To everyone that celebrates this one have a great day!! I hope the time with family, for those why find that a good thing, goes well. Happy shaves to all.

OK not sure how many people need this tip but I told Twelvefret I'd post it.

So how I post a picture is. 

I use an app on my phone  aled image size to adjust the size of the picture to about 400KB a little over a little under doesn't seem to matter. I'm not sure what the max size is here but another forum I'm on its 400KB so the images work here and there at that size. You an use whatever program you want to size the images. Some go by pixel width. Sorry I don't know what the numbers are for that. 

Next we are ready to start a post. I greatly prefer to click on NEW REPLY in the little black box we're the red arrow is pointing. If you click were the green arrow is pointing and start typing then remember you want to post a picture you can click Preview post we're the yellow arrow is pointing and it will load a new screen with what you have already typed and allow you to post pictures too. It's kind of a hassle so I've made it a habit to just always try to remember to click on New reply.

   

Next You should be on a screen like this.  Click in the area we're the red oval I drew is we're it say click or drop files here to upload. ( I'm on a cell phone 100% of the time on this site so I  an only click on it.) I ASSUME since it say OR DROP 
You most be able to drag and drop a picture into the box on a PC also. 

   

Another window will open and you can find the photos you want to upload. Once you select them you should see the files pop up below were I had the red oval drawn. They have a big red rectangle around them in the next picture. After the file name to the right there is the option to remove or insert into post. Just click insert into post and if you have multiple images you can just click the next one and let them line up in the text area like were I highlighted in yellow. They will stack one on top of the other in the actual post. And not be side by side. ( at least that's the way they view on my Cell phone)

   

You can now click Post Thread, Preview Post or Save as draft.

I have been not so secretly admiring the 3D printed razors I see here and elsewhere so I set about finding someone to print them for me. Fortunately, a kind gentleman on another forum has agreed to take on the project. It's a bit of a learning experience for him since he hasn't printed any of these before. I think he's doing a great job. I don't have them in hand yet so I have to admire them from afar until he ships them to me. It looks like maybe they need some trimming and sanding but otherwise, they are ready to shave.

On a side note, I've had some exchanges with Roger Quintero, the person who created these designs. He's been using a different one recently that he hasn't released the files for so I keep teasing him that he's got to release them eventually. He teased back that he's thinking of making an AC razor so that might be on the horizon. How cool is it that someone creative can release their work for others to enjoy? I definitely owe that guy a beer or three.

   

I have lived in my current house for about 15 years and have never owned a full-sized grill because for most of that time I wasn't a meat eater and there's really no great place to put one. I started eating meat again after developing a serious illness and needing to greatly increase my protein intake. I've been using the range to either pan fry or the oven to broil meats but it's not the same as grilling. I have a little Coleman camping grill but it's such a hassle to use and the grill is literally an inch from the flame so it is forever flaming up. It's definitely not worth pulling out just to grill a pork chop. Another thing is I have serious lung issues so I have a really hard time with any kind of smoke. All signs point toward no grilling for me.

The other day my wife was at a thrift store and found one of these infrared grills for $35. They are pretty expensive new so I had to try it. Believe it or not, it actually works really well. It heats the grill to somewhere just north of 400 degrees but, because the heat sources aren't under the grill, there's virtually no smoke. The juice drips into a tray that never gets very hot so there are no flare-ups or anything like you'd get on a gas or electric grill. It's definitely not as hot as a gas grill but I prefer slow cooking anyway. It's essentially the adult version of an easy-bake oven only with much more powerful bulbs. It does get hot enough to have a grilling effect though as you can see from the finished steak.

So now I'm on a grilling spree. Anything that can be grilled is going on that baby. Last night I cooked some shrimp and veggie skewers and a couple of filets of fish. Everything turned out fine but I should have gone a bit longer on the veggies. It takes a little longer the higher the food is off the grate itself. I'm just happy I have a way to grill that works for me!

   

   

   

Razor: Ronson Shaves and Sharpens
Blade: Personna Injector
Brush: Simpson Duke 3 Synthetic
Pre-Shave: Proraso White
Aftershave: Duke Cannon Supply Company Ice Cold Balm
Additional Care:
  Thayers Facial Tonic Witch Hazel Unscented
  Imperial Leather Talcum Powder

   

This razor is like the Jones Shake Sharp in that it uses a double edged blade, but you only shave with one side.   The other side rides on rollers which can be used to sharpen that side of the blade.  The mechanism can be used to flip the blade when needed.  The original blades were proprietary, but injector blades and be fitted just fine with some fiddling.  I use a blade blank on the other side so that the blade assembly is properly supported.  Half DE blades can be used as well.   They actually shave nicely and are worth a try if you come across one!

I’m not sure if it’s just me but when I click the link to view a post with new posts I’ve viewed previously, it doesn’t take me to the most recent unread post as is the case with every other forum I’ve used. For example, there’s a 4 page thread where I’ve read all the posts. Then someone else posts something new. I see that the thread title is bold or I see it in New Post list. I click the thread title to load the post and am taken to page 1 post 1 instead of page 4, new post. Is it that way for everyone else as well? It makes it difficult to continue participating in a thread when I have to keep remembering where I left off.

