Archive created 18/10/2025

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A

I find that snufftaking is only one of several anachronistic habits I have. I shave with a straight razor, I only use film cameras, usually made before 1950, I like to hand-write letters and postcards(some of which I make with my polaroid 100), I prefer a compass and map to gps, etc. In what ways other than snufftaking do you just prefer to do things in a more deliberate or archaic way?

P

I’m into bushcrafting myself.

B

Perhaps it provides an aspect of intimacy with the task at hand. It generally requires skill and a hands on approach when using tools or procedures of the past. Craftsmanship is involved and shines through when the craftsman gains mastery of his tools and executes his trade with little effort. Selection and maintenance of tools creates a kind of bond with the implements. This has all been lost in today’s culture. Everything is disposable and tasks are done half-assed. Back in the day a craftsman or artist took pride in their work and became ONE with their tools. A stone mason could be none by the markings his chisel left on the stone that was different from other masons. People either don’t take the time or don’t make the time to learn the finer nuances of older ways. @Asherael I am the same way. There is no better school than Old School!

J

I personally don’t see snuff taking as an anachronism. I don’t think it was as popular as we all would like to think. I believe its day has yet to come.

B

I don’t shave. I cook with cast iron. I have a flip phone i only answer . My music is on cassette tapes and vinyl. I collect and smoke pipes. I encapsulate herbs for medicine, make infused oils and tincture remedies. I hunt with a blow gun, sling shot ,spear ,atlatl ,and bow. Plant gardens and raise chickens for eggs. have a pony to manicure the yard. Make hot sauce, can excess produce.And for fun I throw tomahawks and play disc golf. I know disc golf isn’t anachronistic for some.

B

@basement_shaman Funny you bring up blow guns, I was looking at the Cold Steel blow guns as I own several of their knives. (Derail)

A

@basement_shaman Ooh, I have a big bore blowgun! It’s a hoot! And I love cast iron and wood cooked (grilled or smoked) food! I always wanted to get and learn to use an atlatl. My Fiancee wants to raise chickens.

A

I personally don’t see snuff taking as an anachronism. I believe its day has yet to come.

Its second day has yet to come for sure. But it also had a hayday in the past, and while its coming back like film and vinyl, It’s not what it once was, even if its not what it will be. I do have to say though, after not using it for a few years and coming back, it seems to be having a golden age. There are some BRILLIANT new choices, and I’m dazzled by what Toque is doing.

J

Shave with a straight (sometimes) safety razor always. Cast iron is the only way to cook. Ok got out the King’s now. and the (my favorite)Hibbard, Spencer & Bartlett & Co.

J

Yes, @basement_shaman I have a couple CS knives and … You know. SRK and Trailmaster

B

@jpsavage you seen my srk in a whats in you pipe thread next to some plug tobacco?

M

Kind of on this topic… I just watched the pilot of “revolution” on Hulu. It’s one of those post apocalyptic TV series… the world with no power. I thought it was awesome!!

C

Safety razors, mug soap, brush.

T

I’m anachronistic for my generation. I read books, listen to music mostly from the 50s and 60s (sometimes even before that), smoke a pipe and take snuff. I’ve dabbled in leather working and I play a lot of music. Even when I’m making music with electronic instruments I play them and don’t program them or I plug in my guitar and bass to record that. I also drink tea like a fiend, but I don’t personally grow, pick or blend the ingredients.

H

@Asherael No GPS? I couldn’t and wouldn’t do without my GPS, no way.

A

@hooked I’ll use a GPS while driving alone. With my faincee we use a map. When I’m in the woods, I prefer a compass and map.

B

anachronistic? Me no way. I’am more timeless to be honest. Love the fact that now we can make so many choices. Snuff yes, gps sometimes, books awesome, movies great, music don’t give a damn when it was made.

M

Snuff-Check; Straight razor, mug and brush-Check; Cast iron skillet and dutch oven-Check; cooking from scratch and home canning-Check; topo map and army compass-Check; hand bound books-Check (when I can afford them); fountain pen and hand written letters-Check; Fedora, flat cap and derby (as needed)-Check; 1928 BCP and 1611 KJV-Check. All I need now is a Tin Lizzie and a candlestick 'phone. Modernity is for the inexperienced.

A

I walk everywhere. This modern invention they call the ‘wheel’ probably goes out of fashion soon.

X

@AllanH Yeah, its surely just a fad! Though I travel nearly everywhere by bicycle. I’m living life in the fast lane! :-" @maknips I did some home canning last night. Homemade picallily! (extra points if you know what picallily is - no looking it up either!)

