Razors .sx - VII .sx How I reach their " Sweet Blue Line .sx " .sx By WILLIAM LUSH .sx Many have written me that when putting another handle to a razor , in burring the rivet over they have split the handle , and they cannot make out why it is they do so .sx They can soon get over that trouble by dipping whichever part of the handle they want to .sx " doctor " into our old pal , hot water , and keeping it hot until they have finished their job .sx Also , if a razor catches its edge upon the handle when closing it up , dip the handle in hot water at the finger-rest end and bend it whichever way you want it to go .sx Marvellous that so many are unaware of this simple item about handles , but it is so , and by putting the remedy here it will save a good many readers having to write me upon the same subject .sx But it only again goes to emphasise the fact that razors and hot water harmonise , as I have often said , in a most remarkable degree , as by this time many have found to be true .sx In my last contribution we had got to the fine " feather " edge upon our razor .sx Now we are nearing the end .sx To remove that " feather-like " edge we must give our razor a few more strokes upon our carborundum stone until we cannot , with the naked eye , discern any white edge whatsoever .sx Now comes the great ordeal , the greatest test of all .sx Now comes the moment to which we must devote our absolute concentration ; must give our entire thoughts ; we must centre our whole heart and being upon our job , so that we may attain our goal ; may attain the real thing that matters , because we are now up against the task that may mar or make us ; up against the task which , if we conquer , will deliver us once and for all time out of our misery and land us in a sphere of happiness which some of us have never yet known ; a sphere that will alter the whole life's outlook in the heart of many - many a young lad ; alter the whole life's outlook in the heart of many - many a man and bring him to his El Dorado - the " sweet blue line .sx " .sx And , lambs o' mine , we are going to conquer ; we are going straight away here and now along the final path that shall bring us to what we are so anxious for - the final path to the " sweet blue line .sx " .sx So , come along , my sons , gather around and listen , listen , listen to him who " W. B. W. " has dubbed your Chief Engineer .sx Not only examine the condition of your razor by the sides of its edges , but stand before a well-lit window or a powerful light and study your razor's edge as by sketch No .sx 6 .sx We can learn quite a lot by reading our razor in this attitude .sx It is rather a favourite test of mine and it would be as well to give it a lot of thought and practice , because it greatly helps one to understand better the condition of the razor one is treating .sx Now that we have removed the " feather-like " edge from our razor , we will get out our finishing hone - either our old slate hone , our " Fergus " glass hone , one of .sx " Ogees " German Rock finishing hones or a hone of any description that will gradually bring up the final touch .sx We must take our finishing hone and , first of all , give it a jolly good rubbing on its surface with a piece of No .sx 1 sandpaper .sx This process will make it bite our razor's edge and gradually but surely bring us nearer and nearer the end of our task .sx After sandpapering our finishing hone we must wipe it thoroughly so as to remove any grit or anything that may be attached to its surface ; wipe it with a nice clean linen rag .sx If I am using a " Fergus " glass hone I always put a little of my strop dressing on it first of all , and rub it in gently with my piece of pumice stone .sx Then , on the top of the dressing I put a nice quantity of lovely creamy lather which I obtain by hot water and Colgate's shaving soap .sx I do not put any of my dressing on any finishing hone but the " Fergus , " but I use plenty of lather ; the more lather the quicker you get your job over .sx Then use just the same sort of stroke upon the finishing hone as you did upon the carborundum , as shown by sketches Nos .sx 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 .sx About every minute or less rub the surface of the hone with the pumice-stone so as to rough it , and make it bite every stroke you take .sx We must not give our razor the chance to get cold , but keep submerging it quickly in the hot water and the job is soon done .sx Standing up all the time just by the hot water saucepan , and , centring our whole thoughts on the job we are doing , we soon conquer our razor's edge .sx As we go along we must test our edge to see how we are progressing and to know its worth .sx There are many ways to test the edge of a razor , and for your enlightenment I am putting here the methods of the best-known gentlemen in barberdom and whose names are familiar to every reader .sx Personally , I use the left thumb test as Fig. 7 .sx I cover the left thumbnail with lather , and , dropping the heel of the razor down gently upon it , I draw the razor very carefully towards me by its own weight with the blade perfectly upright , as per Fig. 7 .sx You can instantly tell its worth .sx If the edge hangs in your thumbnail or is at all rough , you will know that it is not sharp enough , so you must keep on a bit longer on your finishing hone , until your razor runs over your thumbnail lovely and sweetly .sx There , my bonnie boys , is your " velvet edge .sx " Look at your razor's edge at all angles in a good light , and you will distinctly see the deep " sweet blue