Thread: The Truth About The Barber's Notch

Here is my opinion on a Barber's notch. Of course it is exactly that! Shave yourself with a BN razor, no different than anything else! You cannot possibly see into the notch as you shave. It is along for the ride. THEN, shave someone Else with it! You will be able to see where the line lies by looking in the notch! you need'nt cut anything as you know where you are at! It is a window into where you are shaving! Handy if you are shaving another! You can bump an ear,or nose and not cut your customer! That is my opinion on how it started ! Plain, simple ,and productive! can we have a beer now? ...Get it on ...Tom

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I know one thing, having worked in factories briefly in my younger days ..... productivity is , and always has been paramount. Some forty years ago I worked for "piece work" in factories in Massachusetts and there is no doubt in my mind that those grinders in Sheffield did the same. IOW, at the end of the week you got paid according to the number of pieces you produced. There was no hourly wage. Say that to say, if there was no purpose in the notch, it wouldn't have been there.

Maybe that's why the babar notches didn't come along until later - do you think this also applies to round, square, spike, spanish, and french points? Isn't it quicker to grind out a quick notch in the end of the razor than it is to shape a particular point? Also, one may wonder whether Mr. Pennyfarthing (early middle aged 19th century razor-grinder, in the last years of his life) was given orders by his boss that he would only be paid for un-notched razors, while his comrade-in-metaldust Mr. Haypenny would only be paid for hollow point razors

Lastly, although I would love to visit 1850 Sheffield, I wouldn't want to live there

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Lastly, although I would love to visit 1850 Sheffield, I wouldn't want to live there

What with the tainted (by our standards) food, lack of general hygiene, and the fact that our immune systems are not adapted to all the nasty bugs that were going round in those days... I doubt you'd really enjoy that visit.
Maybe you could visit it in one of those biohazard suits. But then you'd freak out the natives so that would not be ideal either.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Maybe that's why the babar notches didn't come along until later - do you think this also applies to round, square, spike, spanish, and french points? Isn't it quicker to grind out a quick notch in the end of the razor than it is to shape a particular point? Also, one may wonder whether Mr. Pennyfarthing (early middle aged 19th century razor-grinder, in the last years of his life) was given orders by his boss that he would only be paid for notched razors, while his comrade-in-metaldust Mr. Haypenny would only be paid for hollow point razors.

Lastly, although I would love to visit 1850 Sheffield, I wouldn't want to live there

That, if you'll pardon the pun, is the point. Any design feature in an article of cutlery was deliberate and served a purpose to the end user or it wouldn't have been there ..... IMHO. As for Sheffield being a nice place to visit, read "People Of The Abyss" by Jack London for a scenic view of what life was like at that time in that place, for the average working stiff.

Originally Posted by Bruno

What with the tainted (by our standards) food, lack of general hygiene, and the fact that our immune systems are not adapted to all the nasty bugs that were going round in those days... I doubt you'd really enjoy that visit.
Maybe you could visit it in one of those biohazard suits. But then you'd freak out the natives so that would not be ideal either.

I'd suffer through it if for no other reason than to load up on a bunch of NOS 9/8 W&B babars-use-only razors for shillings on the pound

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I'd suffer through it if for no other reason than to load up on a bunch of NOS 9/8 W&B babars-use-only razors for shillings on the pound

Personally, I'd stock up on paintings and other things of famous artists. Maybe buy shares of companies or bonds.
As much as I like razors, a box full of W&B 9/8s would not allow me to live the life of the filthy rich.

I'll bring back a 9/8 W&B in ivory, next time I visit 1850 sheffield.

Originally Posted by Bruno

a box full of W&B 9/8s would not allow me to live the life of the filthy rich.

Lee, I guess you and me are just going to have to settle for filthy

I am starting to think Bruno has gone mad - you can't shave with a painting!

Having lived in the UK for several years and having many good friends there, I think I can safely say without causing undue offence to anyone from that Scepter'd Isle, that it would be highly unusual that someone, somewhere, did not record the hows and whys of the notch. The British record everything, religiously and compulsively, particularly from that era. Samuel Pepys recorded his gaseous ejections, for God's sake! If a man wrote down and categorised his farts, someone somewhere would have written down something about the barber's notch. It is just that no one has found it yet - of that I am convinced.

James.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Can't we at least agree to call it by it's real name ??? and I think once we do, then we can simply ask the same question of all points..

What is the purpose of the
*Hollow Point aka Barber's Notch
Round point
Square point
Spike point
Spanish point
French/Oblique point
Dreadnought point
Etc: etc:

I tend to agree with the Hoglahoo if you start looking at the points on razors starting at 1800 you can kinda see a pattern there



*As of this point in time no one has ever found a pre-1970's factory or advertising reference to the name "Barber's Notch" in the old references they are called either Hollow Point or Hollow Notch razors...

In my limited research the notch has been used
by folk restoring razors to adjust the balance of the
razor. Search the archives to find razors balanced
on small shiny anvils.