Hello from Nevada City Ca.
Let me start by saying what an awesome community you have here at SRP!
I can trace my facination with straight razors clear back to when I was abount 3 and would sit on the bathroom floor watching my dad shave with his straight razor. I was obsessed with the entire ritual he would go through from whipping up the hot lather to the splash of bay rum at the end. So much so that it wasn't long before my mother made him get rid of everything for fear that I was going to get ahold of his razor one day and try to shave myself undoubtably ending in a trip to the hospital or worse. So sadly I never got to learn from dad and slowly as the years passed I had all but forgoten about one day shaving this way. Except for the ocassional scene in a movie set in times past rarely would I ever see or hear anything about a straight razor.
Then one day about 10 years ago a stumbled onto a group of barbers at tattoo convention in so cal weilding their razors for any who desired a real shave. Even though I had shaved not more than a few hours earlier I couldn't pass on this oportunity to expierience this thing that once had me so spellbound. Needless to say I was instantly hooked. I was not only amazed at the how close of shave he was able to achieve, making my face smoother than I had even achieved only hours earlier with my disposable cartrige razor, but I loved the feeling of masculinty it had instilled in me.
I had thought a many times about learning to do it myself but figured it was going to be near impossible to find a razor and if I did who would teach me how to use it. So I just accepted accepted it would be luxury I would afford whenever I found another barber that still practiced the art.
Recently my fiance came across an article in the local paper about a local barber still praticing what she refered to as a "dying art". She touted she was "bringing back that old style barbershop expierience". So I made an appointment, huge mistake. To start her idea of a steam towel was a rag run under hot water. No badger brush here, fingertip appliaction only. The razor... the disposable kind. I was not impressed, but wait it gets better. She completely missed doing under my bottom lip and topped it by taking a huge chunk, yes I mean chunk out of my upper lip. It was one and done to, even I know you should at least get two if not three passes. Nope just one WTG. Although thinking back to the wound I had endured at her hand it was probably a good thing. Top it off with a terrible hair cut and her seeing no problem in charging $50 for this nightmare and that all but ruined the entire expierience.
So then and there I made up my mind. The only way I was ever going to be able to enjoy the feeling of straight razor shave was if I could find and learn how to use one. It took all of about 2 mintues of googling before I realized what I was missing out on. I had found a world and culture I had so wanted to be a part of clear back when I was 3. I was amazed at how much interest and involvement there was in the world of straight razors. Everything from the custom razors to the instrcutional how to DVD, I couldn't wait to get in and get started, I had found my calling! And that is how I ended up here.
I have yet to purchase my first razor however I do have a great leed on some. Through work I met a retired barber who has a collection of about 26 vintage razors, strops, honing stones and other misc. items. He claims they range from late 1800's to the newest being around 1960. Most being german made he could only name one being a double duck. He says he has little interest in them any more but that he knew they were of some value, adding that some were in ruff condition but that other may still be in near shave ready state. I am so anxious for him to bring them in. I am hoping to aquire a few if not the whole cache at a decent price. I'm sure I will have them in hand in the coming week. And from these I hope I can find the one I will call my first.
Sorry for the long post and if you have made it through this far I thank you for reading. I hope to be apart of this community for long time and learn all there is to know about this "Living and Breathing" art.
