What is the point of a barbers notch?
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What is the point of a barbers notch?
I have heard that the barbers notch was made so the barber could open the razor with one hand by hooking the notch in something, like a pocket, and pull the blade out of the scales.
//Victor
That's the response I got when I asked that same question several weeks ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by woork
There is that. I've also heard that it's to make it easier to get in around facial contours like under your nostrils.Quote:
Originally Posted by woork
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Originally Posted by stdreb27
I don't mean to be rude, but searching before posting is a good idea. The databases are there to serve as a wealth of knowledge, and having several threads about specific questions makes that database less-easy to access/search since the information is not consolidated, not no mention somewhat cluttered and larger (number of threads/data size, which will require more space on servers and more processor power/time to search through).Quote:
Originally Posted by lawman2
PS I will freely admit that I have most likely started new threads when there was an old one already active, but I try not to.
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Originally Posted by stdreb27
There is no point to a barbers notch, if there was, it would be a Spanish Point....;)
Sorry I just could not resist, I really did try :D
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Originally Posted by holli4pirating
What do you see when you do a search for "barber's notch"? I just did one, and it came up with a list that shows mostly threads that contain someone's razor that the describe as having a barber's notch. So, in this case the search function did not prove to be all that effective.
Reason #2 for just opening up a new discussion is that it allows others who may not have thought to ask the question (or to search the databases for that question) a chance to reflect upon the question so posed and to glean the knowledge, musings, opinions and balderdash that is sure to follow.
Now, to the original question:
In reality, the original barber's notch was designed to open a bottle of beer after a long day at the barber shop...however, the inventor, a Mr. Judson "Lefty" McKensington after his first attempt, and subsequent severing of two or three of his fingers (he did however get the beer opened...) realized that wasn't such a great idea....
But the other barbers thought that it "looked cool" and differentiated a "barber's" razor from the ones the great unwashed masses were using. They started charging two bits for a shave after that point in time.
I really don't buy the idea that it helps shave around nostrils, etc. Who here has utilized their barber's notch for shaving around a nostril? I feel that is yet another old barber's tale.
I'm sticking with my story above!;)
True. If you search for "barber notch use" or "barber notch purpose", you find the answer, though, as that narrows down the list.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
Agreed; if we were to refrain from posting simply because the topic has been discussed previously, there would not be a lot left to say. It is also very easy to refrain from replying to a topic you have no interest in as you have seen it before :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
Agreed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
:roflmao :rock:Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
Judson "Lefty" McKensington was also of great reknown, for other reasons, as you shall soon see.
After his bottle opening incident, he developed an aversion to beer.
His hand also hurt him quite severely for some time afterwards. So, he started in on "the hard stuff", for medicinal purposes only, you realize!;).....one thing lead to another, and soon enough, old Lefty was drinking on the job in the barbershop.
One day as he was, umm, "self-medicating", a very important client came in...a big tipper you know, but he was a man of very conservative values, and was chairman of the local Prohibition lobby. So old Lefty, quick as a lick, took the flask from his lips and emptied it into a nearby bottle of herbal hair tonic....
And that's how Bay Rum aftershave was invented. Honest!
can't someone be lazy for once? :gaah: lol i'm just giving you a hard time.Quote:
Originally Posted by holli4pirating
I did however search, but "point of a barbers notch" didn't bring anything up.
"Most people hate the taste of beer - to begin with. It is, however, a prejudice that many people have been able to overcome."Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
Winston Churchill
The problem with most forum software is that the search function is so terribly bad at bringing you relevant information (since it just searches for a word and doesn't rank the information that much). One way around this is to use Google to search this site, which works quite well, or we should get all important info up on the wiki! :)
The Barber's Notch was put into the blade to improve balance! ;)
I understand that searches don't always provide the results expected but I agree w/ Holli. I'm not complaining because I feel everyone should be able to ask any questions that fit in the forums but I wonder how many of the members that have been around for a while just skip past threads that have been asked over and over again and eventually just fade out of the group. Gotta say it has crossed my mind more than once.
