Thread: My Thoughts on Those Very Old Straight Razors

That Very Old Straight Razor

I have often wondered why I have such a fascination with the older straight razors. Could it be that my curiosity is sparked by an unknown link to the past? Am I fascinated because the razor holds a story that can no longer be told? More often than not, the razor in your hand belonged to a forgotten man. I believe that no one should be ever be forgotten…

As I carefully hold an old razor in my hands, I see so much more than a couple bucks worth of steel sandwiched between two pieces of cheap plastic or colorful celluloid. I see life that has passed…

I see personality written on the worn and scratched blades of every razor I pick up. Some things are evident. Most are not. Who was this man? What was he like? Could this razor have been a gift from his family? Is this the razor that was used more than the others? Was it the “Sunday” shaver, or was this his only razor? Did that nick on his nostril from the morning shave became the pattern of events for the day. What were the curse words he used to celebrate the event? Is anyone still around who has a memory of him or can still recall the sound of his voice? Questions like this will forever be without answers. But, I still ask them every time I come across another old straight razor.

Those shoulderless razors conjure up the most speculation. I can’t help but imagine a late 1800’s journey of a new Wade~Butcher razor riding in a tattered wooden box stored neatly under the seat of the oxen-led wagon as it headed west from Iowa. Somehow I just know it wound up making passage through the muddy streets of a new town called Tombstone. Could it have been the razor used in the barber shop on Fremont Street? And if that were the case, look at the faces it shaved. Awesome! Just awesome!

Just as fascinating are the razors with noticeable hone wear on the spine, telltale signs of life from years and years of daily use. I see this worn blade as evidence of more frugal times. Times, I’m sure, that would have challenged the best of us today. I sometimes think that the uneven wear near the tip of the razor got there for a reason other than just the inability to hone the razor properly. Maybe this razor belonged to a man who sported a mustache or goatee. Since the tip was used extensively to trim the all important outline of the hair growth, more attention to this area of the blade was given on the hone and strop. The slight upward curvature probably reduced the instances of unwanted cuts and made the mechanics of the shave a tad more efficient. Am I the only one to wonder about these things?

It provides a sense of accomplishment knowing that, by restoring these important tools of Americana, part of that man who is no longer with us will live on just a little bit longer. That is important to me. That razor can now have a new life with someone else rather than continue to rust away in a forgotten Van Dyke cigar box in the attic. Maybe it will once again be used on a daily basis for another forty years. Maybe it will be passed down to future generations. Maybe it will just sit behind some glass for people to look at. Maybe it will tell stories of its own to people like me.

What are your thoughts?