A tale ended even before beginning

Not long ago,

A little feather fell on this forum. He viewed and read and read and read and became really interested. The he decided to take the plunge and ordered a number of ebay str8.

A blue steel special
a Gotta
A C.J. Heljestrand
and a clauss

Some of these little feather had started to reach it s destination. After receiving two feather, I got the wife tell me that she will refuse to sleep with me if I use a used razor...

LOL, if I had knew her thoughts before.

Oh, well, I guess these little feather will end up in the marketplace and that I'll have to choose a new razor instead.

Hmmm. That is wrong for so many reasons. Maybe you should ask the wife to do a little reading around this forum.

No offence-but....grow a pair

Yeah,

I looked at SRD and will probably be ordering from there in the near future. My wife, well its just unreasonable fear, but her being currently pregnant and potential mood swing... I will simply comply. She does know better (she is a doctor).

Does she also refuse to use the flatware provided at a restaurant? I would think there is a much better chance of sonehow getting sick from something on a used steak knife then by using a straight that was used 120 years ago.

The razors are fine most viruses die off within the first day or so of coming in contact with air, there are only a few that take longer. You wife being a doctor should know that. Also you can sterilize the blades in barbicide or alcohol for a bit to appease her. Lastly if the razors need a little work grab some high grit sand paper say 200, 600, 1000, 1500/2000 and start sanding those puppies to a finish you are happy with. Good luck.

I highly doubt that your wife's medical training involved any mention of the use of straight razors. Her being a doctor does not qualify her to pass judgment on a topic with which she has no knowledge. You should both better educate yourselves further before making a decision. Congratulations, and good luck, on the pregnancy and my sincere condolences on the mood swings.

If your wife is having mood swings, I'd hide those razors.

Sounds like a classic case of fear of the unknown. My wife had the same reaction (not as intense), but I just rubbed the razor down with alcohol to make her happy.

Educated people don't know everything, even if it's in their expertise . Here's an example. When in college, we had an electricity class (our 3rd, so you'd think everyone had a good feeling of how thing's worked). Anyways, after one of the classes, we went out for lunch & I had to put some motor oil in my car before going. One of my fellow student's told me to be careful around the battery. I asked him if he was serious, to which he said yes. He was genuinely frightened by that 12V battery. So I immediately grabbed both terminals in each hand to show him it was completely harmless. He had a strange look on his face, as if he couldn't understand why I hadn't died on the spot or burst into flames after touching the battery.

Everyone's common sense is different. I knew from experience (and from being a total geek and actually calculating to see at which voltages things start getting dangerous) that that battery was harmless, but his common sense told him to stay away from anything electrical, even if he had knowledge in that field.

So all this to say that I understand your wife's reaction, even if she's a doctor.

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Originally Posted by ace

If your wife is having mood swings, I'd hide those razors.

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+1. Really.

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Originally Posted by Joed

+1. hide those razors.

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i say you shup them to me for safekeeping till things cool down say in 18 yrs or so .

If they are black handled, and they probably are, merely buy one new black handeled razor. She will see the "new" razor and all will be fine. Ocassionally swap the new one for the older ones that are honed and shave ready. She probably won't know any difference, since a razor is a razor. Reminds me of a story that a guy was working on his car and his new Guns & Ammo mag came in. It had a new (not yet released to the public yet) pistol on the front of it from SIG Sauer, a new model. She asked him" Isn't that the one you have in your safe?" To which he was quick to respond, "Why, yes you are right." So when it IS out and about it won't come as a surprise if he is out shooting it.. *smile*

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Originally Posted by Grizzley1

No offence-but....grow a pair

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Haha, that cracked me up.

To me it is a question of remoteness. Being single I can only qualify my opinion in theory, but was it foreseeable at the time that you exchanged vows that a) your wife would have any control or wish to control your mode of shaving, a regular (for most) what is considered to be a 'mundane' (not here!) every day morning activity? Second, was it reasonable that she should threaten to deprive you of practical benefit if you do not conform to her wishes regarding such a personal male activity which arguably and in all likeliness imparts nothing into her life?

If the answer to the two is no, then your wife has become dominant throughout your marriage to the extent that she can threaten you with disbenefits if you do not conform to her every wish - I say this as shaving is pretty damn personal.

Unless there was a very strong reason for such, it is completely unreasonable.

As for her knowing better being a Dr - this is healthier for the skin, better for the environment, cheaper if you do not develop addictions and generally more enjoyable in my opinion. There are no real risks regarding the use of a SR provided you are not a moron and keep the SRs away from small hands.

Just my 2 pence.

Gee whiz what is it with spouses? My husband thinks I'm going to nick myself and bleed out. At least it makes him feel a little better when he sees me sterilize my razor. And no I'm not giving up. He's done his own share of dumb things in his lifetime. If he can do dumb things then it's only fair that I can shave.

Feather, is your wife a germaphobe by any chance? Paranoia about germs is understandable but a desire to eradicate them completely is unreasonable. More than likely there are more germs on her skin than on a clean vintage razor. Even brand new razors gather dust before they are sold and need to be cleaned before use.

Lori

There's nothing wrong at all with new production razors, but it would be an absolute shame to be deprived of fine vintage razors because of unfounded fears. I have yet to see a member on a wetshaving forum announce, "Right fellas, I'm packin' 'er in! No more hepatitis from used razors for this old boy".....

Let me get this straight. Your wife wants you to buy and use only new straight razors. What's the problem again?

