“The razor is sharp, but the knife is no sister”
The material world is constantly being updated. This is one of the main signs modern life. Things that have served their purpose are being replaced by new ones - technologically advanced and branded, as they say now. Old things fade into oblivion and gather dust in attics. Sometimes they fall into the hands of collectors or simply enthusiasts and become new life and a meaning different from the original utilitarian one. These things already carry a certain philosophy, style, and challenge the general course of time.
Why are we talking about this today? Studying the material world gives an understanding that behind every thing there is someone’s creative energy, talent, perseverance and healthy adventurism. That is why in the civilized world it is customary to carefully preserve and study the creations of previous generations. Technical museums are being created, and huge amounts of money are being spent on this. You can feel the connection of times through things. And we, it seems to me, have fallen out of the general flow of time. Having broken more than once, they began to build a new life. An attempt was made to build a society of universal equality and equal opportunities. They gave people hope and then abandoned it themselves. In this regard, the author has conceived a series of articles about objects of a bygone era - “Soviet civilization”, which we will try to study through everyday life and the world of things.
Not long ago, while going through cabinets, I came across an old grandfather’s “warning.” I took a magnifying glass and carefully examined the blade, touched by a coating of rust. “Extra” 1953, stamp of the Moscow plant “STIZ”. Black comfortable plastic handle. I touched the blade - it was sharp, despite the “years of preservation.” I remembered a picture from my distant Soviet childhood.
On Saturdays, my grandfather and I always went to the bathhouse. It was a weekly ritual. We stood in line for a long time. The agonizing wait was brightened up by numerous stories and tales about “how it used to be.” It's our turn. Dressing room with many wooden lockers. The bath attendant has the key. Huge stone benches, zinc “gangs”, steam, crowding around the steam room and shower. In a word, don't yawn. After the steam room and a broom, we slowly walked to the dressing room. Grandfather dried himself off and put on crisp white underwear. He took out shaving accessories, soap and a shaving brush from his bag. He lathered his face and slowly began to shave. It seemed as if time had stopped for him. So he was absorbed in his work. The razor was adjusted on the belt in advance. The grandfather shaved in several passes, for a long time. No matter how hard I tried, it happened that I would cut myself. He frowns, takes a piece of newspaper and “sticks” it to the wound. He takes out a bottle of Chypre cologne from his bag. Pour it into your palms and then let’s pat yourself on the cheeks and snort. This is a man's job. Then there will definitely be a buffet. There's beer with roach, and I'll have sour cream with tomato juice. This happened a long time ago, back in the country called the USSR.
It’s a strange thing, but some things that seem to have completely gone out of everyday use suddenly magically take on a new life. This metamorphosis also occurs with a straight razor. Just yesterday, forgotten by everyone, firmly established in “flea markets” or, at best, in a collector’s box, today it has found a new life. What's the secret? Is it not that the word razor is associated with the word blade, sharp, dangerous? This means it is a truly masculine thing. The razor requires care, unhurriedness, one might say ritualism. She is beautiful in her simplicity of lines, courageous, sophisticated and mysterious. Yes Yes. I didn't make a mistake. The razor contains the secret of metal processing and hardening. And it is no coincidence that the production of a good razor was considered an indicator of the skill of a blacksmith in Europe. And the razor dates back to the second half of the eighteenth century. In Sheffield, Great Britain, and Solingen, Germany, there were centers for the production of straight razors. The company Dovo still operates in Germany producing straight razors. Finally, many men turned their attention to the razor, as their hands were yearning for men's work. Sharpening a razor is another piece of wisdom. There is an interest in restoring old razors. The fashion for salon close shaving is also being revived.
All this prompted the author to search for information about the subject. There was little material on the production of straight razors in the USSR. There are good thematic sites and forums. Something can be learned there. From word of mouth, as they say. The subject of study was the straight razor in the USSR: the beginning industrial production, factories, brands of razors, shaving and everything connected with it. The author does not claim to cover the topic completely. However, I thought it would be useful to leave in the material some technical details that are intended for collectors and lovers of close shaving.
So, it’s surprising but true that until mid-1930 in the USSR industrial, i.e. There was no mass production of straight razors. Millions of “bearded men” need straight razors Russian Empire, and then the USSR was satisfied through expensive imports, handicraft production, and safety shaving that was becoming fashionable. In 1904, the American company Gillette patented and began mass-producing a safety shaving machine. Millions of safety razors were supplied to the Allied armies during the First World War. The machine was not widely used by Russian soldiers due to the basic lack of mirrors and its relative high cost. It was necessary to constantly replenish the supply of replacement blades.
