Straight razor manual - complete
deb...@worldonline.nl
unclear because of type shift - sorry.
Because there is no litterature about using and caring for straight razors,
information about this subject is difficult to obtain or contradictory. I
asked Braber schools, knifeshops, sharpening companies, and the few German
firms that still make those knives, and received video's, catalogs and other
printed material, the summary of which is as follows:
Firms: all or most of present new straight razors, even with a different
brand name- come from >>DOVO<< Stahlwaren, Postbox 190146, D-42701 Solingen,
Germany. Address: Bocklinstrasse 10, 42719 Solingen, Germany, Telephone:
++212-23-0-01, Fax: ++212-31-36-12.
They are represented by companies in several countries, of which I only know
the ones in The Netherlands and United Kingdom: NL: Robijns B.V., Hornweg
196-C, 1432 GS AALSMEER, Tel: ++31-297-24-60-53, Fax: ++31-297-346-212. UK:
Brian H. Northcott, 56 Cuckmere Road, Seaford, East Sussex BN25 4 DJ; Phone:
++01-323-89-55-37; or: Geo F. Trumper, 20 Jermyn Street, London SW1 6HP.
Austria: Morocutti Knifeshop in Vienna (online - I saw pictures of Puma
razors there).
Straight razor anatomy:
A: 4(_____________________]]================== 10
5 7
B: (_o____________________o____o_)
3
A: Metal parts of the knife; B: Schale/Handle/Manche/Cacha often with
Einlage/Inlay/Marque/Marca (text, mark on the handle); 3. Steg/Center
plug/Rivet central/Remanche estabilizador: the middle plug on the handle; the
number 3 might be displaced by Deja; 4. Kopf/Point/Bout/Punta; 5.
Schneide/Cutting edge/Tranchant/Corte; 6. Hohlung/Hollow ground/Evidage/Filo
concavo (not indicated, you can only see this at a transection view); 7.
Doppelansatz/Double stabilizing piece/Double piece stabilisatrice/doble pieza
estabilizadora. Where the tang continues to the cutting part on the knife,
there is sometimes an extra rim so that you see two adjacent vertical
lines/rims. This indicates that it is a hollow ground knife; 8.
Goldaetzung/Gold etching/Gravure doree/Grabado dorado (not indicated, the
mark or text on the cutting blade); 9. Ruecken/Back/Dos/Lomo (not
indicated,but it is the part of the blade opposite the cutting edge); 10.
Erl/Tang/talon/Espiga (the complete non-cutting metal part of the knife);
11. Kranzangel/Decorated tang/Talon decore/Espiga decorada (not indicated,
but it is some sort of art where the blade stops and the tang begins); 12.
Zeichen/Trade mark/Marque/Marca (not indicated, it is the mark/text graved on
the tang);
Straight razor types: flat and hollow-ground:
Derbes Messer/Flat ground/Le rasoir plein: the cross section of the blade is
a triangular shape; Hohl/Full hollow ground/Creux/Concavo: biconcave
cross-section; Something in between(1/2 or ¾ hollow).
Blade forms:
Round point/Rundkopf: (________)========
Square point/Gradkopf: [_________)==========
Something inbetween: Franzkopf
Blade sizes (width) are: 3/8", 4/8", 5/8", 6/8", 7/8".
Recognizing different types: a full hollow ground has a double stabilizing
piece (two vertical rims) where the cutting edge continues into the tang. If
the transition from tang to blade shows one vertical rim, it must be a flat
ground or ½-3/4 hollow. Exceptions: some full hollow ground razors have a
smooth transition between blade and tang instead of the double stabilizing
piece (Kullenruken in German -couldn't find this in any dictionary).
Purpose of different types: flat ground: in general for heavy and less precise
work,for countour shaving, etc. Full hollow ground for thorough and precise
shaving. 3/8", 4/8":clinics,eyebrows, and a very soft beard. 3/8 and 4/8 are
mostly flat or half-hollow- ground. 4/8", 5/8": preferred for daily shaving,
specially 5/8 which has more torsion resistance. I couldn't find any specific
indication 6/8 and 7/8". They are export specialties, and for the experienced,
and are mostly square points.
