Papa Joe’s Razor, 2014
Papa Joe’s Razor is an enshrinement crafted for my grandfather’s razor. While I was never fortunate enough to meet my grandpa, my father has given me this treasure to honor his memory. The Halma straight razor was still in its original box that had the text “The HALMA Razor” and “Made in Germany” on opposite sides of the top. The blade of the razor itself is marked with the company name “Shear & Razor Works” in Solingen, Germany. Sections from the original case are included on top of the lid and mimic the original two-part sliding mechanism. When researching straight razor shaving, I came across an old diagram of a man’s face broken into sections for how to properly straight razor shave using fourteen essential strokes. Each of these strokes was labeled with the type of grip and the direction to move, such as “free hand up” and “back hand down”. These descriptors are etched around the outside of the box connecting the art of straight razor shaving with my prized family heirloom.