Millions of soldiers returned from the fronts of the German war. As trophies they carried in their backpacks straight razors. My grandfather also brought such a captured razor, only from another war. The razor also served my father until 1962, when he, a school Komsomol organizer and athlete, having received the rank of sergeant in Pechi, was enlisted in the newly created separate marine regiment. “I shaved softly and cleanly, although I can’t remember what brand it was after all these years.”
Handicraft artels, as the author came across old razors with the marks of “Skovyatinskaya” and “Kondratievskaya artel”, produced razors of varying quality. The grade of steel and the production process itself have always been kept in the strictest confidence. The same applied to imported razors. In the 30s. years, scientists from the Leningrad Institute of Metals and the Moscow Institute of Steel studied the properties of the blades of imported and domestic razors. More than 20 samples of razors from the world's leading manufacturers were studied.
The razor is subjected to enormous loads during operation. Thus, scientists have found that on average the area of a man’s face is about 250 cm square. In one pass, the razor cuts about 25,000 hairs, and there should be two such passes.
Thus, a good razor must meet two main indicators: resistance to constant load and be quick and easy to sharpen. Of the three types of razors: 1) Lux - very hard, resistant to stress, 2) quite hard, but easy to edit, 3) soft, can only work with the use of special sharpening pastes, the scientific commission chose the second type of razors for mass production . The production of luxury razors requires high-quality, expensive alloy steel, which is highly brittle and requires professional sharpening. Based on these indicators, it can be stated that there were inexpensive middle-class razors in mass production in the USSR.
Razors vary in blade width from 10mm to 26mm. The shape of the razor does not play a fundamental role. The length of the razor blade ranges from 65 to 85 mm.
The most important point when choosing a razor is the shape of the cross-sectional groove. This is the main indicator of the quality of the razor. According to the German company Gemini, the groove of the razor blade can have 14 basic shapes, from a rough wedge to almost the limit of the thinness of the tip.
If you sharpen only one tip, the cutting angle changes, which sharply worsens the shaving quality. All razors with a cross-sectional shape that follows concave curves allow the razors to be sharpened and stropped in the most advanced and easy way. When sharpening a razor of this shape, only the tip of the blade and the edges of the butt are ground off, the entire side surface remains unchanged. However, creating a recess of such shapes requires high-quality steels and special hardening and tempering, as well as careful machining of the blade.
High-quality German razors were made from English Sheffield steel, which in turn was processed from high-quality cast iron produced from the ores of Sweden and Norway. This is such cooperation.
Razors are made from carbon steels. With a carbon content of 1.1-1.4%. Alloy steels (chrome, molybdenum, tungsten). Some German companies added silver to the steel composition. Stainless chromium steels with a carbon content of 1.4% and chromium 13.8-14.5%.
Analysis of samples from the world's leading razor manufacturers showed that the optimal chemical composition of steel is:
Carbon – 1.2-1.35%
Chrome 0.5-0.8%
Manganese -0.25-0.3%
Silicon 0.16-0.2%
sulfur and phosphorus are traces.
Of the Soviet steels, the most suitable is KhO5 Ost 4958. When producing blades, it is necessary to take into account that the steel’s structure must be prepared in a certain way, no matter how good the chemical composition is, but hardening and tempering play a decisive role in the structure of the steel. Strip steel is used to produce razors. The technical process of producing straight razors consists of 14-17 main operations. Let's not overload the material with technical terms. Let us clarify that in addition to the chemical composition of the metal, the most important aspects of the production of razors are the hardening and tempering of the metal. They give the razor blade sharpness and stability in operation.
The tip of a well-sharpened razor is so thin that touching it not only with the handle, but even with your fingers reduces its original sharpness. The sharpening of the razor on whetstones is done manually. The most labor-intensive operation is sharpening. It took up about 17% of working time. Abroad, straightening a razor takes 30% of the time. Hence the quality.
There were no accurate, objective methods for determining the sharpness and durability of razors in the 40-50s. Initially, an attempt was made to use the device of the Japanese bladed weapons researcher Honda. The basic principle of testing the sharpness of razors on the device is that a razor fixed in the device, at a constant pressure of 1.5 kg, cuts a stack of standard paper strips. The initial sharpness of a razor is characterized by the number of cuts equal to the number of standard paper strips in one movement under load back and forth with a total long path of 4 cm. Durability is determined by the number of cuts that the razor can withstand before its original sharpness is reduced by 50%. However, this method of testing the sharpness of razors was found to be imperfect. Razors began to be tested by cutting the hair. When testing the sharpness, blonde hair was used due to its great fineness and softness. Most modern way sharpness checks - optical.
