Thread: Razor Reasoning, West Gippsland Gazette Australia 1915.

Interesting, especially the storing north to south part.

Seventy year old barber, Frank Natale, with 50+ years of barbering under his belt, told me two things mentioned in those articles. For one thing, he said that if you had a full hollow you should hear a ring when you flicked the point with your fingernail. This he said was only applicable to full hollows and if they ring they have good temper/good steel. If you try this and your full hollow doesn't ring, don't be bummed out. I've found that it ain't necessarily so.

The other is indirect. Frank told me when stropping always make sure the side that will be the first to touch your face will be the last side stropped. If he elaborated on that I don't recall what he said. I assume it is to have the microscopic deflection of the edge going away from, rather than toward the skin.

Thanks again for the articles Martin. Always interesting and informative.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Seventy year old barber, Frank Natale, with 50+ years of barbering under his belt, told me two things mentioned in those articles. For one thing, he said that if you had a full hollow you should hear a ring when you flicked the point with your fingernail. This he said was only applicable to full hollows and if they ring they have good temper/good steel. If you try this and your full hollow doesn't ring, don't be bummed out. I've found that it ain't necessarily so.

I've been talking with a barber recently, trained very old school, and he told me the same thing. Said if it goes 'bong' instead of 'ding' then the steel is dead and it won't hold an edge. Like you, I haven't found this to be the case... But then, I'm regularly doing serious re-bevels on razors, so maybe it holds more true if you've only got a pasted strop to bring your edge back up.

To date, this is the most ridiculously trashed razor I've gotten to shave again. When I got it, the celluloid scales were shriveling and the metal was fuzzy with red rust.



Shaves pretty good now! (it's my air-travel razor, goes into packed luggage and if it gets stolen, it's not a huge loss).