it really. Usually, I stand there staring at a drawer full of mica powders until something sounds good. Then other times, I might be sitting under the shade tree when an idea comes out of no where. Shapes I try to keep comfortable and simple. With resin pours I like to experiment, which can often fail.

3. Of the many, many brush handles you’ve made, do any stand out as your favorites? Or most challenging to make?

Most challenging for me is anything with a Cyanoacrylate (CA) finish, which pretty much means hybrids. I detest doing a CA finish but it sometimes is the only option. For favorites, I lean toward the classic and simple. My collection is quite boring. I love a plain ivory handle. But if I started picking favorites, I’d have a list a mile long before it’s all done. My current favorite is a Thuya Burl handle. I make mostly resin but I like wood more.

4. What software/hardware do you like to shave with?

I’ve been using a DE89 head on top of a Merkur 30B handle. Not long ago I got a Gamechanger and it has been pretty common in the rotation since.

My favorite soaps usually come from HoM or Noble Otter, although I use plenty of others too. I lean toward Barbershop scents but my fave is probably HOM Almond Leather.

Lab blues are my blade of choice.

5. You’re based out of Bardstown, KY, which is the Bourbon Capital of the World. Do you have a go-to, or under-appreciated, bourbon you would recommend?

Don’t get me started. Bourbon has exploded so much I could go on and on. Under appreciated, in general, is anything from Heaven Hill. Buffalo Trace gets a lot of attention, rightfully so, but Heaven Hill puts out a great lineup. Elijah Craig is a great option for folks that don’t want to pay a fortune and hunt around for something that is only marginally better. Most unicorns are overrated, and the best hidden value is Old Forester Rye.

The best bourbons that are easily available….

Elijah Craig

Evan Williams BIB

Evan Williams 1783

Russell’s Reserve

Knob Creek

But I put Old Forester Rye atop all those bourbons. $20 bucks a bottle.

(INTERVIEW CONTINUES IN THE REPLY)

[**July 20, 2023**](https://imgur.com/a/cBXAjNs)

* **Brush:** Farvour Handcrafts with Oumo Lotus Ace 26mm Badger
* **Razor:** Rockwell 6s
* **Blade:** Wilkinson Sword
* **Lather:** Stubble Buster – Evocative
* **Post Shave:** Barrister and Mann - Lavanille
* **Fragrance:** Joop! – Homme Joop!
* **Music:** [Greta Van Fleet – Highway Tune](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJg4OJxp-co)

Before I discovered this wonderful world of wetshaving, which is so intertwined with fragrances, my go to was Joop. I’m was a JoopGuy. I didn’t wear it daily, but if I was wearing a fragrance, odds are it was Joop. It’s certainly not pricey, but I loved the sweetness to it – the vanilla mixed with the cinnamon notes was, and still is, just delightful. Given how much I enjoy gourmand scents, it’s no surprise I was drawn to Joop. Then I discovered that Stubble Buster made a shaving soap and splash that is a Joop-Dupe, I was sold and immediately bought a set. At the time, a tub of Stubble Buster was like $6 and the splash was $10. And it so, so, so outperformed that price point. Now Stubble Buster costs significantly more, but that’s a different story for a different day.

Being able to shave with a soap that smells like one of my favorite scents is such a wonderful benefit of the world of dupes. Even with a dry, pasty lather today, the shave was enjoyable because of the scent of Evocative (aka Joop). I finished the shave off with B&M Lavanille Splash because, while I love Joop, I like to mix things up [\#ridingwithItchy](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wetshaving/comments/dznry0/the_dickhole_theory_matching_sets_are_bad_sad_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) style. The soap and splash share that, oh so important, vanilla connection, but Lavanille is so much more complex that it sends my nostrils through a nice journey past Vanillaville, on the way to Lavenderland, Cedartown, and Muskcity, taking the Mousse de Saxe Highway to get there. To bring all those scents back home, I finished things off with the OG: Joop, himself. While the splash of Lavanille is a nice place to visit along this #FOF journey, the comfort of Joop does brings everything right back home. Cinnamon, Vanilla, and Tonka Bean – yum, yum, yum!