A

@Xander innit carrots and assorted veggies and stuff? I got something like that driving from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia one time. The guy that made it sold it to me in a ramble of 90 word sentences.

X

@Asherael Nope, no carrots in it, but I think I know the stuff you are talking about. Pretty sure that’s an Amish carrot salad you had. Not sure of its proper name. Picallily is a green tomato relish with peppers and onions. The tomatoes in the garden aren’t good for much else besides this after the weather begins to turn cool.

I

I also shave with a mug and badger bristle brush and a DE safety razor.

P

I have some characteristics that some might see as anachronistic: I don’t own a car or a cellphone, I much prefer real books over electronic reading devices, and I rarely watch television. However, my motivation isn’t some nostalgic yearning, but a choice to live a life of voluntary simplicity.

X

@pipensusnsnuff I’m in the same boat. No car, no cellphone, same outlook. I’m not against technology per se, but I have to ask what part of my humanity (or labor, money, etc) must I sacrifice for the “convenience” of complicating my life further. There’s quite a bit still to purge from the past and getting those I live with to folow the same philosphy is an ongoing challenge.

B

I couldn’t live like the Amish, I need my internet access for snuffhouse.org.

B

I have a cellphone and I don’t really use it. It’s for special occasions only not for talking all goddamn day about what I had for lunch,

H

My anachronism manifests through an obsession with Steampunk.

X

@bob what did you have for lunch? Please, lots of details. I have plenty of time.

P

@basement_shaman: Voluntary simplicity doesn’t mean living like the Amish. I love my PC (including gaming) and my iPod, and wouldn’t give either up. Without technology, I wouldn’t have a job (and I like my job). My position is simply this: I use technology, but I don’t allow it to use me. I don’t go out and buy the latest gadget just because everyone else is doing so. It’s more a rejection of mindless consumerist culture than a Luddite attitude.

B

@PipenSnusnSnuff- An anachronism, from the Greek ανά (ana: up, against, back, re-) and χρόνος (chronos: time), is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of person(s), events, objects, or customs from different periods of time. Often the item misplaced in time is an object, but it may be a verbal expression, a technology, a philosophical idea, a musical style, a material, a custom, or anything else associated with a particular period in time so that it is incorrect to place it outside its proper temporal domain. Has nothing to do about voluntary simplicity. deals with time, Sorry if that sounds brash

B

@bob what did you have for lunch? Please, lots of details. I have plenty of time.

A cookie actualy.

P

@basement_shaman: You’ve disregarded my original comment in this thread, in which I began by stating that my views on voluntary simplicity could be construed as anachronistic. Please don’t take my comments out of context, whether you intend to be brash or not.

B

@PipenSnusnSnuff the amish comment was not directed to your original comment. Sorry if you took it personally it was not my intent.

C

@Asherael Nope, no carrots in it, but I think I know the stuff you are talking about. Pretty sure that’s an Amish carrot salad you had. Not sure of its proper name. Picallily is a green tomato relish with peppers and onions. The tomatoes in the garden aren’t good for much else besides this after the weather begins to turn cool.

have you ever considered frying up those green toms? The wife just fried up a batch tonite. I like to drench them in red wine vinegar and eat them with a fork. The wife puts mayo on hers. Buttermilk with an egg beat in it…drench…dip in flour…fry in your favorite oil. Drain them on paper towels. Eat them however you wish… Best GAS ever later that night…

X

@Camu Yes, there are plenty left for frying; piles of them really. I’m not a fan personally, but the rest of the tribe here is. They usually make a few batches every autumn. Maybe I’ll make a batch of batter for myself with soymilk.

C

@Camu Yes, there are plenty left for frying; piles of them really. I’m not a fan personally, but the rest of the tribe here is. They usually make a few batches every autumn. Maybe I’ll make a batch of batter for myself with soymilk.

Being as I like fried tofu…I imagine “soy milk” would work! Cheers! And I am snooting Copenhagen up my nose because my order of Taxi isn’t here yet…a big natural ammonia salty banging snuff for after fried dinners methinks…

B

soy juice soy juice… unless I had some orange milk with breakfast

B

Pickled green tomatoes, slice em up and put em on your sandwich, yum

J

@basement_shaman No, just that you mentioned CS and I have a couple. Twistmaster also but carry Benchmade.