Materials: normal steel with carbon-content of 0.6% and more and
rust-resistant chromium-steel. One of the links on the pages of Morocutti
Knifeshop in Vienna gives extensive information about steel types but I doubt
whether they serve any purpose for the critical user. Important is the
ice-cooling of the stain-resistant razors DOVO performs in order to acquire
more strenghth by increasing material density. The idea that normal steel is
sharper than stain-resistant steel might be no more than a prejudice. For
cutlery knives intensive research and randomized controlled trials have been
performed on large scale in the meat-industries, by Razor Edge Systems, Inc.,
303 North 17th Avenue East, Ely, MN 55731, USA, published in the Razor Edge
Book of sharpening (ISBN 0-9666059-0-XThey are on-line; the book is sold out
at Amazon.com, but is still available at Razor Edge Systems on-line). The
results of those trials were that stain-resistant knives were at least as
sharp as normal ones, but kept their sharpness many times longer than normal
steel ones. Carbon steel ones will rust in the climate I'm living in (NL); I
compared a single stabilized cheep stainless razor with a more expensive
double stabilized normal steel one, and definitely the stainless one keeps it
sharpness three times as long as the normal one. My private conclusion is
that stainless is the best choice on all aspects, and not at all a
compromise. Handles material: I'm not a 'lifestyle consumer' and therefore
not interested in this subject, but found the following materials: Ambonia,
Celluloid, Bone, Pakkawood, Mother of pearl, Ebony, and Buffalo horn. I found
no arguments against or in favor of one particular material, except that
celluloid in the was considered a spontaneous flammable material, and that
the plastic ones are only found on the cheaper single stabilized and flat
ground razors in the catalog of DOVO. I personally do not like the
combination of wood and water and ordered buffalo horn, but may be it's just
an excuse to buy a more expensive one.
Specialties for export, and collectors items are the ones with Square points,
and in general the 6/8" and 7/8" size razors. For DOVO these are represented
by the following models: Bismarck, Renaissance, and Bergischer Loewe.I did
not find any practical or quality argument in favor of these types except
that they are nicely designed.
Exchangeable blade systems are the Straight razors with long exchangeable
blades called Shavette at DOVO.
Honing: don't, or do it and realize the disadvantages. You can learn to
sharpen any knife on a stone, and if you have experience, or use the right
sharpening system, e.g. from razor Edge, you will get very good results. The
principle is creating a secondary angle on a stone untill a burr appears, and
subsequently create the primary angle to remove the burr. However, this
principle does not hold for straight razors - except perhaps for the cheaper
flat-ground ones -, as they have only the very small primary angle due to the
hollow-ground, determined by the thickness of the back. Sharpening on a stone
will reduce the blade size, thus in order to keep the optimal angle, the back
must be reduced as well. If not done this way, you will just notice less
optimal shaving instead of being able to cut a loose hanging long hair. This
sharpening can only be done with machines, but the good news is, that,
according to DOVO who can only do this machinally, this is hardly if never
necessary when you leather the knife correctly. If you don't want to follow
this advise, and still want to hone yourself, then don't use oil, or
water,(or WD40 :)) because this will blunt any knife. The reason is, that
metal parts dispers in the oil, and reach the upper part of the cutting edge,
thereby causing the effect as if you cut sand. This is a well known problem
in agriculture, when mowing machines cut sand and are blunt within seconds.
Leathering and honing, introduction: When you shave, the cutting edge gets
somewhat misaligned microscopically. If you put the knife away, the cutting
edge stretches ('grows') again without doing anything. After 3 or 4 shaves,
however, it should be aligned a little bit again and therefore you must
leather. If you do that correctly, you only need to send the knife for honing
once in may years, except when you drop the knife or otherwise damage the
cutting edge (e.g. when closing it). For leathering you need the right strop
and the right paste. A well stropped knife will last a lifetime. Any other
reports are due to wrong care.
Strops, properties: Leather only; Leather on one side and canvas on the other
side: this is preferred above leather only because you first pre-sharpen on
the canvas, then leather on the leather; Leather glued on wood and adjustable
strops: for the un-experienced and for flat-ground knives. Reason: if you let
a hanging strop hang through while stropping, you will blunt the knife.
Leather-types: Juchten-leather: this is more durable, and of better quality
than Rind-leather. Comfort: hanging strops with leather handles are more
expensive but more comfortable than those with metal clamps.
