Air travel

After 9/11 there was a long period of time where tweezers were not permitted on airplanes. My family and I had to give up some of the original tweezers my grandfather made by hand which was a big disappointment. I get asked from time to time if tweezers are now allowed back on and the answer to that question is yes. And for anyone else who is traveling soon, I was told just recently that disposable razors and their cartridges are as well. Though straight razors are only permitted in checked baggage. Happy traveling!

Facebook

When I took over for Paul Winchell he had some real amazing followers on Facebook. What he set up was a family and I appreciate that. I know my grandfather would have loved that. If you have a Facebook follow me and I'll follow you right back!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sliver-Gripper/171593716493

Deserted Island

If I had to pick one beauty product to take with me to a desert island, it would be my tweezers.

What other tool has this many uses? My tweezers keep my brows looking flawless and ingrown hairs in check, they help me to apply fake eyelashes, fix jewellery, reset my wireless router and remove splinters. They are the true workhorses of the beauty world.

So desert island or not, having excellent tweezers is essential for one's beauty game. But there are so many types out there! How do you which ones are right for you? How do you store them? What's the deal with sharpening?

Never fear, for I have ALL the answers! Let’s get into everything you’ve ever wanted to know about tweezers!

You should ALWAYS look for stainless steel tweezers. Do not accept any other metals, especially nickel, which can irritate skin. Who wants to run that risk? The tweezers that Uncle Bill’s offer is made out of 100% stainless steel, which is exactly what you want!

You must also keep your tools in optimal working order, which, for tweezers, means keeping them clean and sharp.

Even if you’re the only one using them, clean your tweezers after each use. I use rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball, unless they’ve been in contact with blood (like from splinter removal). In that case, I clean them with alcohol and then boil them in a pot of water for five to seven minutes. 

As for sharpening, you’ll know when your tweezers have gotten dull because they won’t feel as “grabby” when you use them. Take a piece of sandpaper with the end of your tweezer grip the end and pull a few times. That should do the trick.

Storage is also important. Luckily, with the key chain that is taken care of for you. The tip is the most important part to protect and with the clip it is fully protected!

Tick Bites Part 3 of 3

Where are ticks found?

Ticks live outdoors. They hide in grass, trees, shrubs, and underbrush. If you are outside hiking or playing, you may pick up a tick. A tick may attach itself to your pet, too. Ticks may stay attached to your pet, or they can migrate to you while you’re petting or holding your pet. Ticks can also leave you and attach themselves to your pets.

Various kinds of ticks are populous throughout the country. Most states have at least one type of tick known to live there. Ticks are at their peak population in the spring and summer months. 

The most important thing to do when you find a tick on you is to remove it. You can remove the tick yourself with a tick with a set of tweezers. Grasp the tick close to the skin’s surface. Pull away from the skin, trying not to bend or twist the tick. Check the bite site to see if you left any of the tick’s head or mouthparts in the bite. If so, remove those. Clean the bite site with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

You do not need to take medicine or see a doctor for a tick bite unless you begin developing symptoms or do not want to remove the tick yourself. If you remove the tick yourself, be aware of any unusual symptoms, which might indicate you may have contracted a tick-borne illness as a result of the bite.

Stay safe out there and have a fun summer!

Tick Bites Part 2

What other bites resemble tick bites?

Tick bites are usually easy to identify. This is because the tick can remain attached to the skin for a long period of time (several days or even weeks) after it first bites. Most tick bites are harmless and will cause no physical signs or symptoms.

Tick bites are typically singular because ticks do not bite in groups or lines. If your bite site becomes red or swells, the bite may resemble a spider bite.

In rare cases, ticks can transmit a disease to human hosts. These diseases can be very serious. Most signs or symptoms of a tick-borne disease will begin to occur within the first few weeks after a tick bite. If you begin experiencing unusual symptoms, it’s important that you seek medical care and let your doctor know that a tick recently bit you. He or she may conduct tests to determine whether your symptoms are the result of a tick-borne disease.

Here, a list of disease that can be transmitted to you through a tick bite:

  • Lyme disease
  • Colorado tick fever
  • Rocky Mountain spotter fever
  • tularemia
  • ehrlichiosis 

It is camping season so please be careful and always have a pair of tweezers on you!

Tick Bites Part 1

Ticks are small, blood-sucking bugs. They can range in size from as small as a pin’s head to as large as a pencil eraser. Ticks have eight legs. They are arachnids, which means they are related to spiders. The different kinds of ticks can range in color from shades of brown to reddish brown and black.

As they take in more blood, ticks become larger and larger. At their biggest, ticks can be about the size of a marble. After a tick has been feeding on its host for several days or weeks, they become engorged and can turn a greenish blue color. 

Tick bites are usually harmless and may produce no symptoms.

However, if you are allergic to tick bites, you may experience pain or swelling at the bite site, a rash, burning sensation, blisters, or even difficulty breathing.

