Thread: Free Book PDF from 1905: "Shaving Made Easy"

On page 18 where they recommend flicking the point with the thumbnail to hear an audible ringing sound to judge the temper of the razor ..... the same old barber that gave me my Swaty and the instruction on avoiding nicks in my sig line told me that years ago. He said that if a full hollow gave a musical tone it was a good razor.

I have one singing razor and it is really amazing. This guy pushes high caliber equipment too.

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

Chapter 11 may be of interest to some. Warm water apparently softens the hair thereby making it more difficult to cut - so the author recommends cold water. Normally I use cold water but for the last few weeks have turned to the dark side because it's too cold in the morning. From my experience I must agree with him on this point. But I never knew the reason before.

Who woulda thunk it ? This morning before I go to work I will shave with .... ugh..... cold water and give it a shot. I will also rub the first lathering in with my fingers. I've yet to do that although I always wash my face vigorously twice ....formerly with hot water .... sigh

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Who woulda thunk it ? This morning before I go to work I will shave with .... ugh..... cold water and give it a shot. I will also rub the first lathering in with my fingers. I've yet to do that although I always wash my face vigorously twice ....formerly with hot water .... sigh

When I first tried it it was just an experiment. An old book I had read suggested the best thing a father could do was teach his son to shave with cold water and without a mirror. It took me about a week of preparing (second pass with cold water / lather with warm water but dip the brush in cold and rub it on / start with cold and do a couple of strokes, etc.) It did not come as easily as you might think, but the preparation paid dividends. After a week of doing it I was hooked. (I did, however, go back to the mirror. Vanity and all!)
While I'm not the most experienced shaver here, and I doubt there's anything I could teach anyone, I will say that if you approach it carefully and are prepared to give it a proper go I think you will be very pleasantly surprised. Good luck.

Nice Resource!!!

Thanks,

Lynn

Hello, LuckyCynic:

Thanks for digging up this gem of a book. Thus far I have picked through it and found it most useful. The full reading follows soon. Great detective work, sir.

Regards,

Obie

This should be in the wiki as required reading for the newbies out there. Much of the information is exactly the same as the questions and subsequent advice given.

Now that is just wicked cool! Saved for late-night read in the tiny library.

Thanks for sharing this entertaining glimpse into the past!

Very cool and interesting. Thx for sharing.