Thread: What did grampa do ??

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

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.

My grandfather lived in Alaska when I've heard of him shaving with a straight. There were no barbers in his town and he had to stay clean shaven for his job. He was extremely poor therefore had to treat his razor with the utmost respect. Unfortunately in the environment they lived the razor wouldn't last long despite his attempts. He would then retire them to his leather kit as a strip knife. His methods were to soak the razor everyday in an oil that he brought home from work (grandma thinks it was mineral). His strop was treated with his palm just like we do now (he used to rub his neck first). He had a couple of strops with powders sprinkled on them (grandma didn't know what they were). He made his own strops and had two of what we would call bench strops that were treated with a "soot" and a crushed rock of some kind. That's about all grandma knew.
My other grandfather I don't know much about, but he would be the type to have his properly honed and stored alongside a moisture wicking substance. I do know that he preferred the DE and when canned goo came out he said it was better suited to clog a drain than shaving cream.

-G

Thanks MickR and Deighaingeal you were right on the money with this topic. Try to keep more simple with the facts as I was hoping for more of a historical factual sort of info as opposed to DE info or speculations or what you think you would have done. Thx again.

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

I have a straight razor manufactured by "Salem Markos and Brothers" that has engraving on the blade, faint but legible, that says "$3.00 Razor" so apparently this one cost (then) $3. I can't come up with a date for this manufacturer, though.

As has been pointed out in a past thread, sailors at sea probably didn't shave for the duration due to the scarcity of fresh water.

Good point there Leadduck.

Unforetlunately my family has a tendency to throw out what their pop used so none of the things that my grand-pop used are around any longer. On my mom's side grandpop used a 60's super speed that I can recall him using. On pop's side his pop died many years before I made my appearance and grandma never talked about him or what he used. However I have several theroys about what he used. To get to the straights I have to go back another generation before that one of the great grandpops had eight sons and nine daughters and thus he did nto really have much time to spend in the baathroom shaving, he had to get the job done and get out there and settle a fight or stop someone from killing the other. The family has no idea what he did and what he used probably went in the garbage long ago, but its most likely that he went by a hardware store and picked up a cheap straight and strop since he was born and raised in germany he probably would have gravitated towards german hardware and would not have put much stock in the new fangled safety razors since the straight would have been what he grew up with.

However forum members can help me by giving me some clues as to what he most likely used. Great grand pop was a man who met his wife in the old country and moved to this country with three kids in tow and did not have a lot of time or a lot of dollars to spend on the hardware. We are talking just before the turn of the 20th century around 1895 or so. He was fresh off the boat with wife and kids in tow and would have not wanted to spend much time or dollars on shave gear.

What sort of selection do you think he would have had to chose among? Would he have been able to stop in a local hardware store and pickup a no name? He was from Germany so he would have preferred german hardware. Were there much german hardware in the US for him at the time? Would he have stopped at a black smith and picked up something there? Was dovo around back then? What sort of options do you think he would have had?