Thread: Thebigspendurs weekly shaving brainbuster

Good morning shaving fiends. This weeks question will be a multiple choice.

Here's the scenario: You and your significant other are away on a backpacking trip and on the third day out as you crawl into the sleeping bag she says to you, you haven't shaved in three days you get away from me.

So you stumble out and gather your Williams Soap and your Omega Boar Brush and your Pinaud Splash and your... Oh no... I left my straight on the bathroom counter. Now your desperate your days from the nearest store and you have five more days of hiking. So you figure I'm going to get out my trusty vintage buck bowie knife and my 4 Arkansas Stones from extra extra fine to medium I brought along and I'm going to make that puppy so sharp I'll shave with it, problem solved.

So is the correct answer?

A-I can very well get that puppy shaving no problem even if I shred my face
B-I'm not lame, I'd never be in that situation
C-I'll be sleeping outside with the Bears for the next few nights
D-What? you forgot your straight but remembered to bring 4 Arkansas Stones with you?
Your kicked off this site but you can join the Buck Forum.

All comedy aside this is serious. Can you get that bowie knife sharp enough to shave with?

Stay tuned on wednesday for the exciting answer!

Ummm, I vote D. I will check Wednesday to see the "right" answer though.

I don't know about a Buck, but I could shave with My Ka-Bar knife. Otherwise my answer is B.

A buck can be sharpened and will do the job but if shredding of the face is anticipated, raw flesh may draw some bears.
With the need to shave not being a threat to health or welfare.
I say "C".
Rather look like a bear, then to draw them in looking for me.

I have to say A. I can be stupid enough to pack two of every part of my shaving gear, but forget the most obvious part. And also, I am stuborn enough that once I set out to get that knife sharp enough to shave, I won't stop, even if I have to sacrifice some skin in the process.

I vote "A"


If you'd said, "I can get that puppy shaving like a W&B" I'd have picked something else. But, if you don't care about keeping the edge very long, don't care about shredding your face a bit, and the steel wasn't made in pakistan, I suspect you "could" get almost any lump of steel sharp enough to scrape the hair off your face.

I've done it with a $25 pocket knife.

Just look what millions of people accomplish with a Mach 3

I'm going with A followed closely by D. It sure wouldn't be pretty, but that knife is a big improvement on the old Roman technique- they used, as I understand, hammered curved peices of iron. Yowza!

On YouTube there's footage of a guy shaving with a paring knife so why not shave with a Bowie knife? If the steel is good I guess you would be able to get a decent shave. Maneuverabilty will be problem in some areas but other than that it should be doable.

But of course we'd love to see your face before you're rushed off to the nearest plastic surgeon's emergency room.

That's Murray Carter. He knows a thing or two about honing. Theoretically, you could get it to shave. Unfortunately i don't know the wilderness herbal rescue for that severity of razor burn!

Originally Posted by ben.mid

Unfortunately i don't know the wilderness herbal rescue for that severity of razor burn!

I believe the manly treatment would be to use South American soldier ants to pinch the wounds closed, then heat your bowie knife in the camp fire until it's red hot, and use that to cut the bodies off the ants, leaving the heads and jaws in place as "natural stitches."