Types of paste: White: paste for on the canvas-side of the strop
('Hanfseite'); Yellow: paste for on the leather side to make it sticky and
souple; Red: this has a honing effect which you will not need, and if you do,
be careful because it can ruin your razor just as with honing on a stone;
Green: even more coarse than Red with the same precautions; Black: you don't
need this, but might want it to get a shine.
Strop and paste combinations: The best combination is a hanging strop with a
leather handle, Juchten-Leder on one side and canvas ('Hanf') on the opposite
side, 450 mm long and 50 mm broad, with yellow paste on the leather side, and
white paste on the canvas side. My personal experience with the
leather-on-wood and adjustable strops is, that they don't give contact with
the knife over their complete surface (convex surface), and that the hanging
strops permit more control in that respect. If you want to use very
incidently red or green paste, you need a pre-pasted strop exclusively for
that kind of paste: red for red, green for green, but it is better to send in
the razor to the factory if stropping is not effective any more. So: only
white and yellow paste. You need only a few drops, and then spread with the
palm of your hand. It makes the strop somewhat sticky ('Zug'), which is
better for the alignment of the cutting edge. You will need a little tube for
some years.
Leathering technique: you will need to do it only every 3 or 4 shavings. Keep
the tang between index finger and thumb and keep those fingers
stretched.Place the blade flat on the strop. In case of a hanging strop, keep
it under tension continuously, because if you let it hang through, you will
create a round and therefore blunt cutting edge. Pull the blade over the
strop away from the cutting edge and in the direction of the back. If you
strop the other way in the direction of the edge, you will cut through the
strop, or cause nicks which will damage the razor. In the course of this
stroke, take care that the complete cutting edge has touched the strop. The
pressure of the knife on the strop should not exceed the weight of the knife,
to prevent rounding and thus blunting of the cutting edge. At the end of the
stroke, keep the blade in contact with the strop, and swing the blade 180
degrees, causing it to rotate around the back; the back should keep in
contact with the strop. Then do a stroke in the other direction. Repeat this
about 10 times. Do this procedure first on the canvas, next on the leather. A
sharp razor should cut a hanging hair. If you carefully rub your thumb over
the edge perpendicular to the edge, you should hear a high-frequent tingling
sound and it should feel a little sticky. To detect any knicks cut very
superficially over your nail. Any irregularity feels like a sudden obstacle.
So: the thumb for testing sharpness, the nail for knicks.
Shaving technique: It is best done after showering, because hair is saturated
with water after 2 minutes contact. The only purpose of shaving soaps is to
see where you have been, but they don't influence shaving results or prevent
irritation. Remove hair/soap from the razor with a finger and put it on a
piece of tissue, you don't need to rinse the razor during the shaving. Keep
it under 30 degree angle with the skin, at the chin somewhat more steep.
Shave always and everywhere with your working hand (writing/dominant hand).
Shave twice: one with and one against the grain. Contrary to safety razors,
this won't cause bleeding. Start with the cheeks, then upper lip, then the
neck, then the chin. Keep the tang (Angel) between thumb and index finger,
the middle finger next to the index finger, and then the ring-finger and
little finger at the other side of the handle, with the handle pointing
upwards. With this grip you can shave most parts of your face. Some parts and
the shave against the grain need contra-intuitive grips which have one thing
in common, that the tang is kept between index-finger and thumb. Always
stretch the skin with a dry finger behind the knife. Never shave without
stretching. For the right cheek, put the left hand over your head; for the
chin stretch between the index finger and thumb of the non-working hand.
Occasionally you might have to put the stretching finger before the edge.
Shave in a perpendicular direction to the edge, don't make cutting
movements. Rinse the razor with warm water afterwards, dry with cloth without
touching the edge, and store in a dry, ventilated place, not in the bathroom.
Let the razor rest for two day's, so buy two razors. Don't leather just
before or just after shaving, may be it is the best to strop the first razor
the next day when you use the second razor.
