Thread: My Story

I've been thinking about straight razor shaving for a little bit. I'm a historian (historic preservation master program), and I love the idea of practicing part of history. One of my classmates started straight razor shaving and loves it. That pushed me over the edge, and I started looking at acquiring a razor.

I had a great-uncle who was an amazing person. Uncle Glenn was an inventor and entrepreneur. He invented everything from devices to save the lives of premature infants and brain surgery instruments to anti-recoil devices in tanks. He would start a company, run it until it was off the ground, sell it off, and reinvest the profits in the next one. He passed two years ago, and he is missed and remembered well.

So, being a poor graduate student, when I wanted to take up straight razor shaving, I called family members to see what they had before investing in new equipment. My grandfather still had Uncle Glenn's old razor, still in the original cardboard box it came in; strop; and hones. My grandfather gifted them to me tonight. It means a lot to me to have these treasures, more than I can express. Every time I shave, I'll be connected with the history of my family.

Here are a couple pictures of what I got:




The razor says W.H. Morley & Sons | Clover Brand | Germany, and the box says "Standard B.S.Co. | Omaha, Neb. | Made in Germany | "Joe's Best".

That is a great story, and WH Morleys are excellent shavers. Now, put it away and don't touch it until you learn how to use some other razor. It is easy to drop or ding your first razor, and that's why you don't want to do it with your first razor.

I will gladly hone that razor for you when you are ready to use it, but in the mean time you need a different razor to learn/practice/sacrifice with. You can find a cheap one in the classifieds. If you are truly poor, I will loan (I'm too close to unemployment to give) you a razor to learn with. You just don't want to start with a family heirloom.

Such an awesome story! Listen to Utopian and learn on something not so dear to you.

Originally Posted by Utopian

That is a great story, and WH Morleys are excellent shavers. Now, put it away and don't touch it until you learn how to use some other razor. It is easy to drop or ding your first razor, and that's why you don't want to do it with your first razor.

I will gladly hone that razor for you when you are ready to use it, but in the mean time you need a different razor to learn/practice/sacrifice with. You can find a cheap one in the classifieds. If you are truly poor, I will loan (I'm too close to unemployment to give) you a razor to learn with. You just don't want to start with a family heirloom.

That's a really excellent suggestion. I appreciate your generous offer to loan, but I can probably swing one of the razors from the classifieds. I will definitely take you up on your offer to hone it when the time comes though. Is there one currently being offered that you would recommend for a beginner?

I'll send you a PM.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I'll send you a PM.

Thank you so much.

Nice story!

May I ask what the circular thing-a-ma-bobber is?

Originally Posted by gull

Nice story!

May I ask what the circular thing-a-ma-bobber is?

Well, the rectangular stone (face down) is attached to a plexiglas box (face up) which, in the directions, says "finish with two to three strokes on a V finishing stone" so I'm guessing it's that. In pencil, it is lightly marked "CTT 125".