Barbers practice shaving a balloon in 1950

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Originally published at: Barbers practice shaving a balloon in 1950 | Boing Boing

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I friend of mine told me a while back his father was a barber and shaving a balloon was part of his final exam at barber school. Wasn’t sure if it was a peculiarity to that school or if it was a “thing,” though this video suggests the latter.

I did try my hand at straight razor shaving a while back too. It’s very enjoyable but you really have to take time and care to soften the stubble first. The blade eventually lost its edge and I was never able to find good advice on how to hone it into shape again.

Someone else was telling me getting straight razor shaves from a barber were illegal in my state (only the back of the neck). But I recently found a barber who will do it all, so maybe the law was changed or that guy was full of beans.

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Where are they getting all these hairy balloons?

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I’ve been going to the same barber for almost 15 years and he completes every cut with a straight razor neck shave using hot lather. Even to this day I still grip the chair a little when he does it, LOL.

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My brain read the headline as berbers at first and I was a bit confused for a second?

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Popping and stropping!

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I initially read “baboon” and experienced different confusion of similar magnitude.

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Stupid brains, getting ahead of our reading the headline…

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I’d think the balloon would be easier than a human face, as the human face is uneven, bumpy, inconsistently textured and has hair that catches the blade (in unpredictable ways). Granted, it’s somewhat less likely to pop if you nick it, though.

“Berbers practice shaving a baboon” makes a certain amount of sense to me, somehow. Like, “Oh yeah, okay, I bet there’s actually a pretty mundane story behind that headline…”

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Did… did you mentionsharpening?!?!

We’ve got a live one here folks! Bladesplainers, Assemble! :laughing:

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Oh No Omg GIF by The Office

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It’s part of a traditional coming-of-age ceremony. Berbers will proudly show their scars.

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I thought maybe I’d get a rise out of that comment. True story, I think the bevel is crooked however and needs re-ground by a professional.

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