Sharp as a Jedi Lightsabre!

This is an old razor, from my Mom's side of the family, which I have repaired by replacing the handles...

For a long time I had been interested in Straght-razors, but until about a year ago, I had not taken the plunge. New ones were expensive, and I'd heard lots of bad things about shaving with them (though, lots of good things, too). Then I discovered some internet resources on straight-razor shaving, and finally, I discovered e-bay.

What I learned on the internet is that there are three important considerations to getting a good shave from a straight-razor. First, you simply must have a good-quality razor to begin with. The metalurgy is extremely important. With the edge so fine, the metal has to be very stiff to keep the cutting edge from curling over when it encounters a whisker. But it also has to be tough enough that you don't get brittle chips falling out of the edge. And, of course, it needs to be in good condition. There are lots of used razors out there (and a few new ones, too) and some are bad, some are good, and a few are really, really good. It takes luck and perseverence to find them, however.

Second, you have to get the razor sharp... really, really sharp, but not "oversharp." That takes practice and time. But after a while, just like most simple skills, you get the hang of it and it comes naturally. And of course, along with getting the razor sharp, there is the challenge of keeping it sharp. [an aside here... actually, you can get any razor sharp. But if the metalurgy is poor, the razor will not stay sharp to even complete the first shaving stroke. Really good metalurgy will get you through a couple of shaves without needing a trip to the strop.]

And finally, you have to learn how to shave. Little that you learned from safety razors will apply. You will cut yourself (though I've had far worse cuts and nicks from a so-called safety-razor). But the cuts actually don't usually bleed a lot, and stop quickly without even using a styptic pencil. Unless you get really careless, that is.

If you get a good razor, then master the arts of sharpening and shaving, you will be rewarded with the smoothest shave you have ever experienced.

But I've digressed....

Here's the real story I wanted to tell.

When I was home this past summer, Mom had rummaged through her cupboards and presented me with 3 old razors that came from her side of the family. All have broken handles, so couldn't be used very well. But I was able to sharpen a couple of them, and they have the characteristics of being really good shavers. So, I decided to put new handles on them.

I was able to find a source of pins (and even replacement handles) on the internet, but wanted to craft the scales (what they call the handles) myself. I recently located a source of stabilized "exotic" woods, and ordered a bit of stabilized wild cherry burl. And after a few days in the woodshop and some careful finishing (along with fixing a few mistakes I'd made), the first razor was finished. It is, indeed a thing of beauty.

After some additional sharpening and honing, I tried the razor this morning, and yes... it is a good shaver! Perhaps not quite as sharp as a Jedi lightsabre, but it does mow down the whiskers pretty nicely.

It's so satisfying to be able to use a tool that your grandfather (or perhaps great-grandfather) used so many years ago. And it has a lot more years of life left in it still.