Some ticks carry diseases, which can be passed on when they bite. Tick-borne diseases can cause a variety of symptoms, and usually develop within the first few weeks after a tick bite. Potential symptoms of tick-borne diseases include:

  • red spot or rash near the bite site
  • neck stiffness
  • headache or nausea
  • weakness
  • muscle or joint pain or achiness
  • fever or chills
  • swollen lymph nodes

Be sure to seek medical attention immediately if a tick bite results in serious symptoms.

Stay tuned for more next week.

Cosmetics through the ages part 4-Modern Cosmetics and Make Up

The Industrial Revolution made the mass production of cosmetics possible although many people continued to make cosmetics at home. However in the 19th century some people disapproved of women wearing makeup and it was often sold under the counter. Meanwhile in the 19th century soap became cheaper and towards the end of the century the middle class began to have bathrooms.

In the 19th century women used lampblack as eye shadow. They also used rouge and at the end of the 19th century painting the lips became common. Meanwhile zinc oxide replaced white lead for whitening the face.

Electrolysis hair removal was invented in 1875. (Laser hair removal was developed in the 1990s).

The brush boring machine was invented by Mason Pearson in 1885. That made hairbrushes cheaper. Pearson also invented a rubber cushion hairbrush in 1885.

In the 19th century toothpaste was sold in jars until 1892 when Washington Sheffield invented the collapsible toothpaste tube. Meanwhile in 1888 the first modern deodorant was invented. It was called Mum.

In the 20th century the old puritanical attitude to makeup was forgotten and it was sold openly. With rising living standards women could afford more and more cosmetics.

In 1915 Maurice Levy invented lipstick push up sticks in tubes. The new lipstick became common in the 1920s. Modern mascara was invented in 1913 by a man named T L Williams.

The film director D.W. Griffith invented false eyelashes in 1916. Women have dyed their nails for centuries but modern nail varnish was invented in 1917. The French manicure was invented in 1975. Meanwhile modern lip gloss was invented in 1930 and went on sale in 1932.

For centuries it was fashionable for women to have pale skin but from the 1920s tans became popular. (The suntan bed was invented in 1978).

Women first began to shave under their arms in the 1910s. The first modern razor for women was made in 1915. Disposable razors for women followed in 1975.

The first synthetic hair dye was invented in 1907. For centuries women used hot tongs to curl their hair but in the 1930s permanent waves became common. Hairspray was invented in 1948.

In the late 20th century plastic surgery became common. The first face-lift was performed in 1901. The first silicon breast implants were fitted by a surgeon in 1962. The first liposuction was performed in 1974.

And there you have it. Cosmetics through the ages!

Cosmetics through the ages part 3-Cosmetics 1500-1800

In the 16th century most people cared about their appearance. People carried mirrors made of glass or steel. They also carried combs and used tweezers, ear scoops and bone manicure sets. In the Summer people sometimes had a bath in the local river. Sometimes they heated a cauldron of water and had a strip wash. Or they could have a 'dry wash' by rubbing themselves with clean linen.

In the later 16th century white lead was revived as a way of getting a pale complexion. (Poor women had to work outdoors so they were suntanned. Pale skin was a sign of wealth so it was desirable). Furthermore at that time blonde hair was also popular and many women died their hair. Women also used red ocher on their cheeks. They also wore face packs and they plucked their eyebrows. In the 17th century fashionable women stuck black patches onto their faces. Sometimes they were in the shape of stars or crescent moons.

In the 17th century people used toothpicks but in the latter part of the century toothbrushes were introduced. (Toothbrushes came from China. They were first mentioned in 1498). People also made scented soaps.

In the 18th century pale skin was still fashionable. So were dark eyebrows. Women also still used rouge abundantly. Perfume was also common. In the early 18th century a new scent was made in Cologne. Later in the century it became known as Eau de Cologne.

In the late 18th century a book called The Toilet of Flora (published in 1784) gave advice about preparing make up. (The word toilet is derived from the French word toilette, which means little cloth. In the 17th century it was a cloth cover for a dressing table, called a toilet table. If a woman was at her toilet it meant she was dressing and preparing her appearance. By the 19th century it was a euphemism for a certain room).

In the 18th century some women wore false eyebrows made of mouse fur. They were glued to the face.

Belated Father's Day Sale

I already had a blog set up for last week that I forgot to honor the fathers out there! So, this week I wanted to offer a two day sale. If you e-mail me I will send a free tweezer with any purchase. Happy belated Father's Day!

kjslivergripper@gmail.com

Cosmetics through the ages part 2-Cosmetics and Make Up in the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages their bathhouses in many towns were people could pay to have a bath. Furthermore in Northern Europe in the Middle Ages people took sweat baths.

In the Middle Ages people used combs and tweezers. They also used toothpicks and mouthwashes.

Medieval women curled their hair with hot tongs. They also dyed their hair. They used vegetable dyes to redden their faces and color their nails. It was fashionable for women to pluck their eyebrows.

