Straight razor shave in 1880?
I had s silk-smooth shave with my Thiers-Issard Historic Snake-wood 6/8 this morning. It cut a hanging hair with a little "ping" easily after getting a lot of attention on a Naniwa 12 K and a SRD strop.
I was thinking about how was a straight shave back then, in the good old days when a Straight was the usual way of shaving? Mr. John Smith, waking up in the middle of nowhere, picking up his old Straight, no softening of beard oil, warm water, TOBS Avocado cream, Simpson Chubby brush, five different sharpening stones and diamond pastes on his strop for his razor.
Probably a different kind of shave back then:)
Straight razor shave in 1880
I found a 4/8s Genco Jr. and an ancient (not 6 million years old...but cut maybe 110-150 years ago) thuringian stone in the drawer of a shaving stand in the shed. I asked my 80+ year old Mother about it. Not her Father's but, her Grandfather's.
She said when she was a little girl (1930's), he would shave on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He drew water from the well, built a fire in the cook stove and shaved in the kitchen before breakfast. He had one razor, one stone and used his belt as a strop. Soap was made once a year in the Fall after hog slaughtering. Ingredients were "hog renderings", lye, stove ashes and vanilla extract, period. She also said that he had made his own brush from, she thought, horse hair? Aftershave lotion was bay rum from the only barbershop in town, 12 miles away. A gift from his wife or daughters?
Mom said she remembers well that he whistled as he shaved.
Straight Razor Shave in 1880?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
oldschooltools
I found a 4/8s Genco Jr. and an ancient (not 6 million years old...but cut maybe 110-150 years ago) thuringian stone in the drawer of a shaving stand in the shed. I asked my 80+ year old Mother about it. Not her Father's but, her Grandfather's.
She said when she was a little girl (1930's), he would shave on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He drew water from the well, built a fire in the cook stove and shaved in the kitchen before breakfast. He had one razor, one stone and used his belt as a strop. Soap was made once a year in the Fall after hog slaughtering. Ingredients were "hog renderings", lye, stove ashes and vanilla extract, period. She also said that he had made his own brush from, she thought, horse hair? Aftershave lotion was bay rum from the only barbershop in town, 12 miles away. A gift from his wife or daughters?
Mom said she remembers well that he whistled as he shaved.
Hello, oldschooltools:
What a delightful story. Thanks for telling it the way you have. You must be a great storyteller.
Note: Gentlemen, forgive me for hijacking the thread momentarily, but I could not resist that story.
Regards,
Obie