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

There's nothing wrong at all with new production razors, but it would be an absolute shame to be deprived of fine vintage razors because of unfounded fears. I have yet to see a member on a wetshaving forum announce, "Right fellas, I'm packin' 'er in! No more hepatitis from used razors for this old boy".....

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Not that I've been doing this long but I have been doing a lot of reading in older threads. I don't remember reading that anyone got a bad infection from a straight razor. That might partly be due to the antibacterial properties in a lot of soaps, aftershaves and other skin products we use. I think wet shaving is a pretty clean endevor.

But most of us know not to use a rusty old razor with gunk on it though.

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Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Let me get this straight. Your wife wants you to buy and use only new straight razors. What's the problem again?

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How quickly will your new razor be...... a used razor? A brand new razor sitting on a shelf or in a box has no use as "new" Only when applied with it's intended use does it become useful, and... used.

Oh, and by the way. TRUE story I kid you not! I've went to using a small plastic tub to put in hot water in the bathroom sink, and I rinse my razor in that while shaving. Before I used the sink.. SAME sink that my wife uses the rag mop to get wet and rinse out by cleaning up the linoleum floor where the dog's pee pads were. Oh, she'd rinse the sink but how much stuff was in the surface of the sink when I rinsed my razor? Keeps one from nicking oneself, doesn't it?

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Originally Posted by LoriB

But most of us know not to use a rusty old razor with gunk on it though.

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Very true Lori, and if someone IS using a rusty razor I hope their tetanus vaccinations are up to date.......

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Originally Posted by Gibbs

SAME sink that my wife uses the rag mop to get wet and rinse out by cleaning up the linoleum floor where the dog's pee pads were. Oh, she'd rinse the sink but how much stuff was in the surface of the sink when I rinsed my razor? Keeps one from nicking oneself, doesn't it?

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In the words of the immortal Ernest P. Worrell - "Ehhhhwwwww"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeSXvATLmSU

ROFL, funny Ryan! That's a good one. Incedently, rust and tetanus have nada in common. Tetanus is a bacterium that inhabits a lot of areas, and especially moist soils that have a lot of organic, ie decaying wood, dung, etc. All it needs is a nail or some other delivery system to get it into the flesh of the victim. Since most nails are iron, and some have been in the ground when one get's their foot poked by one, it would be natual to assume that the rust on the nail contributed to the tetanus. Actually, it could have been on the outside of the shoe and the nail just brushed it onto it's metal as it penetrated the boot. One example. Staph infection would be more worriesome than tetanus. So one would not want to use stale pond water also as a means of rinsing and cleansing the razor. Like I said, I now use a small plactic bucket for my rinses.

To not sleep with someone for using a used razor is rather far fetched. My wife doesn't use a DE or a SE nor any of my straights, but insists on using the plastic 5 blade contraption that gives her razor buns...er burns. It is her choice even though I offer up the DE for her use at any time. I do not insist that she use the DE nor the straights, nor do I play dirty pool and tell her if she doesn't she's not sleeping with me. Wouldn't work anyway. She just doesn't want me parting with any of our dog's hairs in checking the sharpness of a razor. Threats me to loose a certain body part if I ever do. Now THAT I take seriously!

There are strange microorganisms called 'Prions'. More primitive than viruses, I think, and very hard to kill. There was a Canadian hospital that had some problems with inadequately sterilized surgical equipment; people died.

So being afraid of old stuff isn't _completely_ out of line.

I guess my argument would be:

. . . The first thing I do is hone the razor. That exposes _new steel_ at the edge. And that _new steel_ is what's going to cut me.

Barbers used straight razors for a long time, just put them in Barbicide. I don't know if anyone ever got a blood-borne illness that way.

Charles

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Originally Posted by Feathercloud

Not long ago,

A little feather fell on this forum. He viewed and read and read and read and became really interested. The he decided to take the plunge and ordered a number of ebay str8.

A blue steel special
a Gotta
A C.J. Heljestrand
and a clauss

Some of these little feather had started to reach it s destination. After receiving two feather, I got the wife tell me that she will refuse to sleep with me if I use a used razor...

LOL, if I had knew her thoughts before.

Oh, well, I guess these little feather will end up in the marketplace and that I'll have to choose a new razor instead.

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Well congratulations are in order and
by the way the razors are nice too.

For now seal your eBay razors perhaps in a plastic display case after lightly
oiling them.

Later you can have them visit a Barbicide dip or perhaps the hospital autoclave knowing
that the scales might be totally wrecked and need replacement after the autoclave.

The good news is that in the next couple of months you two will have a lot of
visits to the doctors office where you can learn about various levels of
cleaning and sanitizing appropriate for the future new arrival to your home.

Barbicide is a good place to be going for info.
FAQ | barbicide.com

Your doctor or dentist may be convinced run a small package
through a medical sterilizer one time to make your expectant
wife happy. But try for for a multiple Barbicide dip answer.
If you have old crufty blades you could even sand them with a
Barbicide solution a bit before polishing (and repining if needed).

Any solution or process strong enough to kill modern "Bugs" will rust
steel if not promptly rinsed off after the designated time
and then the steel oiled to protect it.

Also scales are inexpensive to replace with inexpensive plastic
scales if need be. Later you can have more exotic replacements
installed as needed.

Buy some Barbicide Wipes and let your wife read the brochure about what Barbicide kills, then give your razors a good wiping and all should be well.