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Sharp enough to shave with

We always hear the phrase "Sharp enough to shave with". It is something a knife owner takes pride in. Knives were meant to cut so let's see how sharp we can get them and keep them that way. Knives come from the factory with a sharp edge but most are not shaving sharp. Shaving sharp is a learned skill. I personally use a Lansky sharpening system but am looking at a new Wicked Edge system I learned about here.

But is shaving sharp used anymore in everday life? I recently sought out a barber who does an old fashioned shave with a straight razor. I would have never thought of this before joing iKC. But being a member has spurred in me a sense of longing to learn everything about cutlery. Talk about blindly following someone! So I went to the source of the shaving subject, a barber. The results were amazing! After the barber spent time reassuring me that he had done this before, I relenquished my exposed and soaped neck. As soon as the edge touched my skin I knew this was the point of no return. What a phrase to think about when a stranger has a razor at your throat. At the first upward stroke I was in awe. So smooth. Such an effortless movement. The stubble was cleanly removed! As soon as I realized I was not in a slasher movie and my widow was not going to be contacted by police, I settled down to enjoy my first shave from a barber.

Why did I do this?? I have acquired several razors over the past couple of years. They are usaually in among knives or such items of interest. I realized I had "collected" a small gathering of straight razors. Interesting pieces. Rich with history. Full of mistique. We can all remember movies with the likes of Clint Eastwood having at least a weeks worth of brush sythed from his face by a barber who also needed a shave. So here I am with these straight razors from yesteryear. I have seen new razors advertised in today's catalogs but I am wondering, do they sell with the advent of the safety and disposable razors.

Does anyone else have razors floating in the knife collections? Does anyone have a collection of razors? I'll start off with one from Clauss Shear works of Fremont, Ohio made prior to 1919. Anyone else??

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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Craig Henry on June 8, 2013 at 17:40

Here's the only one I have left.........

This was my grandfather's razor. He got it while he was the manager of the Gaut & Becker Hardware Store in Jeannette Pennsylvania in the 1930's. These were made up for the store, as you can see the Gaut & Becker - Jeannette Pennsylvania etch.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 8, 2013 at 18:21

WOW! You certainly did do some research!!! I have heard that done properly, there is no shave like it.

Yep have a few myself

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Permalink Reply by Stanley May on June 8, 2013 at 18:21

Great post! I think I have only received a barber shop shave once, and it was the best I ever had. It often amazes me that the way they "used to do it" is still the best. I think this is an example of this. I have a friend (not in IKC) who collects them and uses one everyday he shaves. Very nice and collectable pieces.

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on June 8, 2013 at 18:35

Chuck, there are a lot of Razor collectors. I'm sure we must have some here in the club. I hope they respond to your questions. The little I know about Razor blades, is they are hollow ground, making the blades very thin. It is a lot easier to sharpen a thin blade, than one that is a little bit thicker. The knife makers have started making knives, with the hollow ground blades, much thinner. I find that a lot of the makers use this style blade, because they are producing a stainless steel blade that is much harder than the older style knives, and because of its thin make up, it is easier to sharpen. They have come up with a great idea, about this hollow ground blade. You must ask yourself, is this the style knife I want, one with a thin blade. They are all good but with different applications. I'll, stop preaching....now...lol

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Parham on June 9, 2013 at 4:21

Thanks Robert! This is information I was not aware of. As a newer knife collector, I want to know everything I can. I've never read anything on why there are different grinds on blades. It makes sense but I've never been told or read this anywhere. Preaching? No. Educating? ABSOLUTELY!! Thanks very much for your insight.

Robert Burris said:

Chuck, there are a lot of Razor collectors. I'm sure we must have some here in the club. I hope they respond to your questions. The little I know about Razor blades, is they are hollow ground, making the blades very thin. It is a lot easier to sharpen a thin blade, than one that is a little bit thicker. The knife makers have started making knives, with the hollow ground blades, much thinner. I find that a lot of the makers use this style blade, because they are producing a stainless steel blade that is much harder than the older style knives, and because of its thin make up, it is easier to sharpen. They have come up with a great idea, about this hollow ground blade. You must ask yourself, is this the style knife I want, one with a thin blade. They are all good but with different applications. I'll, stop preaching....now...lol

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Parham on June 9, 2013 at 4:29

Great looking pieces, Jan. I'll agree that there is nothing like this type of shave. Would I do it again? Probably not. I did it strictly for pure research. I do like my Gilette Fusion razor that I use daily because I can shave in a fraction of the time it takes to use a straight razor. I will most likely buy a couple of brand new "dead mint" razors to have my collection show some variety but I won't seek them out as a primary target. I will, however, buy any razor that is worth buying for my collection. (now let's see, what isn't worth buying?) I just hope I can find some nice pieces like you've shared here. The round stone (?) at the top of the one picture, is that a hone? And the weekly time card showing the week's work and pay is awesome. Talk about needing a wage increase!Thanks for sharing!

Jan Carter said:

WOW! You certainly did do some research!!! I have heard that done properly, there is no shave like it.

Yep have a few myself

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Parham on June 9, 2013 at 4:32

Craig, that is one nice razor! Thanks for sharing it! The etch is beautiful. I have one that is taking me a little work to write its content down as it is pretty faded. Great piece!

Craig Henry said:

Here's the only one I have left.........

This was my grandfather's razor. He got it while he was the manager of the Gaut & Becker Hardware Store in Jeannette Pennsylvania in the 1930's. These were made up for the store, as you can see the Gaut & Becker - Jeannette Pennsylvania etch.

▶ Reply

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on June 9, 2013 at 12:01

Chuck, you can really see the hollow grind in those wonderful old razors. If I get a chance, I'll post some pictures of fixed blades with hollow grinds and some with some other type grinds. Please don't get the idea, that I favor one over the other. The fact is though, that some grinds work better on certain jobs than others.