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Going back in time .

Well I am starting this blog to record my return to an older type of shaving . Like most of us I at present use the ubiquitous supermarket disposable razors , and have done so for , well I don't really know how long . When did these disposable and cartridge type of razors come about ? I guess I have been shaving regularly since I was around 16 which ,as I was born in 1953 , make it around 1969 when I started . I have a memory a very faint one I admit , to having a razor that twisted to open and receive a double edge blade of the kind that came in little rectangular boxes . I remember that the blades came wrapped in paper and the used blades were posted into a slot in the back of the box . Now that is all I actually remember of these things and as soon as the more modern types , disposables came out I started using them. Well you would wouldn't you how many teenagers want to do things as their Fathers do most of us wanted to look modern I guess , well I did anyway .

So where is all this rambling leading to , I am glad you asked ! As I am getting somewhat better at sharpening knives My poor weak mind seems to be taken with the idea of buying a straight razor from an antiques centre ,something from the 1880's to around the demise of the Old Queen , in 1901 I think . I admit that I only knew the date of Queen Victoria's death from watching my favourite John Wayne film The Shootist . So the thought of going from a modern razor to an inexpertly sharpened cutthroat is for me a daunting prospect and unusually good sense has prevailed and instead of leaping straight back to the end of the nineteenth century perhaps the 1950's may be a better place to start .

I have now checked out a few video's on YouTube and have found that the razors that I remember from my youth are indeed called DE or double edge . In fact this whole retro shaving lark is alive and kicking without me knowing anything about it . Youtube is awash with helpful young fellows scraping the whiskers off their finely honed chins with razors that they certainly don't remember from the first time round . Mind you I have learned an awful lot more about shaving than my Father ever taught me ,I guess it must have been him that showed me the ropes though I don't remember the lesson .

So I now have an Edwin Jagger DE89 razor and am waiting for those fine folks at Amazon to deliver the rest of the not inconsiderable amount of gear that it seems I must have . A styptic pencil ,what a word from the dawn of history , anyway I have forgotten to order one so in the short term things may get bloody !! The razor looks nice and I am thinking that it is probably of a lot higher quality than I would have had in the late sixties. I would likely have had an old one of my Dad's to start .

I hope to return to this blog in the future , blood loss allowing , and record my return journey to the shavings of my youth and hopefully back in time to the days of the Old Queen and a wonderful straight razor . Got to get through my lack of a styptic pencil first , can't imagine what a young girl in the chemist will think if I ask for one of those .

Tags: ., DE, Ramblings, Razors, Shaving, Time, Travel

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Comment by Jan Carter on May 17, 2016 at 10:30: see, plenty of opprtunity

Comment by John Bamford on May 17, 2016 at 9:41: I am not using the Edge Pro at the moment Jan , mainly my Belgian Blue stone . I may try the Edge Pro at sometime though .

Comment by Jan Carter on May 17, 2016 at 9:26: It is an opportunity to enhance your sharpening skills skills with useful objects!

BTW are you free handing the edge or using a sharpening device ?

Comment by John Bamford on May 17, 2016 at 7:36: For those who don't know of Yes Prime Minister ,

https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/yes_prime_minister/quotes/

Comment by John Bamford on May 17, 2016 at 7:34: Allan I am off work at the moment with back trouble and have just been watching repeats of "Yes Prime Minister" on one of the more obscure TV channels . Your answer sounds as though it came straight out of the mouth of Sir Humphrey!! Well done .

Won't work though , I have already tried that with knives !!

Comment by allanm on May 17, 2016 at 6:57: Options John ... options.

How many pairs of shoes, and how many hand-bags for the Brits and colonies (where I came from) or purses for the Americans (where I am now) do the wives have? They're options, you can't keep using the same one all the time.

You need variety to go along with the different brushes, shaving creams, and even days of the week!

Comment by John Bamford on May 17, 2016 at 3:28: Of course when I said "in the unlikely event" ...etc I have to confess to having an entirely innocent stroll around the bay last night and I don't at present have a 13/16 th's razor and this one looked "as new and unsharpened" . The next hurdle is to learn how to "set the bevel"and for that exercise one needs a new unsharpened razor . Of course a cheaper one would be best like the sort of thing you may accidentally come across whilst checking out Ebay.

I think the "O" word may come out again around about Friday . No dear it's not an obsession it's a,... erm..I have a couple of days to think of something !!!

Comment by John Bamford on May 17, 2016 at 3:18: The latest razor which is a Dovo from Solingen in Germany was bought to see if my sharpening was up to the mark and I am glad to say that it appears as though I have made progress . It was bought from a firm called The Invisible Edge here in the UK and though this isn't the cheapest place they are supposed to do a good job of sharpening a razor before dispatch . New razors it seems are a lot like new knives in that the manufacturer tells you they are "Razor Sharp" but us knifey's know that ain't necessarily so . Well the Dovo was very sharp when it came but not so much sharper than the old razors that I have bought from Ebay and sharpened up myself. It was worth the money to check that out and now I will be able to buy older razors again, in the unlikely event that I need any more !

Comment by John Bamford on May 17, 2016 at 3:05: I am willing to admit that it is beginning to look , to the untrained eye , a little like the start of a collection but that is purely coincidental and every razor is here for a purely practical reason . I do hate it , and I have tried to stop her using the "O" word, but Sue keeps mumbling something about obsessive or obsession whatever that means .

Comment by John Bamford on May 17, 2016 at 2:58: Allan thanks for the kind words , brave no foolish maybe .

Bravery is reserved for men who are willing to offer advice to their wives about hair styles or whether their "bottoms look big in this dress" !!

As you have found out to your cost washing the dishes is a far more dangerous activity than playing with knives , you really should be excused from the washing up in future .