Thread: The Wall Of Shame

I sent him a question that he has such an informative page & wanted to know his expertise on the barbers notch & what it is for. I then clicked on Follow Seller so he'll think I'm serious. It will show I am following him on his eBay. I guess we'll see if he answers.

Another "100% SHAVE READY!" gem from the same seller


"This is the type of shave where you know you are shaving! You can hear and feel the whiskers being rattled off your face!"

"It was the smoothest of shaves; it was the gatling gun of shaves"
-Charles Dickens

Well, I got a reply to my question. Some of it is already the same thing as we have all heard but he also has some other reasons which kinda made me laugh. He mentioned how it may have been helpful in the manufacture of the blade which made me laugh but we all have our own ideas. I really don't see how the notch was helpful in the manufacture of the blade though. I have seen many suggestions on here but never that one I don't think. When he said that it faded out so it just tended to be in the 19th century is certainly wrong because it is still being adapted today & I do believe it does help shaving closely around the nostrils or mustache & also around the ears but that is just my opinion like we all have our own. The main thing is his listings are so funny how he describes some of his items, especially the scratches on the W&B. I did thank him for his reply. You never know..............someone might just come up with some real answer one day which would be documented.

Q~Hi
I saw your listing & after seeing that you are very informative on straight razors, can you tell me what the barbers notch is for? I have been so confused about how it came into use & what for? I greatly appreciate your expertise.

A~Hello,
Thank you for an Excellent albeit difficult question. Most contemporary thought as to the use of the "Barber's Notch" was so that the barber could open the razor with one hand out of his pocket or off the counter … considering perhaps the other hand was full of shaving soap. There are some that postulate that the curves in the notch somehow help to trim a mustache around the nostrils! I don't know about that one! There also is a theory that the notch was helpful in the manufacture of the blade. I personally think it was a stylistic thing, it was just added to make the razor "pretty" and sooner or later that style faded out so it just tended to be in the 19th century. Truth is, there is NO primary source information on what the purpose of the notch was … it would be GREAT if someone could turn it up and turn on the light for all of us to finally understand this long forgotten purpose! Again, GREAT questions and thanks for asking, I hope it shed a little light on this question!
Best,
Zolly

Not a bad response really, considering no one really knows and he as much admitted that too.

At least he didn't make any claims as fact only regurgitated whats already been theorized by everyone...

The all elusive mystery of the Barber's notch.....no comment....if it ever gets solved (that is ever) I want to be there front and center to hear the explanation of it for sure.

I've often wondered if the barber's notch was an evolution of the Spanish point - as blades became wider, they used the same grinder to make the notch which resulted in a notch not as wide as the blade itself. If the notch was popular for ease of opening the razor, it would make sense to position it near the spine when it was no longer the full width of the blade. Just a theory...

Earlier 6/8 Spanish point:




Later 8/8 barber's notch:

Sounds like a good theory to me.

"Shave ready" Worsty..
LINK:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/STRAIGHT-...IAAOSwa-dWk8qp

"THE RAZOR IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION , IT IS HONED, STROPPED AND READY FOR SHAVE"

Originally Posted by jnats

Gentlemen, I have found the finest razor ever. In doing so I found out that all my stones I've collected are obsolete-- Now could we discuss the finer merits of honing to shave ready with a wire wheel on a grinder?

100% Shave Ready- (I had to wait a few hours until the auction I was in for ended- lost by $5, thanks for that whichever one of you that was )

Wade and butcher barbers use 100% SHAVE READY! Nary ONE INCH WIDE!

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It looks like it was sharpened on a barbed wire fence!.

You know who belongs on this wall of shame? You Guys.

Picking apart razors because they are not prime examples? Yes, That W&B FBU has grind marks.

So What? If you look close, you can see a very small bevel. No hone marks on the spine would simply be because he used tape, and multiple layers to achieve the small bevel. Do you know for a fact that it was HIM that ground the blade? I have received numerous razors that came out of the hands of fools with dremels or course sandpaper (which is what was used on that W&B)
If he were such a "shameful" seller, he would already have negative feedback. Do you see any complaints on his feedback that a razor was not actually shave ready?
Nor is it required that rust or pitting be removed in order for a razor to be shave ready. I have had MANY blades that were not worth restoring, that I have put into shave ready condition just so a new guy could try it out.
It is NOT shameful to put a picture up, and place an item for sale. Ridiculing somebody for doing it is.
<getting off of it now