Thread: Barber Text

If you haven't seen this book yet you may find it quite helpful. Especially the sections on hones and honing, strops and stropping. Also good info on razors. Oh, and the section on shaving is very good too.

http://www.archive.org/details/pract...cien00thorrich

Scott

cool!

thnx

Great read . . . and yet another proponent of "just heavy enough on the strop to feel the razor draw" and my favorite "rapid movement is necessary"

Ahhhh, to be able to read something were the author actually knows what he is talking about.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

... and my favorite "rapid movement is necessary"

I was wondering if you'd catch that

Scott

I'm going to have to print this out and study it. There's a lot here that flies in the face of our accumulated wisdom.

Using a coticule dry or with lather? "Hand finishing" the canvas daily? Using the canvas to refresh an edge that's become "too smooth" ... It boggles the mind.

It is cool to see that we have a lot right, too. Like learning to hone on a junker.

One thing I agree with is the statement that a beginner shouldn't use a hone that's too fast. I think it's a lot harder for us learning to hone today because we're starting with razors that are no where near three to six strokes from sharp. (Even our factory edges are probably in the range where they recommend sending the razor to a professional cutler... Don't try that today. ) And then we start learning to hone on a Norton, which is good because it's fast but is also tricky because it's fast.

Imagine if we all started out with a professionally honed blade and a slow barber hone or coticule to maintain the blade. Of course, there's still a lot of skill that needs to be developed, but it might be a good place to start, anyway.

Thanks for the thought-provoking read.

Josh

I'm with Josh in that I, too, am going to print this out and study it. My barber loved the 1950 Standard Textbook of Barbering that I lent to him so I think he'd love to see this as well. It covers so much information. Many thanks for posting this link, Scott.

Thanks Scott. I'm about to dig in.

Originally Posted by honedright

I was wondering if you'd catch that

Scott

I also loved the section about barber hones . . . that stuff on Carborundums being either fast or slow depending on the one chosen.

Simply an amazing cornacopia of valid data presented very concisely.

Most embarrassingly Scott, I stropped up my razor using just the right amount of pressure and used just the right amount of speed and you know what? That edge stuck to my finger on the thumbpad test like glue!

What do you guys make of the implication that the linen is used to rough up a blade that's gotten too smooth from stropping on leather? Has anyone experienced something that bears this out?

Josh

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

What do you guys make of the implication that the linen is used to rough up a blade that's gotten too smooth from stropping on leather? Has anyone experienced something that bears this out?

Josh

Josh, no expert me, but I'll say that in my experience it sounds reasonable.

I've had edges that were starting to dull and I did several (60ish) strokes on the linen and it brought the edge back to a shaveable condition. That was probable too many and I could've accomplished the same result with much less, but I'm still learning.

I think it's certainly a feasible idea. Then again, take my experience with a box of salt until I get as experienced as Scott or Alan or Lynn