Why have a forum at all then? Just have a wiki page with all pertinent info.:hmmm:
I say "NO!":nono:
It's not like the same question asked again and again is wasting our precious time....c'mon guys, we're here precisly for the sake of wasting our time! It sure beats working!:p
And the thing that was added for balance were the scales, and thus came the name for them: "scales" as in balance.
I don't know if that's true or not, but I have decided to use this thread as a clearinghouse of various fables, half-truths, tall tales, and such....:D
Nahhh, it's a self correcting/balancing thing. As long as you have an influx of newbies there will always be someone willing/wanting to impart information that they have just acquired. It gives everyone a chance to contribute. If almost all the population has moved past it and skip it then the poster will probably revert to putting more time and effort into a more extensive search. As long as older members continue to deal with more advanced/new issues and topics they remain for that. You know, like waiting on... who was it? ... to post further results and observations on something like a ceramic razor :wQuote:
Originally Posted by Joed
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
At first I thought the wiki was a necessity... and then I had an epiphany re: your above statement.
Also: when straights were in their heyday, ONLY BARBERS were allowed to use razors with the above mentioned notch.
If you look in the old catalogs, it stipulates that "razors with this configuration are only salable to professionals who have passed all necessary licensure etc etc."
It was a way for the customer to determine if the guy shaving them was, in fact, a licensed professional.
So there you have it!;)
Of course, I am lying.
A careless worker at Wade & Butcher was grinding a round point and took a divot out while rounding the end. Rather then regrind the razor he had a brainstorm and created the barber's notch. His co-workers took a look and all of them said that looks really cool and the barber's notch was born. :w
Thanks Quick. I know for a fact that when I only had a few months in the group I was very happy to reply to threads just as this one and came to the same realization after pondering my post above. Maybe it's the winter fatigue setting in that is making me so grouchy. :shrug: Lately some of the posts have just been setting me off like "Can you suggest a good Tony Miller Strop?" when there has just been a lot of new threads in the past few weeks addressing just that topic. Not saying the person asking is wrong for asking, just lazy or lost any my feeling is why should I spend my time on this if he isn't willing to spend the time to look. Like I say, probably just the winter fatigue, but from a lot of the replies in this post and others, it looks like the 'fatigue' is spreading. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick
The winters in upsate NY are particularly looong as well! My wife grew up in Syracuse.
Our story continues, as "Lefty" McKensington became a source of much razor misinformation that is with us to this day. Let's take a look, shall we?
Before his "barber's notch bottle opener incedent" he had actualy been a quite skilled barber capable of a BBS shave for even the most wire-bearded of customers, with nary a nick or irritation.
He did invent bay rum aftershave, but was so inebriated at the time, he failed to patent the special blend, and soon enough other establishments began copying his olfactory innovation.
As has been seen, old Lefty had fallen from grace, and had started hitting the sauce pretty hard. He also began putting in a bit too much of the rum in his bay rum aftershave! The stuff was close to 100proof:eek:. He did this to alleviate having to keep track of which bottles were for drinking, and which were for aftershave. He wanted to have swig close at hand, so he made them all high-alcohol content. It was like a giant mojito, except with bay leaves and spices instead of mint. Lefty wasn't too particular by that time...
Well, after a particularly close shave, he was dashing some of his newfangled bay rum on his client, and the fellow about jumped out of his chair. "Gosh-Dangit, Lefty! That stuff about set my face afire!"
"Keep yer shhirt on, young feller....*hic*, it washn't the aftershhhhhhave that gave ya that burning shenshation.. *hic* , take a lookey here....see? That there is a canvas strop, and when I commence to stropping my razooooor on there, it heats the edge, ya see? Friction, my boy, friction....kids today, they jusht don't pay attention.....what was I saying? *hic* Anyhows, that canvas strop heats up the blade so as I can shave ya like a hot knife through buttah, I guess I shoulda let it cool off a touch afore giving you a shave, as you apparently are one of those 'thin skinned' gentlemen, and I musta scalded ya..."
