The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-04-11
RAGoRs.

-Inliadelpila Gfess.
CONCERNING EAEoRs.
Where They are Maae. now They Are
Used and What Becomes OF Them.
"Razors" said the expert to a repre-
sentative of the New York Sun,
swinging ono ofthe tools in hisaand
With a freedom TINT made the reporter
shndder, "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 razors are made in this country
none worth speakingaof-say onss in q
million. The best come from England
The next best are Swiss. The French
razors deserve a proud distinction of
~climaXing the worst. sd far asSI know.
Some used to be made at Bridgeport,
Conn, but L believe the enterprises was
abandoned. Some are made vet in
Massachusetts,, at Worcester, butSno
many.
"In n respect we do better here
than in England. We can give here a
deeper concave grind than the English
grinders can put upon a razor, conse-
quently many thousand dozens Of blanks
are shipped here every year for finish
ing. The reason for this is that the
skilled and careful German grinders
are in the business here. The business
cto,fnl y- Toy,1,,.or o,I Jo, 1,sr+,1
into German hands almost entirely so
far as this country is'conce2ncd. Years
ago the most famous Sheffield firmsof
cutters in the razor trade imported two
German grinders to show how their class
of work could be done. 1t precipitatcd
. 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 NATIONAL
titles or adopt the method 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? Nc, indeed. Primarily a
razor, to be good, must be made of
good steel, but it must also be ground
properly to be fit for shaving. Every
thing, in fitting any edge tool for use,
depends upon a core ct understanding
of the service it is expected to perform,
and nice adoption Of its edge to just
that service. A carying-knife, for in
and wedged- shaped on the other a pock-
ct knife must be ground convex, and
| have q sufficient thickness behind it's
edge to keep it; and a razor must be
| ground thin and concave. See this one,
for instance, 1T is, rs yoniwl observe,
thinner a little back of the edge than
close to it, hardly thicker than " sheet
of paper. Nip the end of it's edge With
your thumbsnail, and you will hear it
| ring like d little SILVER bill Morelfa-
F, zors are spoiled by improper grinding
than in any other way. The only way
to know positively whether o razor is
good Oh not is to shave with it. The
eye will not determine itssquality.rBut
even if a razor is of the best steelsaand
faultlessly groundit may be spoiled and
rendered quite unfit for shaving 7tyNim-
proper stropping. A little too much.
stropping, or not quite enough and you
will have . bad edge. Then the razor
which is really not at AL to blame, is
cond emned asnog coed.
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 that they scrape
wH31lthen, 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 withsan easy gliding motion
against the hair--so. Use itright, and,
even if it is not quite o tirst-class razor
or in pe1fectcondition, you can stu get
a pretty satisfactory shave with it.
But, forlack of dong Tint, people get
the queerest notions about t-heirrazorss-
actually attribute to them awlIms and
~obstinacies as if they were sentient
beings, / know one gentleman who
atfirms that his best razor, his pet in
town, will not shave him at all in the
country. He actually belives that.
! The fact is, that he is away from his
ordinary condition of being and sur
roundings when in the country, and,
unconsciously of course, neither treats
his razernor ysesit as he would at home.
Many men affirm that their razors refuse
to work well on tlle% seacoalst, as if the
razor cared where it is used. Three
quarters Of the people who shave them
selves do not know how to use a razor,
and consequently are liable to condemn
q good one.
"A razor is supposed to be better for
q rest ~afterit has been used for a good
while. And it is. Ny idea about it is
that an imperceptible rust gathers on it
in disuse, and when that is honed and
stropped off its edge is thinner and
sharper than before. But you will not
infrequently hear a barber speak of q
razor as being tired and needing rest
Many men avoid wearing a razor by
constant use by the expedient Of having
several and using them in turn. Here
for example, is what we term q calendar