Thread: Did our grandfathers shave with blunt razors?

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Need vs Want

All other typing is superfluous

That's the answer right there.

You don't need much to have a razor in good serviceable condition and back in those days sharpening was available at your local barber or from traveling folks who did it. Few worried about honing to the nth degree.

I still have razors in my rotation that were finished on the Norton 8. Also some with pastes. They all still shave great. If you have a well established bevel, it does not take much to keep it going. My great grandfather was a daily shaver, and he had two small hones and pasted strops as well as linen and leather.

Yes, if you rarely need to do a complete honing job from bevel set to shave ready all you may need is a finisher and some strops including a pasted one as well as the linen and leather. Most of the time that is where I am at now. Note to self to buy some razors needing bevel repair/set and honing to keep things interesting.

Bob

Dull? Probably not, sharp enough? More likely.

To answer the opening poster's question: I think the answer is yes, and I also think that is one of the reasons for the elaborate skin preparation you get from a traditional barber.

It’s not the first time this topic has been discussed here. I find this article from The Atlantic very informative. Although I am not sure I can agree with the fear of cutting ones throat part.

Where the enlightened 18th century had favored a civilized, clean-shaven look, men of the mid-19th century preferred the untamed appearance of the rugged conqueror. But while facial hair ultimately became a potent symbol of mastery, it didn’t start out that way. If anything, men first adopted beards in a desperate attempt to alleviate the painfulness of their morning toilet.

Without the assistance of their former barbers, shavers had to contend with the 19th-century straight razor. A delicate and temperamental tool, its paper-thin blade required regular, careful maintenance. Even the simplest misstep could ruin it, turning the morning shave into a tug-of-war between men and their facial hair. Still, this was preferable to the alternatives. Men were known to die of tetanus after using an ill-kept blade—Henry David Thoreau’s brother John was one of them. And many lived in fear of cutting their own throats.

Originally Posted by Badgister

It’s not the first time this topic has been discussed here. I find this article from The Atlantic very informative. Although I am not sure I can agree with the fear of cutting ones throat part.

That reminds me of when we were searching the death records in a small town outside of Belfast looking for my Wife's relatives. We were surprised at the cause of death listed on may records as something like "accidentally slit throat while shaving". Then again suicide was strictly frowned upon back then for religious reasons. Still, maybe a few actually did do it accidentally.

Bob

Many thanks for all the well thought out replies.
Photographs of both my grandfathers taken around the turn of the century (the one before last) show them both as clean shaven with a moustache. Likewise my wife's grandparents were clean shaven. My maternal grandfather would have had access to a barber. My paternal grandfather was a country blacksmith/agricultural engineer with no barber nearby. It's likely their hair was cut by their wives to save money.

Well, my ancestors are from Baghdad, and I remember my grandfather shaved with a DE. I once cut myself with a DE blade as child going through his medicine cabinet.

The generations before would get shaved at the barber, and in Baghdad men would often get shaved by the street barber.

Street Barber at Work,Baghdad. Library of Congress 1932

Originally Posted by Badgister

It’s not the first time this topic has been discussed here. I find this article from The Atlantic very informative. Although I am not sure I can agree with the fear of cutting ones throat part.

I live in fear of the wife cutting my throat.