"Did I just see you drink some of my aftershave?" the customer replied, aghast...
So, there you have it, that's where the lie of the canvas strop heating the edge came from originally. Other barbers began to use the excuse as well when they had a customer complain of burning or irritation,and thus it became legend...
You just go and try to find THAT kind of real world info on the Wiki, or search function!:nj
Well I'm in phase #2 of the ceramic razor testing...Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick
I'm letting it sit on my desk, unoiled, to see how long it will take to rust.
:p
Ya know, I was thinking if you can get a ceramic razor edge to 1 micron (way too sharp?) is it just beyond resonalbe capability to get it to 2 or 3 or 4 or whatever microns or round it to something ideal for shaving? The edge would last almost forever wouldn't it?
The idea of the "too sharp" ceramic razor is a lie concocted by Kyocera because they didn't want to make razors (perhaps a descendant on "Lefty' McKensington works there now). I think it is because they perhaps made one, not knowing how to use a straight in the first place, they cut themselves, and then figured it was because the razor was "too sharp".Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick
My razor is honed to 0.1um, and yet it did not cleave through my face, nor did it do such a good job at cutting whiskers. Although upon further reflection I may need to re-adjust my shave angle (steeper)...:hmmm:
And to keep the discussion on-topic, ny ceramic razor does not have abarber's notch, although perhaps that's what is keeping it from greatness!;)
lol, turning into an old grump I see. If I hadn't posted the repeat (which I was sure at the time was a repeat) I would have missed this.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joed
(see below)
lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
I'm an old grump on a good day.:mad: Ya don't want to see me when I really have something to complain about.:rant: :mace: :medvl: :chop: :DQuote:
Originally Posted by stdreb27
Thing is most never see it coming and usually can't trace it back to me. :nj
This one was added to the Wiki's FAQ article a couple of days ago :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Stuggi
Whoa...WHOA NOW, Matey!Quote:
Originally Posted by hoglahoo
You are stating as fact in the Wiki that the barber's notch is there for opening the razor, and yet there is no certainty as to that actually being the reason why it is there!
I think that it should read as:
A razor can just as easily be opened with one hand by flipping a finger on the monkey tail.Quote:
I is commonly believed that the barber's notch is there to assist in the opening of the razor.
However, there may be other explanations as to it's origins and use, as the original intent may be lost in antiquity, and it may in fact be only a stylistic addition to the razor.
C'mon, I need to hear more! Does "Lefty" move from bay rum onto the hard stuff - Barbicide?
:rofl2: You should go watch Grand Turino. I aspire to be that good of a grumpy old man...Quote:
Originally Posted by Joed
We cannot begin to overestimate the impact on straight razor shaving that Judson "Lefty" McKensington has had. It's actually a somewhat cautionary tale, as the actions of one man, and the stories perpetrated by him have colored all that has come after for generations, that we are still to this day, trying to get to the bottom of.
So far we have Lefty as:
The originator of the reason for the Barber's notch use in razors.
The inventor of Bay Rum
The originator of the outright lie of canvas stropping heating the razor's edge.
Let's see what other tangled webs Mr. McKensington has woven.....
Lefty's shop continued doing a rather brisk business, based largely on his former reputation as a skillful barber garnered before his fall into debauchery.
Now for some time, old Lefty held off on hitting the sauce until after noon, to try and keep some semblance of decency. So, his morning customers would actually recieve a pretty decent shave, whereas his afternoon customers were likely to be subject to whatever Fate had in store for them in the chair of the barber with the red shot eyes...
As has been seen so many times in the human condition, once the "man taking a drink" has turned to "the drink taking the man", anything can happen.
