Thread: The nerve of some people

I think part of it is the idea that razors are dangerous weapons- which is preposterous. Almost everyone I've told about my using a straight has made some quip about dark allies or gangs. If only people knew how wonderful it was. People have just gotten too used to thinking convenience is luxury. Personally, I've taken something I absolutely hated doing to something I quite enjoy.

People think I'm nutty with the hats too- I personally like the paperboy hats. I've always wanted to try a fountain pen. Tack on one more for the "eccentricities"

I quote myself, on receiving my first razor:

Originally Posted by ohlookaneagle

I showed my Mom, who proceeded to stare at me with an expression that can only be described as you’re-so-crazy-it’s-no-wonder-you-don’t-have-a-girlfriend. “You’re crazy,” she said.

“You ever doubted?” I inquired.

A long pause. She was thinking about it. “You’re crazy.”

I showed one of my younger brothers the razor, and he was puzzled. I had not really told him what I was up to lately. “You mean… to shave with?” I nodded; he was still puzzled. “Why did you spend money on that?”

That said, my family and my friends have known me to be an odd one for a very long time. I recognize the truth in this this; who would subject himself to four levels of Calculus if he was of sound mind? Unfortunately, this means I am crazy, as I do not posses enough wealth to be considered “eccentric.”

-Michael

Seems to be a theme here...

My response (as a new straight shaver -- sort of) to people who think I'm crazy, is to ask them if they can think of anyone historically who was killed or maimed while shaving with a straight, when such razors were in their heyday?

I mean, they were in common use for many decades, after clean-shaven men were the fashion but before disposables really hit critical mass. How many famous people of the period can anyone think of who's obit. reads "Famous movie actor dies due to a shaving accident" Or even maimed or scarred famous people? You'd think if they were that dangerous, there'd be at least some legends or tales about it.

At least one has heard anecdotes about people dying by falling down the stairs at their house, or people with burn scars from cooking. Yet, people shaved with straights everyday, or at least many days of the week.

My father was quite sceptical and dismissive of it.
I do however remember seeing him shave once with a mach 3. My god he is brutal with it. He acts like he is stripping the paint from the walls with it. He is also obsessed with using a really crappy shaving oil because 'he can see where he is shaving.' It doesn't excuse the fact that it burns your face off when you put it on!
I just let him be content with what he has got, he is too old and 'wise' to be influenced by my opinion so in the words of xman
'I know better and that is all that really matters'
Nick

I have always gone my own way. I never have cared what others have thought of me, hense my commando shaving.. I think you always should do what works for you.

• Straights - check
• Fountain pens - check ("stigma"? - I think they are very classy and also respected)
• Fedoras / similar hats - not my thing. Pens and straights I always found fascinating but never felt this for hats. Sometimes I wear a trucker hat (e.g. - oversleep, no time for shower, hair sticking in all directions - what else am I going to do?)
• Gas lamps - half check? - only for the villa or the country house, prefer to use in the open. Must admit that I am a fan of *modern* lighting (I used to read on candle light and that's not too much fun - only did it because we had a use regime and electricity was on and off throughout the day; I remember I set my hair on fire once, I was too involved in the book and was not paying attention )
• One of my biggest *oddities* is that I don't use shoes very much (when I do - it's mostly in stores, restrooms, and rock climbing) At work I only need shoes for higher level business meetings with clients / partners. Actually, sometimes the CEO starts walking around barefoot now

Cheers
Ivo

I wear a fedora, shave with a straight razor, and use a fountain pen. I have oil lamps in the house and burn wood in the fireplace (most of the neighbors have converted to gas logs). I do woodworking without electric tools because I hate the screeching sound and I like wood shavings better than sawdust.

Recently I needed a small sheet of copper for an art project. I thought I might find such a thing at Michael's or AC Moore. No such luck. A manager at Michael's told me that they used to carry small pieces of thin sheet metal, but they stopped. The reason he gave was that when you cut such a piece of metal with tin snips or shears, it leaves a very sharp edge and the company lawyers were afraid of the legal liability if someone got cut. I'm surprised they still sell Xacto knives!

I suppose I too fall into the 'eccentric' category, but thanks to all of you, I no longer feel like an outcast! I'm a 25-yr old engineering student - so I get my fill of the modern tech-driven world. I was raised with a wood burning stove for heat, which meant every weekend in the winter was spent in the bush stocking up our wood supply. I smoke a pipe. I play classical, not electric guitar. I handwrite with a fountain pen. And now, thanks to the influences of this group, I will soon incorporate the straight razor into my 'slightly off' lifestyle. I wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe we were all born about a hundred years behind schedule?!

Originally Posted by newbieshaver

Maybe we were all born about a hundred years behind schedule?!

I think I was born 150-200 years behind schedule. Welcome to the world of Straight Shaving.

Gosh! No wonder I feel so much at home here! I love hats! I wear them winter and summer. Fedoras, cowboy hats (but I've shaped them all with a fedora crown as my Akubra Snowy River), Irish walking hats, newsboy flat caps, even a couple deerstalkers. Fountain pens, yes! Had a Mount Blanc Diplomat once, but find I prefer my new Waterman Phileas, and my old Parker 21, also a Scheaffer No Nonsense fountain. I collect walking-sticks and always carry one when on foot. I started collecting them at age 10. A "Bat Masterson" TV show fan. My biggest collection is smoking pipes, over 70; but I've worked off and on full-time and part-time as a tobacconist since I was 18 in 1969. I suppose theatricality may be to blame for a lot of the eccentricities, I never have had any trouble fitting into period plays; including a tour with The National Shakespeare Company back in 1976. Great way to see the country and impart a little culture to the hinterlands.
I started using a shaving brush in mug back in high school (as did my dad) and bought my first straight at that time. It wasn't a very good one, so I didn't use it much. Bought a couple Double Ducks in 1977 from a barber supply and used them for several years, till I went back to a full beard in 1983 and my wife loved it. I wish this kind of an information source existed then; if it did I wouldn't have put the straights away in favor of my Merkur HD Slant bar at the time. I still use it, but not as much now that I've learned some very valuable techniques from this great group! Thank you all!