If there is anything stupid about straight razors it would be the maintenance required to keep it sharp.
The rest is practice, on the journey to perfection.
The rest is practice, on the journey to perfection.
Straight razors are stupid
- Thread starter kcbrett
- Start date
He learned that from watching me!
So…that went well.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
That depends on your chosen maintenance routine. Using that diamond pasted hanging balsa strop routine only adds about 1 or 2 minutes to a shave and the blade should never need honing again.
Mind you, not using the diamond pasted balsa routine could overall take less time. Refreshing an edge on a stone say every two months may only take about 30 minutes or less verses the 1 to 2 hours total spent on diamond pasted balsa over two months. The advantage with the diamond pasted balsa routine is that you get a fresh edge every shave. For that, I will spend the extra time.
Don’t forget about the maintenance of the maintenance tools. Sometimes even the maintenance tool maintenance tools need to be maintained.
If I see the number of vintage Straight razors going around, there must have been quote a lot of barbers back then !
What about 7-day sets?
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One scenario could be that rich
folks had their own barbers
( maybe could ‘ve been a maid or
a butler of the...chateu ),
so they could shave daily ,thus the
seven day sets .
Furthermore the number of barbershops was much higher back then.Barbers might ’ve been using
such sets to avoid sharpening a single razor which most probably would ‘ve been getting a lot of daily use.
folks had their own barbers
( maybe could ‘ve been a maid or
a butler of the...chateu ),
so they could shave daily ,thus the
seven day sets .
Furthermore the number of barbershops was much higher back then.Barbers might ’ve been using
such sets to avoid sharpening a single razor which most probably would ‘ve been getting a lot of daily use.
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Only problem with a pasted strop is that it will take the bluing, gold wash, paint, and frost/etching off of the blades you use it on. Otherwise if you’re not concerned with looks, it a fantastic way to maintain your edge. I wasn’t thinking and took a NOS Puma 222 to a Diamond strop and it fouled up the etching a little bit. So, for me I only use pastes on razors with no design on the blade.
Number one maintenance suggestion, keep it dry when not in use, in a cool(especially if vintage) dry place.
It’s tough early on, but if you stick with it, soon you’ll be on the road to victory!
I’ve been humbled by a few razors and even cut a couple times, but those instances are far in the minority when compaired to the number of excellent shaves I’ve received.
best wishes!
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
All my SR's have some form of decoration on the face, including some with gold wash. All of my SR's are maintained after each shave with a 0.1μm diamond pasted hanging balsa strop.
None of my SR's show any sign of deterioration of the decoration on their faces.
I don't know what you did with your Puma 222 to foul the etching with a diamond pasted balsa strop. Very strange.
Would you mind sharing the source of the claim that straight razors were invented for shaving a second party, and not oneself? If that is correct, how did guys shave themselves (which I believe many did) during the industrial revolution in the 19th century. The safety razor I understand is a fairly recent innovation.
It's universally acknowledged that straight razors are better for the skin. Women even remove the 'peach fuzz' with them.
The post shave feel is unique and has to be experienced
The post shave feel is unique and has to be experienced
I think it’s fairly obvious .
Once upon a time every neighbourhood had it’s barber or
even more than one .Meaning that
MOST men were getting a shave from
a barber and not by themselves .
This started to rapidly decline once
the safety razor became the popular
tool for shaving .
Of course back then ,there were men
who used a straight to shave by themselves.But they were the minority
( as they still remain nowadays).
Me thinks the minority is always
the “exception” and never the “rule”.
If straight razors were made for shaving oneself ,safety razors ,cartridge and electrics would have never been as popular as they eventually had or have become.
Maybe you're not as rough with them as I am LOL.
I had a Dovo loose a lot of the gold wash on its spine, discoloration on near the edge and blue loss on a blue diamond and edge discoloration near the edge on a red imp. YMMV item for sure, but one thing is for sure the razors were always very sharp after using the pasted strop.
This proposal is a bit disingenuous. Yes, prior to the appearance of wedge blade razors, shaves were commonly received at a barber shop. However, a well put together man, of reasonable means, would certainly have and use a straight, from the Crimean War onward. Senior officers would have a barber, junior officers generally would not, but if one were an officer and a gentleman, one would be clean shaven. This was a distinctly European model.
Straights are comparatively delicate, and require both reasonable care and reasonable storage, and in that respect, we will agree- they were more commonly the domain of barbers for the common class. Gentlemen, however, are not common, and appearance is a part of that. The proliferation of wedge razors, immediately prior to the SE/DE explosion demonstrate the growing demand for personal care.
Straights are comparatively delicate, and require both reasonable care and reasonable storage, and in that respect, we will agree- they were more commonly the domain of barbers for the common class. Gentlemen, however, are not common, and appearance is a part of that. The proliferation of wedge razors, immediately prior to the SE/DE explosion demonstrate the growing demand for personal care.
Barber tools like most other trade tools even today would be utilitatian and not decorative. The kind of ornamental work like gold plating, etching and scales of bone, ivory, horn and grand designs directly hint at personal mark of affluence. Example the more expensive ornamental Gillette and Gem razors plated in Gold and considered elite (We are not talking tech here, but the elitist rare models)
Barbers would buy the cheapest out there with good quality steel due to the kind of rough use and honing stropping where such delicate artwork and gold etching wouldn't survive.
7-day sets can't work for barbers as well for the same razor. They would have multiple razors and a razor a day would'nt make sense.
Any old movies in black and white have ample shaving scenes at home and railway stations where personal shaves using a straight are common.
The fantastic marketing used on razors "Our very best" and such would'nt be needed by barbers - they know their razors and steel. However put up in a shop where a guy goes to buy his first budget or the more upmkarket shave razor would attract with the gold plating and artwork and such bling
Further blade widths like 4/8, 5/8, 6/8 etc have specific purpose. Barber use only razors would have this big heavy wedge with a barber notch onnly which would last long and not the later hollow, half and full hollow which being more expensive to make and would wear out much faster with repeated daily rough use and aggressive honiny and stropping.
Still ,we’re referring to a minority .
Can not really comprehend in
what way my proposal can be
“disingenuous”.
Most men never used a straight razor to shave themselves and still don’t.
And there has to be at least one good reason for this .
Can not really comprehend in
what way my proposal can be
“disingenuous”.
Most men never used a straight razor to shave themselves and still don’t.
And there has to be at least one good reason for this .
Don’t know if I agree about life being about poetry? But your post on SR shaving seems to match my thoughts also.
SORRY!!
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