Lefty's "Happy hour" starting time began to creep earlier in the day....
11:30a.m "Just to sharpen up a touch..."
Next it was at 10:25a.m "Gotta keep the hands steady..."
Soon enough the clink of Lefty's special blend bay rum bottles was happening at 9:15a.m after his first two customers of the day.
That soon fell to taking a hearty swig before even unlocking the front door to open for business "Fortifictaion to face the day!"
Well, soon enough, old Lefty began actually resenting the constant intrusion of a steady stream of customers clamoring for a shave..."Can't a man get a moment's peace in this town!?"
One day Lefty had had enough.
The front door bell jingled as a young man with a stubbly contenance ambled in...."I'd like a shave, good Sir..."
"Nope" replied Lefty "It'shh not gonna happen today...*hic*". The heavy aroma of bay rum hung in the air of the barbershop. It was 8:30 in the morning, it was a bright sunny day outside, yet the curtains had been drawn, leaving the shop in a twilight gloom.
"And why not, pray tell?" Inquired the young gent, squinting into the darkness.
"Well, you see...it's all about metalurgurgy...metallalagy...metaflallagyastfy.... GALDANGIT, it's about the metal!"
"Metallurgy?" interjected the young man.
"Isn't that what I just said!?" bellowed forth a rather cantankerous Mr. McKensington. "You see here, you young whipper-snapper *hic*, I shaved up a boat load of customers yesterday, and now the razors have to "rest" to allow them to regain their sharpness....you're not a barber, you wouldn't understand such intrictatacies... intracatatafies.....intratastrophies,....GALDANGIT , the details, you wouldn't understand such details! *hic*"
"Intricacies?" ventured the young man.
The young gentleman was a student at the University, and having an open and impressionable mind, this seemed to make some sort of sense. He also heard Mr. McKensington say something he didn't quite catch about "the razor needing to re-lign the teeth..." or some such thing, which also sounded quite interesting.
However, in truth, old Lefty was growing hot under the collar, and had began to mutter under his breath threats to the young man that if he didn't leave the establishment immediately, Lefty was going to "re-arrange" the young man's teeth, vis a vis the knuckle-sandwich!:eek:
The young man did leave the shop, and upon being questioned by his chums as to why he was still be-whiskered, the young man told them with all seriousness of the need for razors to rest, the re-aligning of the teeth at the edge of the razor, and all the rest...
And there you have the origin of the lie that razors need to "rest"
:D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
LOL, and the myth of the strop heating the steel too. "Lefty logic" makes sense now... but that might be due to my current state of inebriation. Takes one to know one and all that.
Well I've heard that poor Lefty's demise came one sad day when he was liberally partaking of his bay rum and the time came to close up the shop for the day. As the final customer was leaving, Lefty, needing another drink AND wanting to put his barber tools into the bleach jar he used to clean things, got the process kinda mixed up in his head, and managed to put his combs and scissors in the bay rum and take a drink of the bleach. He seized up, and dropped dead on the spot. Apparently the final customer of the day was a chemist of some sort in the process of making a sterilization solution, and when a passerby asked him what Lefty had drank that caused him to keel over so abruptly, the chemist jokingly replied, "barbicide."
It was of course then that the chemist, Maurice King, hit upon the perfect name for his sterilization solution for barbers.
Maybe Seraphim has heard this story and can make sure that I'm getting it right.
I think that replying with the appropriate link or search parameters saves a lot of time & encourages people to do the search themselves.
Admit to it, guys: YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS FOR!! :p the barber's notch... nice reading though. It sure does beat working, I tell you. Reading this... not a barber's notch.
I for one, have a safe explanation: it looks different, it's a style thing... and hey! you can open the razor with one hand! And what's this?! I can shave around my nostrils! Hurra! And I can open a bottle! ARGH! No I cannot... err... can someone call the doctor...
... please...
I...
think... I'm...
... fainting...
mommy?...