floundersgreatadventure

Ok today is going to be about razors not politics. I suppose most of you use either a disposable or electric razor. When I say most of you i’m really not sure but for this post I’m going to assume it is so. Now the razor companies have gone out of their way to convince you that theres shave s best but if your my age (over 70) you know that they’re full of shit. Most of us old guys remember going to the barber to get a shave. He would start out with a hot towel on your face and some conversation while the towel did its job. The towels job was to soften up the beard for the razor. Now depending the year the barber would either mix up some lather in what was called a shaving cup and then apply it to your face with a brush, he’d let that sit while he took out his straight razor and stropped it to restore its edge. Now you probably just went what the hell is stropping. Well a strop is basically a piece of leather that has or hasn’t had a polishing compound rubbed into it. It is used to remove the roll over on your blade just like a kitchen steel is used. It doesn’t actually sharpen the blade but rather does whats called honing the blade. When you use a razor or a knife the edge will have a tendency roll over slightly. For example your in the kitchen and you just chopped some onions and now you want to slice some tomatoes. Well you’ll find out that most blades have lost here edge now you have choices stop get out a sharpening stone, change knives. Or get your steel out. we’ve all seen the chef get the steel out and run the blade up and down about 10 times this restore the edge to the blade. This method is used on the so called never needs sharpening knives or Stainless steel knives. Now if you have a straight razor you use a leather strop instead. I have a couple that I use to keep my carving knives with a good edge. Now that doesn’t mean if your razor is high quality carbon steel that you don’t have to sharpen it on a stone once in awhile. To day the demand is ramping up for straight razors but before you go out and get one make sure your hands don’t shake and you have somebody how to use it. The advantage of a straight razor is it won’t clog with shaving cream you won’t have to have water running in the sink wastefully. The disadvantage is that everyone in awhile in the beginning your going to cut yourself. But if your willing to up with that and make a one time investment in a good straight razor your girlfriend or wife will love how close you can shave. This is Flounder and I don’t shave and Fats who does saying CIAO from Medellin, Colombia.