For the **challenge** today, my lather is usually pretty balanced. But it errs on the side of “well-hydrated”, so for today, I made my lather as dry as u/MrTangerinesky’s last romantic partner. And also, similar to u/MrTangerinesky’s last romantic partner, I left underwhelmed and extremely disappointed. There was a white, sticky mess everywhere, and I couldn’t wait for this experience to be over. And exactly like u/MrTangerinesky’s last romantic partner, I ended this escapade thinking: “There is absolutely no way I’m ever doing THIS again!”

For #photocontest: Masterpieces. Took this SOTD pic at the [Danforth Art Museum](https://danforth.framingham.edu/), in front of [this painting](https://imgur.com/a/uaStDWd) by Lawrence Kupferman.

For my interview today, I talked to Bob Farvour, of [Farvour Turncraft](https://www.etsy.com/shop/FarvourTurnCraft). Bob made the brush handle I used today and it is one of my absolutely favorite brush handles I own. We often talk about function art and our brush handles are a great way to express that. Bob is such a great artisan who makes such wonderful brush handles in the Bourbon Capital of the World. If you aren’t familiar with his stuff, check out his Etsy store and read the interview below. There’s a lot of good stuff there, including his top picks for bourbons to try! I was really happy that Bob was willing to take part in this series. I’m pleased to present to you:

**10 Questions with… Farvour Turncraft**

**1. How did you get started turning handles (and pens)?**

*I started restoring vintage ones first and quickly started wanting to get a lathe and make my own. This was in about 2009-2010. I grabbed a craftsman mini lathe and started turning them in a one car garage attached to a town house I was renting. I started selling them on Badger and Blade and back then it was easy. If you wanted a custom brush then, Rudy Vey was the only option. Then you could Make a brush, post it, and it was sold in minutes every time. I stopped for several years due to a move followed by a fire that burned up everything. I finally got around to buying another lathe in 2019.*

**2. Your brush handles are, without a doubt, functional art. How do you decide what colors/material/shape/pattern you’re going to work with on a given day?**

*There’s nothing elaborate about it really. Usually, I stand there staring at a drawer full of mica powders until something sounds good. Then other times, I might be sitting under the shade tree when an idea comes out of no where. Shapes I try to keep comfortable and simple. With resin pours I like to experiment, which can often fail.*

**3. Of the many, many brush handles you’ve made, do any stand out as your favorites? Or most challenging to make?**

*Most challenging for me is anything with a Cyanoacrylate (CA) finish, which pretty much means hybrids. I detest doing a CA finish but it sometimes is the only option. For favorites, I lean toward the classic and simple. My collection is quite boring. I love a plain ivory handle. But if I started picking favorites, I’d have a list a mile long before it’s all done. My current favorite is a Thuya Burl handle. I make mostly resin but I like wood more.*

**4. What software/hardware do you like to shave with?**

*I’ve been using a DE89 head on top of a Merkur 30B handle. Not long ago I got a Gamechanger and it has been pretty common in the rotation since.*

*My favorite soaps usually come from HoM or Noble Otter, although I use plenty of others too. I lean toward Barbershop scents but my fave is probably HOM Almond Leather.*

*Lab blues are my blade of choice.*

**5. You’re based out of Bardstown, KY, which is the Bourbon Capital of the World. Do you have a go-to, or under-appreciated, bourbon you would recommend?**

*Don’t get me started. Bourbon has exploded so much I could go on and on. Under appreciated, in general, is anything from Heaven Hill. Buffalo Trace gets a lot of attention, rightfully so, but Heaven Hill puts out a great lineup. Elijah Craig is a great option for folks that don’t want to pay a fortune and hunt around for something that is only marginally better. Most unicorns are overrated, and the best hidden value is Old Forester Rye.*

*The best bourbons that are easily available….*

*Elijah Craig*

*Evan Williams BIB*

*Evan Williams 1783*

*Russell’s Reserve*

*Knob Creek*

*But I put Old Forester Rye atop all those bourbons. $20 bucks a bottle.*

(INTERVIEW CONTINUES IN THE REPLY)