The Penn's Grove record., 1883-09-22
Concerning Razors.

"Razors, (" said the expert to a repre-
sentative of the New York Sun, swing
ing one of the tools in his hand
with a freedom that made the reporter
shudder, "why, they're a field broader
than the moral law. They are the
touch to nature that makes all mankind
kin, from President Arthur in his
dressing-room to his constituents at a
~penny-ante poker game in Thompson
street. No, few razor are made in
this country-none worth speaking Of
say one in a million. The best come
from England. The next best are
Swiss. The French razors deserve a
proud distinction as climaxing the
worst so far as / know. Some used to
be made in Bridgeport, Conn, but |
believe the enterprise was abandoned.
Some are made yet in Massachusetts,,
at Worcester, but not many.
"In one respect we do better here
than in England. We a give here a
deeper C grind than the English
grinders can put upon a razor, conse-
quently many thousand dozens of
blanks are shipped here every year for
finishing. The reason for this is that
| the skilled and careful German grind
ers are in the business here. The bust
ness started in Hamburg and has
drifted into German hands almost en-
tirely so far as this country isconcerned.
Years ago the most famous Sheffield
| firm of cutters in the razor trade i'm
| ported two German grinders to show
| how their class of work could be done.
1t precipitated a general strike, and
the employers had to come to the
strikers demands-the bouncing out
| of the Deutchers.
"The Sheffield grinders are English
men and will not readily accept the
competition of men of other rationale
ties or adopt the methods of others.
They are not fond of change. Razors
ground to perfection over here have
been shown to them as models, but do
you Imagine they would follow them 2.
No, indeed. Primarily a razor, to be
good, must be made of good steel, but
it mus st also be ground properly to be
fit for shaving. Everything, in fitting
and edge tool for use, depends upon a
correct understanding of the service it
is expected to perform, and nice adapta-
ton of its edge to just that service. A
carving knife, for instance, must be
| ground fiat on one side and wedge
| shaped on the other a pocket knife
must be ground convex and have a
sufficient thickness behind its edge to
keep it and a razor must be ground
thin and concave. See this one for in
stance. 1t is, as you will observe,
thinner a little back of the edge than
close to it, hardly thicker than a sheet
of paper. Nip the end of its edge with
your thumb-nail, and you will hear it
ring like a little silver bell. More
razors are spoiled by improper grinding
than in any other way. The only way
to know positively whether a razor is
good or not is to shave with it. The
eye will not determine its quality. But
even if a laZor is of the best steel and
faultlessly ground it may be spoiled
and rendered quite unfit for shaving by
improper stropping. A little too much
dropping or not quite enough and you
will have a bad edge. Then the razor
which is really not all to blame, is con-
demned as no good.
"Often, too, people who are not
adopts in the handling of razors COM
plain that their raZOrs do not shave
well, when the fact is they scrape with
them, holding the blade almost at right
| angles to the skin, or use them with a
straight push of the edge against the
hair. The proper way is to draw
the razor with an easy gliding motion
against the hair-so. Use it right and,
even if it is not quite a first class razor
or in perfect condition, you can still
get a pretty satisfactory shave with it.
But, for lack of doing that, people get
the querest notions about their razors-
actually attribute to them whims and
obstinacies as if they were sentient
beings. / know n gentleman who
affirms that his best razor, his pet when
in town, will not shave him at all in the
country. He actually believes that,
The fact is, that he is away from his
ordinary conditions of being and sur.
rOundings when in the country, and
unconsciously of course, neither treats
his razor mol uses it as he would al
home. Many then affirm that theil
razors refuse to work well on the sea
cost, as if the razor cared where it i:
used. Three-quarters of the people
who shave themselves do not know
how to use a razor, and conse.
quently are liable to condemn a good
one.
"A razor Is supposed 10 Dc better Tor I
rest after it has been used for a goot
while. And it is. My idea abo ut it is
that an inpreceptible rust gathers on il
in disuse, and when that is honed and
stropped off its edge is thinner and
sharper than before. But you will not
frequently hear a barber speak of a
razor as being tired and needing rest.
Many men avoid wearying a razor by
constant use by the expedient of having
several and using them in turn. Here,
for example, is what we term a 'calen.
dar case,' got to meet the requirements
of gentlemen who take that sensible
view of their razors. 1t ~scontains as
you will observe, v fine razors, let