The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-04-03
CONCERNING RAZORS.

Philadelphia Press.
CONCERNING RAzoRs.
Where They Are Made, How They Are
Used and What Becomes of Them.
q "Razors" said the expert to repre-
sentative of the New York Sun,
swinging one Of the tools in his hand
with freedom that made the reporter
shudder, "why, they're q 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 speaking Of say one in a
million. The best come from England
The next best are Swiss. The French
climaxing the worst, so far as / know.
Some used to be made at Bridgeport,
Conn.,, but [ believe the enterprise was
abandoned. Some are made yet in
Massachusetts, ut Worcester, but not
many.
''In one 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
H1,o 1,,,c1
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
German 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 Deutchers.
"The Sheffield grinders are English
men and will not readily accept the
competition of men of other national
tiles 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? No, 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 q correct understanding
of the service it is expected to perform,
and nice adoption of its edge to just
that service A carving-knife, for in
stance, must be ground fiat on one side
and wedged-shapedo on the otheC; a pock-
ct knife must be ground convex, and
have a sufficient thickness behind its
edge to keep it; and razor must be
ground thin and concave. See this one,
thinner q little back of the edge than
close to it, hardly thicker than a sheet
of paper. Nip the end of it's edge with
your thumb-nail, and you will hear it
ring like little silver bill. More IA
zors are spoiled by improper grinding
than in any other way. The only way
to know positively whether razor is
good OF not is to shave with it. The
eye will not determine it's quality But
even if razor is Of the best steel and
faultlessly grounds it may be spoiled and
rendered quite unfit for shaving by i'm
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 all to blame, is
condemned as no good.
''Often, too, people who are not
adopts in the handling of razors COM
plain that their razors do not shave
we'll, when the fact is that they scrape
with them, holding the blade almost at
= right angles to the skin, or use them
with 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 tirst-class razor
or in perfect condition, You can still get
q pretty satisfactory shave with it.
But, for lack of doing that, people get
the queerest notions about their raZors-
actually attribute to them whims and
obstinacies as if they were sentient
beings, I know one gentleman who
affirms 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 razor nor uses it as he would at home.
Many men affirm that their razors refuse
to work we'll on the seacoast, as if the
razor cared where it is used. Three
quarters of the people who shave them
selves do not know how to use razor,
and consequently are liable to condemn
agood one:
"A razor is supposed to be better for
a rest after it has been used for good
while. And it is. My idea about it is
that an imperceptible rust gathers on it
in disuse, and when that is honed and
stropped off it's edge is thinner and
sharper than before. But you will not
infrequently hear barber speak of a
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 calendar
case, got to meet the requirements of
gentlemen who take that sensible view
of their razors. It contains, as you will
observe, seven fine razors, lettered on
the backs for the days of the week.
Such cases are sold at various prices,
all the way up from 81 to 500. Why
do call it a sensible view?' Because,
naturally, seven razors, by such chang
ing round, will each do but ne-seventh
of what would be required of one razor
in constant use, and consequently the
evil day ofregrinding is put seven times
further away. Some men have a great
number of razors, and keep adding to
their collection all the time. Joe JEFF
ferson, the actor, buys at least dozen
per annum from big cutlery house on
Nassau street alone, and I know he also
buys elsewhere. should imagine that
he must have trunk full of razors, if
he does not loose them or give them
away all the time.
- "a good razor is worth from 81 so to
$3.50, but there are cheap kinds sold
as low as SO dozen. Those are the
kind generally employed in Thompson
street to stiffen up weak poker hands
or persuade people who don't carry q
razzer.' There are an infinite number
of styles and sizes Of razors., Some like
big, heavy blade; others, small,
s5F7iohtY vary :, arrow and 6oov1p oor, 10 x,of1