Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1880-01-30
How to Shave,

Vanity Fair gives a few hints to gentle
men:
The shaving-brush should be ample
and rather soft, the soap of the most
soft and lubricant sort that can be
got Lay it on hot and work it freely /;
the thicker, hotter, anu softer the lather,
so much the pleasanter and easier will
be the shave. Never use biting or acrid
soap; probably the more glycerine,
honey and grease that enters into the
composition of the soap the more agreea-
bic it will be to the skin; but in this, as
in so many other great affairs, expe-
riencc viii be the surest guide. The
man who has shaved for q year or two
and has not found out what soap is
pleasantest to his cheek is deficient in
the bump of research, and will never do
great things in the world.
The choice of a razor is commonly
thought so difficult that many give up
all attempts at forming an opinion of
their own, take what the cutler pleases,
and rely upon his good faith and the
credit of the house for happy result
Possibly there exist tradesmen who will
take back a razor which after few days
trial does not prove up to the mark If
so, we shall be only too happy to make
their acquaintance personally, we never
met with one. And this is hardly to be
wondered at, for nothing equals the
delicaey of a good razor edge except
perhaps the tenderness with which it re-
quires to be treated. If a razor in tenn
pering has not received sui1cient heat,
It's edge will be brittle; if on the other
hand, it has been too much heated it
viii be soft, but how is the purchaser to
tell? He may however, take with him
a microscope, and carefully examine the
edge all along, If it shows no bluntness
nor inequalities under this test, prima
facia case is made out i'll favor of tic
razor. We ourselves do not use the
microscope, but never on any account
buy a razor which will not with any
part of its edge sever hair plucked
from our own head and held freely
between the left finger and thumb,
while we chop at it with the razor in the
right hand. The tool which will sue
cessfully pass this test seldom turns
out badly. We may also here record
another fact, namely, that mounting has
nothing whatever TO do with excellence,
and that expensive razors are not as
rule whit better than the cheap ones.
A shilling razor bought of small
cutler, IN country town, is just as
likely to do its work well and long as
one mounted in tortoise shell, costing
ten times the money, and purchased at
a West End establishment. That is, of
course, if you have taken the trouble to
verify the state of its temper by the
means which we have above pointed
out.
Never dip your razor into boiling or
very hot water to make it cut better it
is a most wasteful and deceptive pro-
ceeding, At first it certainly seems to
answer and to make the edge keener,
but in the long run it softens the steel,
and you will find the weapon fail you
at some critical moment when smooth
ness and dispatch may be invaluable.
If you put your razor away wet, or
with the edge ill-cleaned, you have no
sort of right to blame any one but your
self when it fails to do duty the next
day. Treat it tenderly, as if you like it,
like Izaak Walton's worm, and you will,
if you have a fair start, be sure of
GOOD and faithful servant From time
to time you must use the hone. You
should wipe your hone before using it
with some soft rag or piece Of old silk
to remove all diTti next spread few
drops of oil on the hone, and then,
gripping the razor firmly by its handle
with the thumb and forefnger, firmly
holding it below the shoulder of the
blade, push the razor away from you,
taking care to press evenly, fatty and
firmly, and to give the blade sliding
motion along the surface of the hone;
when the whole of the blade has ira
versed the hone, reverse it, and do the
same thing over again on the other side,
always remembering to work from
shoulder to point; by this means the
minute teeth of the saw, which, as
microscope will show you, form the
razor, will all be set in proper direction,
so as to give you the most benefit from
their touch against the bristles of your
beard when you set to work at your
morning shave
Recollect that a razor strop must be
used in the same manner; but that how
ever carefully you strop your razor, it
can never prevent your being sometimes
driven to the hone. When choosing a
razor strop, be careful to pick out fiat
one. This is very important, as other
wise you will never. get the teeth of
gO.+ HAACtNoOOplC SAW " Do SFSuly SS1
on the edge of the razor with an equa-
bic, keen and fne-cutting faculty all
along from one end of the blade to the
other. The leather on the smooth side
of the razor strop should be calf, and of
the hest quality, and this side of course
used after the razor has been sufficiently
sharpened on the side spread with the
composition. It has the effect of smooth
ing the edge, and will so far be found
useful