Experts say that the most convenient razor is the one whose blade has thin radius grooves. Such a razor requires almost no point, but only straightening. Let us recall that razors in the USSR were produced from XO5 steel at two factories: Trud Vacha, Nizhny Novgorod region and the Steel Products Plant in Moscow.
Since the mid-50s, GOST 7126 was introduced for the production of straight razors. In Moscow, "STIZ" produced razors of the following brands: Moscow, Sport, Spartak, Narrow, Extra, Novaya, Dvuhzakovnaya, Prima, Nedelnaya (set of seven razors).
The Trud plant produced razors of the following brands: Oka, Kama, Gravura, Podarok, Chaika, Yachta, Vesna. It was believed that razors from the Trud factory were of higher quality. There is an opinion among collectors and hobbyists that better quality razors were produced before the early 60s. Further, the percentage of factory defects increased. Single-shaft razors included the following brands: Sport, Prima, Spartak, STIZ-9, Moscow, Oka, Chaika, Yachta, Vesna, Novaya. For two-blade razors -STIZ-7, Volga, Kama, Engraving, Gift, Weekly.
Let's bring in this material traditional methods determine the quality of the razor - by ringing and exhaling steam on the blade. If the steam disappeared from the surface of the blade quickly, then the razor was considered high quality. But, it should be noted that this indicator spoke about the quality of polishing of the blade blade, and not about the quality of the razor itself.
IN Soviet times hairdressers recommended using a narrow razor with a blade width of 1.5 cm for a hard beard, a 1.65 razor for a medium beard, and all the others for soft hair. For coarse hair, old hairdressers recommended razors from the Moscow and Dvuhzakovnaya brands. It is believed that a wide razor, the so-called “shovel,” is better for shaving the head, and a narrow “snake” is more convenient for shaving the face. Straightening the razor on the belt, the barber said: “That the belt serves to smooth out the razor tip so that it is not “roughly sharp” and does not irritate the skin.” Men usually shaved every other day. In the village, shaving was timed to coincide with bathing day. The workload on a good hairdresser was serious: 30-45 people per shift. This required a steady hand and a keen eye. “Drunks” were not hired for such work. Both men and women shaved. A good trophy or factory razor was highly prized. It was considered an expensive and prestigious gift.
It should be noted that until the mid-50s, a straight razor was considered a bladed weapon. It was and is a formidable weapon. Wearing it entailed criminal liability. Later, this provision was excluded from criminal legislation.
From the “Rules for visitors to hairdressing shops” from 1944 “Visitors wearing outerwear and galoshes are not allowed into the working (operating) room.
Since the mid-70s, the production of razors has declined. Then, somewhere in the early 80s, it stopped altogether. A large amount of produced goods accumulated in warehouses. You can still find information that through retail network razors from the 60s are for sale. The razor was replaced by safety razors, which in turn were replaced by disposable razors. Progress does not stand still.
With the disappearance of straight razors from widespread use, the skill of sharpening razors is also lost. It must be said that now the fashion for close shaving is returning again. The demand of enthusiasts and collectors is met by old stocks that have migrated from far corners to the shelves of antique and specialty stores. Chinese manufacturers reacted very sensitively and began to mass produce inexpensive razor samples. The German company Dovo, having survived difficult times, is expanding its production.
The old and reliable “fear” is alive. She wins the hearts of men all over the world. After all, this is not a disposable, soullessly stamped machine, but a thing into which the master has invested part of his energy. There is an element of aesthetics to it. With good care, the razor will last for several generations of the family. You take into your hands the old grandfather’s “warmness” and your soul becomes warmer. The wheel of time continues its course.
You and I have all read Ivan Efremov’s magnificent novel “The Razor’s Edge.” I would like to end the material with the words of the great writer: “Beauty is the correct line in the unity and struggle of opposites, the very middle between the sides of any phenomenon. I imagine this measure as something extremely thin - a razor blade.”
When writing the material, the author used the following literature:
1. Pomeltsov S.V. Production of dangerous and safety razors, M. 1939
2. Meitardzhyanu H.A. Haircut and shaving M. 1958
3. Arkhangelsky N.A. Directory of merchandising of industrial goods. M. 1955
I bought a new machine at an online flea market. This is also a Soviet razor: made in 1991 at the Vladivostok Tool Plant. I share my impressions.
