The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-09-21
Concerning Razors.

tHC ihOIdl law. lhC oiO III eOuSh W
nature that makes all mankind kin,
from President Arthur in his dressing
room to his constituents at penny
ante poker game in Thompson street.
No, few razors are made in this country
none worth speaking of-say one in
million. The best come from En-
gland. The next best are Swiss.
The French razors deserve a proud dis
tinction as climaxing the worst. SO far
as | know. Some used to be made in
Bridgeport. Conn, but l believe the
enterprise was abandoned. Some are
made yet in Massachusetts,, at Worces-
ter, but not many.
"In one respect we do better here than
in England. We can give here deeper
concave grind than the English grind
ers can put upon a razor, consequently
many THOUSAND dozen of blanks are
shipped here every year for finishing.
The reason for this is that skilled and
careful German grinders are in the bust
ness here. The business started in
Hamburg. and has drifted into German
hands almost entirely so far as this
country is concerned. Years ago the
most famous Sheffield firm of cutters
in the razor trade imported two Ger
man grinders to show how their class
of work could be done. 1t precipitated
general strike, and the employers
had to come to the strikers demands
the bouncing out of the Deutschers.
1.-The Sheffield grinders are English
men and VIII not readily accept the
competition of men of other nationalities
OF adopt the methods of others. They
are no. fond of change. Razors ground
to perfection over here have been shown
to them as models, but do you imagine
they would follow them9 No, indeed.
Primarily q razor, to be good, must be
made of good steel, but it also must be
ground properly to be fit for shaving.
Everything, in fitting any edge tool for
use, depends upon a correct under
standing of the service it is expected to
perform, and nice adaptation of its
edge to just that service. A carving
knife, for instance, must be ground Hat
on one side and wedge-shaped on the
pther; q pocket knife must be ground
convex and have sufficient thickness
behind its edge to keep it; and razor
must be ground thin and coDcaye. See
this one, for instance. Ii is, rs You will
observe, thinner a little back of the
edge than close to it, hardly thicker
than sheet of paper. Nip the end OF
its edge with your thumb nail and you
will hear it ring like little silver bell.
More razors are spoiled by improper
grinding than in any: other way. The
only way to know positively whether
razor is good or not is to shave with it.
The eve will not determine its quality.
But even if q razor 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
strOpping, or not quite enough, and you
will have a bad edge. Then the razor.
which is really not Mt all to blame, is
condemned as no good.
"Often, too, people who are not
adopts in the handling of razors do not
shave well, when the fact is that they
scrape with them, holding the blade al
most 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 il
right, and even if it is not quite first
class Sazor or in perfect condition, you
can still get pretty satisfactory shave
with it. But, for lack of doing that,
people get the querest notions about
their Enthusiastically attribute to them
whims and obstinacies, as if they were
sentient beings. know one gentleman
who atlirms that his best razor, his pei
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
surroundings when in the country, AMI
unconsciOusly of course, neither treats
his razor nor uses it as he would al
home. Many men affirm that Their
razors refuse to work well on the sea
coast, as if the razor cared where 1t l;
used. Three-guarters of the people
who shave themselves do not know how
to use razor, and consequently are
liable to condemn good one.
"a razor is supposed to be better fol
q rest after it has been used for 4 goo0
while. And it is. My idea about it i:
that an imperceptible 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 moi
infrequently hear barber speak of 8
razor as being tired and needing
rest Many men avoid wearying
razor by constant use by the eXped!eni
of having several and using them in
turn. Here, for example, is what we
term calendar case got up to meet
the requirements of gentlemen who
take that sensible view of their razOrs.
1t contains. as you will observe, seven
fine razors. lettered on the back for the
DAYS of the week. Such eases are sold
at various prices, all the way up from
81 to $50. Why do call it a sensible
view ? Because, naturally, seven
razors, by such changing round, will
each do but one-seventh of what would
be required of one razor in constant
use, and consequently the evil day of
re-grinding is put seven times further
away. Some men have a great num-
Der of razors, and keep adding to their
collection all the time, Joe Jefferson,
the actor, buys at least dozen per an
mum from big cutlery house on Mas
sau street alone, and know he also
BUYS elsewhere. should imagine that
he must have trunk fun OF razOrs. if
he does not lose them Or give them
away all the time.
"A good razor is worth from Sl.5O to
$3.50, but there are cheap kinds sold as
low as 81 dozen Those are the kind
generally employed in Thompson street
to stiffen up weak poker hands or per-
suade people who don't .carrya razzer.
There are an infinite number OF styles
and sizes of razors. Some like big,
heavy blade; others small, light. very
narrow, and deeply conceived blade. 1
rather think the latter are leas. liable
to cnt the skin In all cases the blade