Family Affair

[matt321]

Did either your father or grandfather shave with a straight razor?

Me:
father = no
grandfather = yes

Dad used DE's when I was growing up in the 50's and 60's.
I'm told my grandfather used a straight, but I don't remember ever seeing that. I wish I had his razor now.

[KAV]

My grandfather used a straight and wouldn't have a horsehair brush in the house after his WW1 service. My father and uncles all used Gillette safeties.
Now it's a bit of a reverse; my one nephew has very little facial hair and bought a straight. I gave him my Vulfix starter brush and Trumpers rose When I discovered MWF.

[merkri]

No and no as far as I can tell.

There's a chance my grandfather might have used a straight at one time when he was very young, but all the evidence I've pieced together suggests no.

My great-grandfather did, though. It's at my grandmother's.

[gsgo]

My Grandfather was a straight shaver and then finally made a switch to a double edge somewhere in the late 30's according to my Father who remembers two straight razors, a hanging strop and a hone that was called "White Lilly". With seven kids in the house, Grandfather apparently was quite careful and safety minded when it came to his shaving kit. The kit passed around the family for a bit but was lost somewhere in the late 50's.

My Father used a double edge then went electric sometime in the early 60's, he still has an old Sunbeam that I remember clearly while growing up, still uses electric to this day but a top of the line Braun. Still likes the smell of Mennen Skin Bracer and Old Spice.

[ghart]

Both of mine did. Or rather 2 out of the 3—my other grandfather used a safety razor. I learned the principles of using a straight razor while watching my paternal grandfather shave, when I was age 6 or so. He was very kind and patient and taught us a lot of other essential things for life, including how to clean and polish our shoes!

[matt321]

When I was a youngster my Dad didn't use a straight razor, however he had a hanging strop that my sister and I became familiar with!

[GollyMrScience]

my great uncle George used a straight which was a trick because he was missing fingers on his hands from war wounds from WW1.
He was the first and only relative I saw shave with a straight
My dad and myself were Gillette DE guys.

[dadgad]

My father was using single edge cartridges by the time I started shaving, but he did get me using a brush.

Don't know about either of my grandfathers.

My GG Grandfather (maternal) did, and I have his razor! A Frederick Reynolds. That's what got me STR8 shaving.

[krissy]

I have no clue what my grandfather might have used on my mothers side of the family. All I remember him using was an electric and he's been gone for a number of years now.

But the grandfather on my hubbies side, he did use a straight razor as that was something that my hubby inherited from his parents a number of years ago after they both passed away. It was well used and now is just a collectors piece for us.
http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm45 ... t1-400.jpg

The hubby also acquired two mugs and a brush as well. The brush had long lost the bristles but for the hubbies birthday I snuck it out of the china hutch and sent it to Tony at Penworks. He added the right sized knot to it and now that is the only brush the hubby will use now. It also has a matching mug but i'm not sure why i didn't photograph that with the brush. The mugs were filled with his choice of shaving soap. I got brownie points this year for such a thoughtful birthday gift by bringing back his grandfathers shave gear back into use.
http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm45 ... ntique.jpg


My father uses cheap disposable razors and bath soap in the bath for shaving I've tried to introduce him to the world of wet shaving and even bought a brush for him from Phil (bullgoose) and tried to give that to him and soap and I got turned down flat. I showed him how to lather it and everything and got told that his cheap disposables and both soap got the job done..... I wanted to cry on my way home that day. I never brought up the subject again.

[jww]

Father - no.

Grandfathers -- no idea as I was not fortunate enough to know either of my grandfathers.

[matt321]

Grandfathers -- no idea as I was not fortunate enough to know either of my grandfathers.

Much of what I know about my grandparents I put together from family conversations. Last week my mother (83 years old) told me she had to have her appendix removed when she was six years old. The doctor told her dad that he would tend to her on credit, but the hospital would need payment. The public hospital was suggested, but that was ruled out. Instead Granddad went to the bank and got a loan for $25 dollars which covered the hospital bill.

Just another tidbit for me to file in the grandfather memory cells.

[drmoss_ca]

Both my grandfathers used straights, but my father never stopped using his army issue DE, which was a bastard razor (a Wardonia handle and a Myers head). One grandfather had a set of seven straights, which he had given up on before I knew him, possibly just as well as he was a man of an impatient temper. The other left a pile of old straights in his tool chest (a nice chest that he made as his graduation project when apprenticed as a carpenter) which were rusty when I first came across them in the 60's.

Chris

[Dale]

I have my great-grandfather's Engels Wedge and his strop and my great-uncle's hone. Both of my grandfathers used electrics.

[brothers]

father - no
maternal grandfather - yes
paternal grandfather - unknown, probably a DE

[Gene]

My father uses cheap disposable razors and bath soap in the bath for shaving I've tried to introduce him to the world of wet shaving and even bought a brush for him from Phil (bullgoose) and tried to give that to him and soap and I got turned down flat. I showed him how to lather it and everything and got told that his cheap disposables and both soap got the job done..... I wanted to cry on my way home that day. I never brought up the subject again.

Krissy...if my daughters brought me something like that I would be the one with tears in my eyes. Sorry to hear about it.

My dad still uses a DE and an SE. Don't know about either of my Grandfathers, one passed when I was two, and the oyher before I was old enough to appreciate shaving in any way.

[jbc]

Pop - will never forgive him for having a huge assortment of cartridge razors, I hate those things (a Sensor Excel, a fusion power, fusion power mvp, fusion power gamer, fusion power phenom, fusion power proglide) and he is thinking of a blade 5.

Grand pop - only knew one of the two its a 1960s super speed.

Great Grand pop - had sixteen kids and really did not have the time to learn to use one of those "new fangled gizmos" he called safeties. Great grand ma was a mess.

[SteveK]

Ironically, my grandfathers used DE razors, while my father used a straight (throughout my childhood, at least). In later years, he switched to various cartridge razors, and finally the Mach III. Always used a proper badger brush with soap/cream, though.

His “Taylor Eye Witness” sits in my drawer, awaiting the time when I decide to give up on DEs.

Steve

[matt321]

When I was a youngster my Dad didn't use a straight razor, however he had a hanging strop that my sister and I became familiar with!

Update on this with new info:
I've learned that my father used a straight before I was born which explains where that darned strop came from.

Also, my mother would secretly borrow her father's straight razor as a young teen when there were no DE blades in the house. She was forbidden from using it, but did anyway so the legs would look like the other teen girls at school.

Mom has her dad's shaving mug. She says she will find it for me next time we are there!

[matt321]

Went to my mom's house today, but forgot to get grandad's shaving mug.

He was one of seven siblings. His mother died at 37. The girls in the family were taken in by relatives. ( I always feel lile a "candyass" when contemplating the lives of my ancestors. )