Plastic machine from the past
A batch of razors was put up for sale by a person unknown to me at an online auction. I purchased the machine for testing at a price of about 2.5 dollars. According to the seller, the machines came to him from a reactivated Soviet-era military warehouse. I have no other information about the origin of the razor.
The machine arrived to me in a plastic case with an insert label. It's completely new. Time has had no effect on the razor. Even the metal pin is not rusty.
The manufacturer is indicated on the label: Vladivostok Tool Plant. The equipment, production date and quality control mark are also indicated. The razor was released in April 1991. In those days, I didn’t shave yet, but I actively kicked the ball in the yard.
The machine is similar in appearance to “Sport-14”. As far as one can judge, the heads of these razors are identical or very similar in shape. The Vladivostok version differs in the shape of the handle.
Shaving machine in a plastic box The machine is very light. The plastic is soft. There is a feeling that it can change shape under running hot water. For a long time I hesitated to try the razor precisely because of its weight. When you pick up a plastic tool after a metal one, you can’t believe that you can shave with this thing.
When I decided to test a Soviet-era machine, I ran into a problem. The blade of this razor is skewed by default. Moreover, on one side it protrudes more than on the other. This is clearly visible in reality, but difficult to convey in a photo.
If you look closely, you can see that the blade is askew The problem can be explained simply: the machine parts have imperfect geometry. They also don't fit perfectly together.
Razor without blade I already wanted to try out a machine with an uneven blade. Perhaps I would get a slant effect. There are machines that are considered slants due to the oblique installation of the blade without bending. For example, the Alpha Ecliptic slant from Phoenix Shaving was created using this principle.
Just in case, I tried to align the blade. This happened without any difficulties. There were two ways to install the blade smoothly. First: the blade must be installed evenly and pressed against the lid. After this, you can install the plate and handle. Second: simply loosen the handle and align the blade by its blunt edges. After installation, screw the lid on.
Blunt blade edges protrude For testing I used Proraso sandalwood soap with standard skin preparation. For the first test I took yellow Bic. For me this is an efficient blade with above average sharpness.
Prepare yourself for the fact that you will have to put a lot of pressure on the plastic machine. Of course, it took pressure. After Wunderbar this was very unusual. But the machine from Vladivostok did not require any extra effort.
I shaved my cheekbones and cheeks quite easily. But I had to tinker with the chin and neck. Here it took more fidgeting in one place to get it clean.
After finishing shaving, I was frankly surprised. A razor from the Soviet Union provided results comparable to or. It was not possible to achieve the same purity as with Wunderbar. This was especially noticeable on the chin.
A day later I noticed the price of a clean shave with a plastic razor. A terrible inflammation and ingrown hairs appeared in the problem area on the neck. This always happens to me when I put pressure on the machine. Apparently, this is why it shaves perfectly without pressure at all.
Another observation: the growing stubble turned out to be much stiffer than after using the oblique cutter. I had forgotten that facial hair could be so spiky. Apparently, the reason is the different angles at which the straight and curled head machines cut the bristles.
Almost a oblique cutter from the Vladivostok plant For the second stage I chose the green Astra. This is practically a reference blade with an excellent balance of efficiency and comfort. I hardly feel it in Wunderbar.
In a plastic razor, ASP worked worse. The relative softness of the blade had an effect. More additional fidgeting and passing was required. The result was also worse. If I had started testing with Astra, I probably would have been disappointed in the machine.
The third stage of testing took place with Feather. For some reason I was immediately sure that the machine would work well with Japanese blades. After all, it’s just a stone’s throw from Vladivostok to Japan.
And so it happened. With "feathers" the plastic razor shaves even better than with the yellow Bic. However, the negativity did not go away: after shaving with a plastic razor, there were ingrown hairs and inflammation in the problem area on the neck. I attribute this to the pressure required to cut the bristles when using a light machine.
Working option
This is how you can characterize a plastic razor from 1991 in a nutshell. The machine works surprisingly efficiently. In Soviet times, a razor cost a penny, so it was a decent option. And if you remember that it was created for soldiers, any questions disappear.
I have no desire to use a razor in the future. I satisfied my interest and became involved in history. The plastic razor has one theoretical advantage over the Wunderbar: light weight. But even on the road, I would rather take a metal machine with me. 100 grams is not a critical mass.
Out of respect for history, I give the razor from Vladivostok a solid four points. You can shave with it almost without problems.
That's all. Good luck, friends!
Today, the dangerous blade seasoning is a sought-after item in fashionable hairdressing salons. However, the old Soviet “warnings” began to be used less and less due to the loss of their popularity with the introduction imported goods. Often, domestic products of the last century are stored as a collection or souvenir. Some give them to men on some special occasion.