line " all the way up .sx Well , that is my way of testing my razor and , as I have tested many thousands by the same procedure , and , as it is a method that has never failed me , it is with the greatest confidence that I can ask you to give it your earnest attention .sx As a finer test put some lather upon your first fingernail and gently , gently test your razor's edge in the same manner as you did upon your thumbnail .sx I think that you will be surprised at the sensitiveness of the nail .sx But I have no doubt that the modus operandi of razor testing is very much like other things through life .sx It largely depends upon the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the individual .sx So , although I have given out to you that my own method of testing is a real good one and a very popular one , yet there are other methods , and the methods of others , which are just as good when you are conversant with them .sx Now here in Fig. 8 you will observe the testing method of Mr. Harry Provis , of Barry .sx Mr. Provis takes a rather long hair , and , holding it between his left thumb and finger , he gently presses a little piece of the hair upon the razor's edge , starting at the bottom of the razor and testing the edge in this manner all the way up .sx You will observe that Mr. Provis holds the edge of the razor toward him , which is exactly the reverse way to what I have done it myself or that I have ever seen any other barber do it .sx This , then , is Mr. Harry Provis's method of testing the worth of his razor's edge , and the pretty little way that a hair cuts itself , upon a razor that Harry has conditioned , is a proper revelation , even to myself .sx Everyone whom I have seen testing a razor with a hair has always " chopped " the hair away from him , so my sincere hope is , that this sketch of the manner in which the most brilliant artist in edge tools of his day tests his razor's edge will act as a new light in the life of many who are so anxious to test every pathway to the " sweet blue line " .sx Now , the method by which I have seen that artist whom we all love , Mr. Paul Glaus , the Superintendent of the London Gentlemen's Academy of Hairdressing , test his razor's condition is to hold his razor in his left hand and run his dry right thumb up the blade in a sort of slanting direction .sx Paul is the only one whom I have ever seen do this slanting touch , and I should think that it must be his own idea , because we all know that Paul revels in originality - yes , very much so .sx Mr. W. B. Williams tests his razors in a good many different ways , all of which come alike to him , because he is another one who is out for originality , but I believe he favours the manner shown by Fig. 9 .sx He slightly damps his left thumb and gently runs it up the blade .sx But as a final test he gently lifts up the skin on his left damped thumb , on the outside just below the thumbnail .sx Now I have never heard of anyone doing that before , not on the outside of the thumb .sx The edge when perfect has a smooth and nice clinging touch .sx In my next contribution I will show by more sketches how those gifted gentlemen , in their own special spheres , Mr. William Wilson , of Linlithgow , and Mr. Robert Ross , of Slough , test their razors as to know when they are perfect .sx This , my sons , is where so many are in trouble .sx They do not know when to leave off rubbing their razor upon their hone .sx So that is one great thing that I am giving so much of my time to - to drive home to you and instil into you just when your razor has reached the " sweet blue line .sx " .sx And then , and then , lambs o' mine , we will get down to how to retain that " sweet blue line , " retain it for years and years , retain it while life lasts .sx Enterprise at Kendal .sx Miss Nora Arnold , who has built up what is now recognised as one of the leading beauty culture parlours in Lakeland , arranged a demonstration of the latest " Gallia " methods of beauty culture at Kendal Parish Church Hall on Wednesday afternoon .sx There was a large attendance of Miss Arnold's patrons , as well as many others interested in the advancement of beauty culture .sx Miss Arnold was fortunate in having the services of Miss Alysa Miller , who is the chief demonstrator for Gallia Bonchelle , London .sx Miss Miller has had many years' experience in this work , and her intimate knowledge of the subject proved of great value in making many points clear to the audience .sx Miss Miller demonstrated the packs for removing superfluous fat on the chin .sx Great interest was centred on the Plastic Masks for making skin smooth and supple , for both greasy skins and those which are dry .sx After the demonstration Miss Arnold sprang a pleasant surprise on her clientele by providing tea and music .sx which was greatly appreciated .sx Exhibited in the hall were numerous photographs of models Nestle permanently waved by Mr. W. Arnold , brother of Nora Arnold .sx These photographs caused considerable interest .sx Permanent Waving Whys and Wherefores .sx By J. BARI-WOOLLSS .sx My readers have recently gained some excellent instruction in the art and practice of permanent waving from the pen of one who is famous as an expert in the art .sx This JOURNAL has the distinction of having published the most complete discussion of the subject ever written .sx It is felt , however , that there still remains for us a discussion of the scientific foundation of permanent waving .sx With a knowledge of the underlying laws we can understand the cause of our failures and successes .sx