I apologize in advance, this is a long post!

I'd be interested in hearing any ideas folks have on building community on this forum. Please share your thoughts and opinions!

The most obvious ways to build community are to create new threads, post (your experiences, information and/or images), and/or reply to someone else's post. I can think of no more satisfying reaction to one of my posts than to see others in the community reply and provide their input. srqshaver recently posted a concern about not wanting to post too often and being spammy. Our fearless leader, Wchnu replied, the gist of which is don't worry about that and post away..."We like spam...fried or written." I too had the same concern and at times wondered if I were posting too much. I suspect many new members will feel this way and I think it's up to all of us to make them feel comfortable and encourage their engagement, which can be done publicly in a reply or via private message.

Below are some of the particulars of the forum software that I've observed. If you have different experiences or are aware of other functionality, please share by replying!

There are a number of ways to engage with a post, short of replying. 

- You can like a post by clicking on the "Like" button which is located on the bottom right of the post. When you like a post, your username is displayed on the bottom left side of the post.

- You can also rate a post, by clicking on the "Rate" button located on the bottom left of the post. It is my experience that the forum software will only allow you to rate a post if you first like it, otherwise you will get an error message stating "You have already given as many reputation ratings as you are allowed to for today." If you do like a post and choose to rate it, you can select "Positive (+1)", "Neutral" or "Negative (-1)". Note that the forum defaults to the "Positive (+1)" option. You also have the option to leave a comment. There is also the functionality to rate a private message, but it has not worked for me and I've gotten the same error message detailed earlier.

The +1/-1 rating refers to a member's reputation score, which is visible on the left side of a member's post or can be seen if you view a member's profile. If you go to your own profile or click on the "User CP" link located on the top left of the forum, you can view your own reputation score. By clicking on "Details" you can see all of the individual ratings you have received and there is a scoreboard on the top right showing your ratings totals over various time periods. It is my experience that the "Positive (+1)" default is what this community uses, as I've not seen a neutral or negative rating. As you scroll down and review the individual ratings you've received, you can click on the link to the right of "Rating given for" and it will take you to your post which your were rated for. Note it is my observation that you can see the details of all other members reputation score by going to their profile, unless they've been banned. I did not see an option to hide this from your profile.

As a relatively new member to the forum, it has taken me a while to get a feel for how the community generally uses the Like/Rating options. This is the part of my post I really would like to get feedback on from everyone, as I believe the liking/rating of posts strengthens the community and encourages further sharing. 

I am speaking now only for me when I say I GENERALLY use the like button if I appreciate a post, whether I agree with it or not...as we all have different takes on things. In liking a post, I want to let the member know I have read it and thank them for participating. There may be times when I do not like a post because if fell through the cracks and I didn't see it or if someone is being snarky and I don't want to encourage further behavior as this.

Again, speaking for me only, when it comes to rating a post, I've only left "Positive +1" ratings and have not seen a reason leave a "Neutral" or "Negative -1" rating. I GENERALLY leave a positive rating if I feel that the post provides important information, if I believe it will stimulate additional engagement and/or if I have a strong reaction to it. If there were an occasion I wanted to let someone know I had an issue with their post, I believe I would likely send them a private message, instead of doing it via a neutral/negative rating since the details of ratings are publicly available.

And in conclusion (I'm sure you are glad this post is coming to an end  ), I want everyone to know that for some time I've been occasionally using the option of leaving a comment when rating a post. I use this option if I want to just leave a brief message or comment that doesn't need to be shared with the community and/or doesn't warrant a reply or private message. I don't believe the member is notified of the comment and would have to review the details of their reputation score to see it. I consider it a little gem that I've left for you to stumble across!

If you get to this point, I thank you for taking the time read my post and strongly encourage posting of your opinions on how we can build community on TOST3!  I agree completely with srqshaver from his post I linked to earlier, I too really dig this group!

https://www.tost3.com/showthread.php?tid...5#pid12935

Here is a razor that I've never seen before. I just won this on the bay, I haven't received it yet but thought I would ask here, while I wait, to see if anyone has any information on it.
Pictures are from the bay and it is of British manufacture, pat no. 12224/12.
I've had no luck finding anything but would be interested to know something about it.
It has an interesting approach to holding the blade and I'm hoping it might hold a wedge or Gem blade, I'll have to wait and see.


   

   
This razor has no blade feel at all, but you can hear it mowing down the whiskers.   It was a very smooth shave even though the blade was on its first shave.  Overall the result was a very close, comfortable shave.  Very nice!
Razor: Personna Floating Head Injector Razor
Blade: Personna Injector
Brush: Simpson Commodore X2 Best Badger
Pre-Shave: Proraso White
Lather: Fine American Blend
Aftershave: Proraso Green Splash
Additional Care:
  Thayers Facial Tonic Witch Hazel Unscented
  Imperial Leather Talcum Powder