Cosmetics through the ages part 1-Cosmetics in the Ancient World

Women have always tried to enhance their beauty. Even in Prehistoric times people wore necklaces or bracelets made of things like shells. They also wore pendants of bone or ivory. Prehistoric people many have painted or tattooed themselves. Certainly the 'ice man' who lived in Copper-age Italy about 3,300 BC was tattooed. Furthermore some iron age bodies found preserved peat had manicured nails showing the upper class in Northern Europe at that time were particular about their appearance.

Further South all the ancient civilizations used cosmetics. In Iraq in 2,000 BC perfumes were commonly used. So were pigments for the eyes and lips. They were made from various minerals and they were stored in shells.

The Egyptians are known for their cleanliness (they bathed frequently) and they used many cosmetics. They used black eyeliner and green pigment for their eyelids. They also used rouge for their cheeks. The Egyptians also used perfume.

The Greeks too used perfume and they used white lead to give themselves pale complexions. They also used rouge. Roman women also used cosmetics such as eye shadow. Greek and women were also known for their elaborate hairstyles. Women dyed their hair and sometimes used wigs. Roman women also used face packs using ingredients like crocodile dung (if they could afford it!).

Roman women also used razors, pumice stone, tweezers and depilatory creams to remove unwanted body hair. At that time there were no glass mirrors but women used mirrors made of polished metal. The Romans are also known for their cleanliness. They rubbed themselves with oil and scraped it off with a tool called a strigil.

Steel

Steel has been forged for millennia, with the earliest known examples reaching back to Turkey in the 18th century BC. 

Steel, which is iron with a small amount of carbon added to it, offers some advantages over iron in terms of hardness, ductility, and tensile strength, but, because it's still mostly iron, it rusts. Everything made out of steel will, over time, inexorably transform into a crumbling powder.

Throughout the ages, metallurgists attempted to add other elements to steel to prevent rusting, sometimes with modest success. But there was no reliable way of mass-producing rustproof steel until 1912, when a metallurgist named Harry Brearly from the English city of Sheffield tried to come up with a better gun. 

Most gun barrels are grooved – or "rifled" – in a spiral pattern that causes the bullet to spin, increasing accuracy. But the friction between the bullet and the barrel causes wear, eventually making the barrel too big for the bullet. Brearly sought to develop a steel alloy that would resist erosion.

He failed. Again and again. And his heap of steel scraps grew bigger and bigger. 

After several months of trying and failing, Brearly noticed that one of his failures had retained its luster, while the others had rusted. 

The sample contained about 12 percent chromium, which had reacted with the oxygen in the air to form a thin, protective film. Even when it was scratched, the film would quickly restore itself. Brearly called his invention "rustless steel."

Since the 16th century, Brearly's hometown of Sheffield was known for manufacturing cutlery, and Brearly immediately saw the potential for his new invention. Up until then, most cutlery was made of ordinary steel, which had to be polished frequently to avoid rusting, or silver, which was prohibitively expensive for many people. 

Brearly approached his old schoolmate Ernest Stuart, who was a manager at Mosley's Portland Works. After testing Brearly's material in a vinegar solution, he dubbed it "stainless steel," and the name stuck. 

The Portland Works building still stands in Sheffield, where it serves as a low-cost space for independent cutlery makers and metallurgists, along with many artists and musicians. Activists in Sheffield are working to prevent the space from being converted into an apartment complex. 

One of those days

Have you ever had one of those days where you are so clumsy that you keep running into things, or getting splinters? I had one of those days recently.

Tweezers can be good for more than just splinters and great to have on you at all times. With the handy keychain clip it rests in you will never be without it.

That's all for today. I just had to comment on the clumsiness because even me, who has really good balance, can have accidents. We all need the essentials with me.

My Story

I've given you stories about "Uncle Bill" aka my grandfather, so let me tell you a little about me. I grew up in a small town in California. My parents and I did most of our traveling to Old Whethersfield, CT to visit "Uncle Bill" and family. There we would go to Capecod, MA for a week making 6' tall sandcastles and go body surfing. My cousins and I were like fish. I came from a very artistic family. Many painters and inventors of all kinds. Imagination was a must. I wouldn't trade my childhood for the world. I feel really lucky for that. I'm happy to be working in the family business now and look forward to wherever that will bring me to!

Renaissance Fair

I went to this great fair yesterday; The Renaissance Fair. I've gone to these kind of fairs since I was a little kid. My dad (who is the son of Uncle Bill/my grandfather) was really into them. Robin Williams used to go to the one we went to. I'm fairly certain that my grandfather would have loved it. There were so many people there that all just wanted to get away from the city for a while and step back into another time. There is someone peaceful about that.

The summer is upon us, so I hope that whatever you do this summer you can get away from your everyday lives and have some fun with your loved ones or friends. I think we forget just how important it can be to shut down our technology and just enjoy each other.

Happy Sunday!