Precautions: A sharp razor is less dangerous than a blunt one, like any
knife. First, because you put much less pressure on it to get results, and if
you slip, you slip with less pressure. Second, any cut will be a surgical one
instead of a tear, and bleeding will stop instantaneously or with a splash of
cold water. Tears might be the reason why the so called safety razors cause
bleedings that last longer and stain your shirt after you thought it stopped;
may be those tiny blades are less torsion-resistant, thus causing tears
instead of cuts, and how long do they remain sharp? There is more danger
putting your hand in a kitchen drawer without thinking, than shaving with a
straight razor. You can shave with some kitchen knives as well. The fear for
cutting your throat is not justified: the carotid artery is far away under
the surface. Only an assault or a skilled vascular surgeon will reach it.
However, in case of severe ignorance any tool in your home will be dangerous,
as is a straight razor. Imagine what your razor might meet on its way to the
floor, or when you shave uncautiously close to your nose. Walk only with a
closed razor. Your skin might get irritated in the beginning, just as when
you started with your Remington, Philips, Braun or Gilette, but as soon as
you regularly shave correctly, the irritation is far less or absent compared
with any other shaving tool.
Failure causes: Strops hanging through while stropping; Honing, specially
manual honing, and specially honing with oil or water; Send in for honing to
the wrong firm. It takes years of daily experience to do this well; Wrong
paste, specially this is the case with using red or green paste; Dry hair;
Not stretching the skin; Fear for cuts; Wrong angle: too steep (small cuts),
to small (tears and irritation); Swinging over the edge instead over the back
when stropping; Contact of the edge with something else than water and soaps;
Impatience: in the beginning it takes double time compared with other
techniques, but this will get better soon.
Collectors items and history: This is one example - perhaps out of many - of
lost written knowledge, even in razor's musea and at the sparse firms that
still make straight razors. Most knowledge is in the form of unpublished
communications, letters, and resulting from telephone calls. Much is also
personal experience. For the user I should advise to write to DOVO in
Solingen, not in the last place for them to realize the size of the potential
market, and may be they then write a book about it. They also have a large
catalog. For collectors there are may places on internet: search with HotBot
or Internet Sleuth with the exact phrase 'straight razor' and you will find
them all. One interesting address may be that of Lorenzi's: 9, via
Montenapoleone, Milano, Italy, a razor's museum dealing with razor's history
from prehistory untill now.
So, that was it. Any comment might add to the re-introduction of a real best
solution. This communication reflects some personal conclusions of a private
person; I have no commercial or private binding with any of the abovementioned
firms.
--
Arthur Boon
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Mike P. Swaim
>This is a (complete) correction on the previously posted manual which was
>unclear because of type shift - sorry.
Arthur, that was great. I'd locked your orig posts and was gonna edit
and print, but that complete version printed as is on my laser printer
into 6 very easy to read pages.
JOE T. ! -- This needs to be a stand alone FAQ !
mps
Mike P. Swaim
but Arthur's in depth look into them made me curious, so I dug out a
1971 reprint of a 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalog. In 1908, in America,
Sears, Roebuck would have been probably without doubt the nation's
premeir mail order firm. What I found was interesting. I offer the
following strictly to augment Arthur's wonderful post, not to argue
any particular points.
They devoted 2 1/2 pages to straight razors, 1/2 page to "safety
razors" and another 2 pages to shaving accessories like strops,
brushes, mugs and special razor hones. If sheer number of razors
offered is any indication, then the Wilbert Cutlery Co. in Chicago was
evidently very prolific and popular. Other brands offered included
Boker, Joe Allen & Sons, Bismark, Ern, Geo. Wostenholm and some
scattered non-specified razors from Solingen and Sweden. Hard black
rubber seems to have been a popular handle material.
I was surprised to see that they not only had safety razors in '08,
but that they advertised that the single edged razor blades that they
took could be re-honed just like a straight razor. There is plenty of
reference to honing straight razors, and even a section devoted to
selling special razor hones including hard black stones and German
water stones. Multiple ad copies suggest that a particular brand only
need rehoning annually, "unlike other razors".
Some of the most intriguing and humous ads were for Wilbert Cut. Co.
