What kind of equipment, stones etc. did old timers who relied soley on straight razors have at home? I can't imagine many guys had vast arrays of stones...?
Old timer equipment
- Thread starter EricSki
- Start date
timwcic
"Look what I found"
Strops, pastes, barber hones for Maintenance and local barber for repairs
For home use, my grandfather used a pair of leather strops (One loaded and one clean) made from old horse harness and would touch up an edge using a slate hone.
A basic rule of thumb regarding sharpening stones and hones, which tends to work, was hard steel = softer hones and soft steel = harder hones.
A basic rule of thumb regarding sharpening stones and hones, which tends to work, was hard steel = softer hones and soft steel = harder hones.
I regularly sharpen extremely hard Super Aogami cutlery on super hard Jnats. Works great, using softer stones does not yield the same level of cutting performance.
Same for my Iwasaki and Swede razors - all very hard steel too. The only thing I use 'soft stones' for is ground work.
I once owned a barber's kit from the late 1800s, in it was an old synth, possibly a carborundum. Also, that box contained a variety of abrasive pastes and small leather strops. My grandfather had a Coticule, clean strop, pasted strop - that was his working scenario into the early 1960s.
Same for my Iwasaki and Swede razors - all very hard steel too. The only thing I use 'soft stones' for is ground work.
I once owned a barber's kit from the late 1800s, in it was an old synth, possibly a carborundum. Also, that box contained a variety of abrasive pastes and small leather strops. My grandfather had a Coticule, clean strop, pasted strop - that was his working scenario into the early 1960s.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Gamma’s experience is pretty much the same as mine - hard, fine grained steel does just peachy with a hard, fine grained stone. Jnat anyway.
- Thread starter
- #6
Thanks for the input. I was just thinking, I couldn't imagine old timers spending hundreds if not more to maintain a razor to shave their face. The reason I ask is trying to get started in this as a hobby is very overwhelming because everyone seems to have a laundry list of 'needed' items. None of which are cheap.
timwcic
"Look what I found"
There are needs and there are wants. There is not a lot that you need to maintain a shave ready SR. You need a good strop and something to refresh the edge. A 10-12k hone, pasted media, balsa, blue jeans fabric, or a strop second, or nano film on glass or tile will keep a edge shaving for years. If the bevel is damaged or a new SR is acquired, send it out to a master of the hone
Stone, leather and steel is all you need to maintain a razor. And something to keep the stone flat...
Old timers probably had an advantage in that there were plenty of people around in those days that could professionally hone a razor for them. All they needed to do was keep that professionally finished edge going. Now a days you’re largely on your own. It’s a good idea to have some sort of progression on hand so that you can handle bigger jobs by yourself.
Old timers probably had an advantage in that there were plenty of people around in those days that could professionally hone a razor for them. All they needed to do was keep that professionally finished edge going. Now a days you’re largely on your own. It’s a good idea to have some sort of progression on hand so that you can handle bigger jobs by yourself.
I read a very interesting account of cutlery service in the early 1900s who would collect razors from barbers all across New York for honing. It describes the barbers of all having their own "stables" of tools for their trade which they swapped out regularly and had serviced weekly.I don't know if this suggests that razors were changed out daily, multiple times a day or "other."
It's interesting, though; it seems that many of us tend to have a mental image of the old-time barber having a single razor and a barber's hone which he used exclusively. This certainly might have been the case for some, but in some metropolitan/places where convenient areas they very well might have been viewed and used as more consumable tools, for lack of better words. If a wood worker had a professional service right down the road that did a bang-up job honing his chisels, why would he take time he could be crafting to work on his tools?
It's interesting, though; it seems that many of us tend to have a mental image of the old-time barber having a single razor and a barber's hone which he used exclusively. This certainly might have been the case for some, but in some metropolitan/places where convenient areas they very well might have been viewed and used as more consumable tools, for lack of better words. If a wood worker had a professional service right down the road that did a bang-up job honing his chisels, why would he take time he could be crafting to work on his tools?
I would say someone shaving at home would have one, maybe two razors, and a pasted and a clean strop. If that got too dull to be brought back on the pasted strop he would take it to a pro to be re-honed.
A barber would have five or six razors plus strops. If he was handy he would also have hones. He might also hone the other guys razor for a fee, to make up for the fact that he wasn't charging him for the shaves.
A barber would have five or six razors plus strops. If he was handy he would also have hones. He might also hone the other guys razor for a fee, to make up for the fact that he wasn't charging him for the shaves.
- Thread starter
- #11
Makes sense. Like anything today, country people are more dynamic out of necessity and City people more specialized because of the larger market to sell their talent to.
- Thread starter
- #12
Do along the lines of need, I have a straight razor, a double strop (leather and canvas). If I get Chromium Oxide and out it on the canvas I shouldn't need anything else in theory?
If I were to get a 12k naniwa stone would that be enough to get by on?
Im curious if the sharpening services that ground knives/scissors also sharpened razors.. anyone know? Pictures from a simple basic search show a large grinding wheel, so I’d guess no, but i didnt see any better clarity to what they did.
Last edited:
They did under contract from Gillette to round him up more customers.
timwcic
"Look what I found"
Never used pastes before so can’t answer with 100% certainty if any thing else is needed. I don’t think so, just not 100%. As far as 12K you are almost all set to go. You do need something to lap flat on occasion. Is only refreshing a few razors a few times a year, lapping would be very minimal. Most use a diamond plate, but you can easily get by with a sheet of 220 wet/dry paper on a piece of glass or a kitchen granite counter top when SWMBO is not around
This could be a usable combo for a very long time. If you pick up a 12k you will need a way to flatten it. You can use tile form a home improvement store and wet dry paper or pick up a dmt or atoma. Stropping on crox daily before or after shaving will maintain an edge for a long while.
- Thread starter
- #17
OK, thanks for the input. ANy suggestions on what lapping plate should be used on the 12K? Maybe a link?
Also, what does SWMBO stand for?
- Thread starter
- #18
What is a DMT or Atoma? Sorry for all of the questions but getting started in this opens the doors to a lot of questions and it seems like everything in intimidating and expensive, lol.
Eric,
Here is a link DMT 8" Dia-Flat 95 Lapping Plate - https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/DMT-8-Dia-Flat-95-Lapping-Plate-P591C111.aspx the DMT is a lapping plate, same as an Atoma, they lap the stones you use to keep them dead flat as possible.
I like the atoma 400, it's an aluminum plate machined dead flat and has a replaceable abrasive pad that's attached. I'm not sure what links are allowed on bnb but the etsy shop tomo nagura usually carries them, the shop keeper is a great guy to work with. SWMBO is an acronym used to refer to the wife. It stands for she who must be obeyed, in a loving way of course.
Similar threads