The good old “danger” has been on the shelves for a long time, because shaving with such a device requires patience, endurance, and time. It is easier to make the bristles smooth with a modern T-shaped machine. Still, our fathers and grandfathers did it much more interesting.
Rocket
The manufacturer is the Steel Products plant in Moscow. “Rocket” comes from the 60s, so called because of the exploration of outer space, which was very relevant at that time. There is a corresponding inscription and image on its handle.
The price of this device is approximately 3 rubles, which is quite reasonable for an old-fashioned product by those standards. The price is written on the handle. There are rumors that it was not very comfortable, others say that it shaved wonderfully and was easy to edit. In terms of sensitivity, the blade is made of soft, non-hardened metal. If you compare similar models, they are designed differently, differing in length, sound, and metal sensations.
For reference! With a constantly sharpened blade, when you shave, it will carefully shave off the hairs. A conventional machine, one way or another, stretches the skin, tearing out hair.
Work
The work originates from the factory, created in the village of Vacha for the production of various products, including one of the quality “dangers” in the opinions of Soviet men. The history of the plant begins in 1830. They began producing straight razors in the 1920s. The quality was expressed literally in everything: after 80 years of storage, some rarities can boast of the excellent cosmetic condition of the blade.
Among other things, the handles are handmade, some of them are made of bog oak, impregnated with carnauba wax, Danish oil. After the 1940s, the manufacturer began to brand devices with the letter “T”, putting a dot between the word “Labor” and “Vacha”. People got the model thanks to the Rosinstrument trust.
The canvas is concave by a quarter. The width of the butt, the blade, and the length of the blade are different. The head of the device is made in a classic style. Overall, it is well suited for use by both professionals and beginners. The instrument weighs about 33 grams (plus or minus depending on the modification). Shaving like this is comfortable, it is moderately aggressive, with a comfortable blade and grip.
Expert opinion
Alexey Strizhnikov
Barber, expert on men's haircuts
When shaving, move the blade along the hair growth. When cleansing some areas of the face, carefully walk across the skin, shaving the hair against its growth.
Gull
Here is an example of this device:
This copy of the seagull is truly rare, because there is negligible information on this razor on the Internet, although it is still sold as a souvenir item. Here is another species of it - the ZTV gull, released in 1967:
The handle is in excellent condition, the blade is 16.5 mm wide, the thickness at the butt is 4 mm. Having sharpened it well, your hairs will be shaved with incredible smoothness.
Other
Manufacturers of Soviet “opasoks” were popular in the first half of the 20th century. Among them, the following factories were engaged in production:
- Factory "Trud" Vacha.
- Nikolai Yarunin with his son.
- Steel Products Plant (STIZ).
- PavMurMet.
Have you ever used a Soviet razor?
Yes, I didNo never
However, if you compare all brands for suitability, it is difficult to say for sure which is better. After all, every man is close to the model with which he has shaved for perhaps decades. But there are razors whose reviews have recommended them very positively:
- Vostok-2.
- Road.
- Rocket.
- Yacht.
- ZTV-Extra.
- Gull.
For reference! Protect the tool from prolonged exposure to a damp environment and lubricate it periodically. Be sure to purchase a leather belt and abrasive paste.
What are they made from?
The main material for creating the “danger” is steel, which contains from 0.6% carbon. Thanks to this, the blade is hard, and the cutting edge of the blade has elasticity and elasticity. The razor can also be made from stainless steel. The blade of such a device is less susceptible to moisture, but also requires careful care.
Important!“Apprehension” is a relatively cheap thing, both in the last century and today. If you take good care of the blade, it will serve you for many years.
The most suitable alloyed tool steels for straight razor blades are:
- SHH-15.
- U-10.
- X12-MF.
- Damascus steel. Used in single production. Consists of U-8 grades (65%); ShKh-15(10%); CHVH (25).
Alloy steel is an excellent alternative to stainless steel, because it oxidizes more slowly. Making Damascus steel is rare because it is expensive, but the process gives good density to the blade, shaving softly and accurately. U-8 and ShKh-15 differ in that the second grade is harder, at the same time more fragile, its sharpening will last longer. But she shave harder than the first model.
Forward from the past!
From our publication, you, dear men, learned about the Soviet “dangers”. The straight razor of the USSR already belongs to the historical past, having received its fame. However, some hobbyists prefer to preserve them, while others like to make them for collection or small sale. It's up to you to decide which device to use. Move forward and be successful!
Loading...