One model, called the "Arc Magnetic" hawks the merits of a magnetized
blade as "(having) particular merit as it prevents irritation and is
particularly desirable for those people who experience a burning
sensation after shaving with an ordinary razor." (Yeah, right ;-)
After more or less stating that each and every model is the absloute
best available, there's also a really large ad for "Razors Made to
Order" since as the ad states, "It is generally known that no two men
can get the same degree of satisfaction from the same razor." Then
onto the next page where each model again claims to be the one and
only solution that you'll ever need. Reading this stuff makes me
wonder if the average '08 man wasn't so bewildered by all the choices
that he simply gave up and grew a beard. ;-)
One deluxe razor set by Ern, came with 4 numbered razors which were
meant to be rotated daily. I'm most curious by this and Arthur's
suggestion that razors were not meant to be used daily. There's
further evidence of this in a couple of ads for safety razors that
come with 7 blades, and are advertised as "a blade for each day of the
week." Why the need to let the razors rest between shavings?
deb...@worldonline.nl wrote:
>Blade forms:
>Round point/Rundkopf: (________)========
>Square point/Gradkopf: [_________)==========
>Something inbetween: Franzkopf
There also seems to have been a "hollow point" shape that had a U
shaped notch removed from the end. It's not specified, but presumably
it was for greater cutting edge flexibility.
5/8" wide blades seem to have been the hands down most common, but
some models were offered in 1/2 and 3/4 as well.
Aside from a German model called Bismark, that was double hollow
ground, most in this catalog appear to be full hollow ground.
One interesting ad gimmick claims an "Antiseptic" razor that had a
felt pad inbetween the handles that could be soaked in a rust
preventative antiseptic.
Thanks to Arthur for making me curious. ;-)
mps
deb...@worldonline.nl
your reply is very interesting. I also know nothing about knives, but the
phenomenon of decreasing knowledge in a high-tech age was too intriguing not
to study the subject. I found something in a Dutch barberschool book from
1955, before my time, where they discarded rubber because it chemically broke
down in contact with alkali-soaps. In that book they also teach honing a
straight razor with a stone. The advise not to do so came directly from DOVO,
about a week ago. The honing process would take 'years' before doing it
precisely enough. Ironically, I asked this to Razor Edge Systems; the writer
of the Razor Edge Book of Sharpening starts his book with the statement that
he got intrigued by staright razors and stropping - however, no word about
this appeared later in the same book. My questions remained unanswered for
three times. I think they don't dare to advise some particular honing system
for straight razors, but this is still a subject for discussion, I think. I
tend to believe DOVO; they won't make a big deal with honing. The cutting
edge needs rest because the microscopic misalignment spontaneously stretches
after some hours; this process can be visualized, however I don't know the
metallurgic details. The rota of 7 days is more than I expected; I don't know
if this is less critical with stainless steel. Thanks for your interesting
contribution; it's already getting a real FAQ. In article
<6t14ft$4a7$1...@samsara0.mindspring.com>, mi...@cphl.mindspring.com wrote:
> >Blade forms:
> >Round point/Rundkopf: (________)========
> >Square point/Gradkopf: [_________)==========
> >Something inbetween: Franzkopf
>
> There also seems to have been a "hollow point" shape that had a U
> shaped notch removed from the end. It's not specified, but presumably
> it was for greater cutting edge flexibility.
>
> 5/8" wide blades seem to have been the hands down most common, but
> some models were offered in 1/2 and 3/4 as well.
> Aside from a German model called Bismark, that was double hollow
> ground, most in this catalog appear to be full hollow ground.
> One interesting ad gimmick claims an "Antiseptic" razor that had a
> felt pad inbetween the handles that could be soaked in a rust
> preventative antiseptic.
>
> Thanks to Arthur for making me curious. ;-)
> mps
>
>
Bruce Roberts
> One deluxe razor set by Ern, came with 4 numbered razors which were
> meant to be rotated daily. I'm most curious by this and Arthur's
> suggestion that razors were not meant to be used daily. There's
> further evidence of this in a couple of ads for safety razors that
> come with 7 blades, and are advertised as "a blade for each day of the
> week." Why the need to let the razors rest between shavings?
I gotta wonder about letting the razor "rest" but /a/ reason for a set
of seven was that you took it with you to the barber shop when you got
your trim on Saturday. While you were telling lies and getting
tonsorially attended to the barbers assistant was in the back giving
your razors a good going over on the strop. Also came in handy for
trips where you might pack razors but not a strop.
TTFN -br-
--
The opinions expressed here are all mine - and I'm quietly proud of
them.
Bruce Roberts - Long Beach, California