Good day to all of you.
I'm Joost Moree and Dutch. I'm a newby here but not completely ignorant in the straight razor field. Some 38 years ago when I spend a weekend in the province of South Limburg I made a trip with some buddy's and our later wives,, to Aix-la-Chapelle (the German Aachen) and we (not the women) bought a 5/8th J.A. Henckels just to give it a masculin try. And a simple handle type strop. Used it for some years now and then but only in the weekends cause the ritual took more time than the exercise with the double edge safety razor.
Then the scales broke. And the razor was lost in neglect. In the seventees there where no media like Internet so "googling" for a new pair of scales was beyond comprehension. Some year and a half ago when I moved I found the handicapped razor again. With a carbon copy of a letter I wrote to the firm where I bought it in order to obtain a new pair of scales. Without result.
The razor triggered me. It had some pitting here and there but very superficial. A fine steelbrush and some honing and stropping later (I'm a Japanese cutlery addict so I have all the tools from 2.000 grit stone consecutively up to the finest horseleather and all the fun things in between ) and I was in the mood again.
I had enough of the four to five fold shaving crap in one, which - though i can afford it - don't want to buy any more at a price of € 3.00 a piece. I bought a safety razor. And a bunch of Derby blades (one of the many top products from Turkey). And at some auction two Gillette Fat Boys ('58 en '60) in pristine shape.
For the shave in the morning of labour days when time is restricted and the prospect for another traffic jam is not relaxing.
But then there is the weekend!
Thank God there is hair growing on my cheeks, chin and neck! And then I'm going to do something against it.
With the G. Wostenholm or the Manhattan Cutlery Sheffield; the Wade and Butcher; the Filarmonica 8/8 or with the . . . .
Every morning I'm looking forward to the ritual. I'm home again.

Yours,
Joost