Thread: What did grampa do ??

Don't know about grampa but the instructions I received with my first strop in '83 was don't oil or grease the working side only the reverse side & in a pinch lard would do if leather conditioner was not handy.

My grandfathers would probably been in their mid twenties when the Gillette safety razors started to appear. In all surviving photgraphs both have large moustaches. I think we underestimate the ability and resourcefulness of people back then.
I don't know what would suprise them most about today; computers, modern medicine and air travel or that men enjoy shaving as a hobby.

Back then , men were made of iron and the ships were made of wood.
Our grandfathers and fathers would look at many men today and think that the opposite now applies.

Originally Posted by altshaver

If you had a razor go bad for whatever reason, just buy a new one.

Thats was what I thinking.
I am sure back then razors didn't cost as much as they do now. The re-introduction into society and the collecting habits of most I think is what makes the price of a straight razor what it is today.

I think some of you're thinking with today's mindset. Back then we didn't have the throwaway society we have now. You bought something and it was made to last. Razors were more of a luxory item back then (Before the time of DE and the throwaway blade) and would have been almost essential to helping get cleaned up for the all important sunday services. The local barber wouldn't have been able to cater for everyone, so some of them had to own there own. I think they may have had more respect for them than some here believe, possibly as much as we have for them ourselves today.
To get back to the original idea with a little modification, how would you look after your razor in a given situation? And let's simplify by thinking along the lines of Great Grampa who was shaving before the advent of the DE...If that's OK with you NightBlade.



Mick

Nightblade,

This doesn’t answer your question but as far as WWI goes, this was the time when the Gillette was taking off. Many doughboys would have been issued safety razors because they were more compact and easier to maintain in the field. As much as I love the open razor, I’d have to agree.

But as for maintaining the straight razor in general, I don’t think the old timers had too much trouble. For them non-stainless steel was a way of life. They knew how to prevent rust and probably didn’t worry about gray and blue-black spots. If they did, a pinch of pumice would rub it out.

At one time, JR Torrey would rehone your razor and ship it back to you for 25¢. Bet they polished it too.

Photos from the US Civil war suggest few soldiers (even generals) were shaving or getting regular haircuts.

The US founding fathers are often painted in a state of cleanshaveness. Was this an artistic convention or were they really that smooth? Certainly some had slaves who could regularly barber them. The pre revolutionary French aristos relied heavily on makeup so again it’s hard to judge the degree of regular shaving.

In the days of sail, US and British warships often had a ship’s barber but shaving was probably a once a week affair for divine services or inspections.

I would love to see some concrete figures for the number of pre 1900 American men who were self shavers at home vs those who went to the barber shop.

I remain &C
LG Roy

I remember my grandfather using his Hellberg straight razor. He stropped with a leather belt and then put razor back to the same drawer he had taken it. I never saw him honing his razor although i saw him honing many other blades and tools.
After he passed away i got his razor and there was no rust or pitting. It was still sharp: something i get from 3k or 4k stone. Sadly no more i have no way to find out if he ever honed it any sharper than that. There's nobody to tell.

I think that for the elder generations razor was just a razor. A tool for shaving but nothing special. My old timer took care of his razor but he took care for all of his tools as well. Still they was just a tools to make something. Very important they were, but unworthy and pointless if let unused.
The older i get, more rational i see it.

"This doesn’t answer your question but as far as WWI goes, this was the time when the Gillette was taking off. Many doughboys would have been issued safety razors because they were more compact and easier to maintain in the field."

That brught back a memory! My grandfather fought in WWI, and many, many years ago my grandmother showed me the shave kit he "brought back from the war". As I remember, it was a little olive-drab pouch that contained a Gillette comb-edge DE plus a pack of blades in the original paper wrap. The razor head unsrewed from the handle so that everything fit just right in the pouch; in other words the pouch was obviously made to fit the razor. The pouch was stamped "US", so I assume the Army issued it to him.

(I'm not that familiar with DEs so you experts may know better than I do what I'm describing.)

Of course at the time I was a teenaged punk and had no interest in that sort of thing, and it's long gone now!

Current data is only available till 2009. $39.50 in the year 2009 has the same "purchase power" as $1.5 in the year 1900.
From:
Measuring Worth - Home

Originally Posted by TSasser

Thats was what I thinking.
I am sure back then razors didn't cost as much as they do now. The re-introduction into society and the collecting habits of most I think is what makes the price of a straight razor what it is today.

Originally Posted by Geezer

Current data is only available till 2009. $39.50 in the year 2009 has the same "purchase power" as $1.5 in the year 1900.
From:
Measuring Worth - Home

Things that were not considered before. Good find, I can see not just going out and buying like that now.

Originally Posted by DHMStr8

"This doesn’t answer your question but as far as WWI goes, this was the time when the Gillette was taking off. Many doughboys would have been issued safety razors because they were more compact and easier to maintain in the field."

That brught back a memory! My grandfather fought in WWI, and many, many years ago my grandmother showed me the shave kit he "brought back from the war". As I remember, it was a little olive-drab pouch that contained a Gillette comb-edge DE plus a pack of blades in the original paper wrap. The razor head unsrewed from the handle so that everything fit just right in the pouch; in other words the pouch was obviously made to fit the razor. The pouch was stamped "US", so I assume the Army issued it to him.

(I'm not that familiar with DEs so you experts may know better than I do what I'm describing.)

Of course at the time I was a teenaged punk and had no interest in that sort of thing, and it's long gone now!

I think during the great war Gillette had won a contract to supply the US army with razors I read this some where but a figure of 3,000,000 units supplied was quoted so as ever Gillette had found another way to make a little more cash.

I agree with the other posts about care of a straight in the old days keep em sharp and rust free and accept that carbon steel changes colour like the season of the year.