Joy!!!My grandfather (1897-1984) shaved with straight razors for most of his adult life, until he was in his 70s. As a child, I remember his strop hanging in his bathroom, his mug, brush, and a big bottle of bay rum sitting on the shelf. He kept his razor on a high shelf, well out of the reach of curious young hands.
My uncle, now in his mid-80s, has been generously giving me some of his "old things" as he never had children. He sent me to an upstairs bedroom at our family's summer cottage recently to retrieve some tobacco pipes that he wanted to give me. While getting the pipes from a dresser drawer, I noticed two straight razors in well-worn cases. I knew he shaved with a 45-year-old Super Speed and "Burma Shave", which is what he still refers to canned shaving cream as! I asked him about the straights, and wondered who they belonged to. He had forgotten they were even there, and yes, they were "Dad's" razors. He knew little about them, except that they were in with some personal effects that came into his possession when Gramps died. After promising to give them a good home with lots of care and respect, Uncle B passed them on to me!!
One is a Black Demon, by T. Noonan & Sons of Boston. It is of German manufacture. The other one has no brand name on the razor, indicates that it is warranted, and comes from New York. It does have a 'R' inside a diamond trademark. The "no-name" must have been Gramps' favorite. It has a bit of hone wear, and seems to have been favored toward the heel when honed. Amazingly, it only took a few strokes on a Swaty hone to get it sharp enough to use. The Black Demon, on the other hand, looks to have not been used as much but is in need of a complete bevel reset in the hands of a good honemeister . . .
Shaving with my grandfather's straight razor is a great feeling, bringing back strong memories of a man that had a huge influence on who I am today.
How many others on B&B are as fortunate as I find myself to be? Anybody have any clue who may have made the no-name?