V

I think you guys are just old and are trying to swap ‘old’ with ‘sophisticated’ haha i’m just messing around. execpt for @basement_shaman you are just pagan. I am not so different to be honest. I shave with a straight razor, I wont be motivated to shave unless I do. I read the newspaper daily (the physical paper), which in my generation is archaic and somthing that always came off as normal to me untill kids my age pointed it out all the time. I only drive standard cars, automatic seems silly to me. I do a LOT of gardening, I have herbs, vegetables, and trees, but I dont bother with flowers. I love my fig trees. I cook foods from all over the world, but still come back to my italian recepies handed down from many many generations. Cooking is somthing many people from my generation lack. I hate dealing with my phone, I refuse to get an ‘Iphone’ In general, things that are vintage grab my attention, vintage is classy, I don’t care what anyone else says about it. My watch is analog. I try to make most things in my life a DIY endeavor.

B

@Vito445 to be a pagan you would need to believe in a god . I have no such beliefs. Pagan is a religion and I have religious indigestion. “Your mind is totally controlled It has been stuffed into my mold And you will do as you are told Until the rights to you are sold”. “Frank Zappa”

W

A bit anachronical here too and liking it, besides snuff my other passion is the practice of medieval and renaissance swordmanship (mostly longsword and sword & buckler) not of the same period but I love them both!

B

@basement_shaman No, just that you mentioned CS and I have a couple. Twistmaster also but carry Benchmade.

It wasn’t me that mentioned CS that was bigdaddysnuff. But they do have a good selection of deadly collectable battle ready tools of surivial and self protection. It’s not Honzo quaility but the prices aren’t either. The Benchmark 553SBK griptilian looks like the folder on my list. I have no need to carry. so it be for display. I have tools for most purposes that I use.

B

My EDC knife is actually a Spyderco Manix 2. I abuse this knife and it keeps going.

M

I carry around a Kershaw, not a high end knife but reliable and says sharp; also a tiny Swiss Army penknife with a snuff spoon attached to the ring on the end, really handy.

B

Gen 2 River Witham Viking -zombie head remover ;works with first swing and never runs out of ammo.

H

Such a lovely blade, @basement_shaman

S

Use a ‘dumb’ phone, why shave, read real books that I can hold, shun traditional social media, buy local as often as possible and totally utilize good old fashion tobacco as often as feasible.

A

http://www.acontinuouslean.com/the-american-list/

T

Snuff-Check; Straight razor, mug and brush-Check; Cast iron skillet and dutch oven-Check; cooking from scratch. besides snuff my other passion is the practice of medieval and renaissance swordmanship (mostly longsword and sword & buckler) not of the same period but I love them both!

D

I bought a 1965 Mercedes Benz 190D. Cast iron, grain mill, roast coffee, diy laundry detergent, Ronsir glasses. I could go on.

A

Snuff-Check; Straight razor, mug and brush-Check; Cast iron skillet and dutch oven-Check; cooking from scratch and home canning-Check; topo map and army compass-Check; hand bound books-Check (when I can afford them); fountain pen and hand written letters-Check; Fedora, flat cap and derby (as needed)-Check; 1928 BCP and 1611 KJV-Check. All I need now is a Tin Lizzie and a candlestick 'phone. Modernity is for the inexperienced.

1928 BCP - modernist! At my wedding we used the 1662 rite, and the clergyman said in 25 years of priestcraft he’d never used it for a wedding… Other anachronisms: Fountain pen 3 speed bicycle which I ride in ordinary clothes with no ‘safety gear’ except a pair of cycle clips Small wire rimmed specs Proper old heavily repaired English shoes with leather soles and blakeys (except for cycling when I wear rubber soles) Bespoke suit (with tie, not open necked) for work; tweeds for leisure Pipe In business, always call people by surname and title unless invited not to (this one is slipping now - I think email has killed off the use of surnames and titles completely now)

J

Listen almost exclusively to Bach (Glenn Gould performing; preference for minor pieces) read books, take whisky straight, drive stick, play classical on my nylon string, carry a handkerchief (though I know most here do as well) and enjoy canned fish…

J

And I forgot my fountain pen…I was the lucky recipient of a beautiful cross with a monogrammed cap for my birthday.

E

Fountain pen.

P

I’ve considered joining the local Amish, if not for lack of internet.

P

I personally don’t see snuff taking as an anachronism. I don’t think it was as popular as we all would like to think. I believe its day has yet to come.

A good wish for sure BUT it was as popular as we like to think. Snuff was f***ing HUGE back in the days.

T

An apt observation. I have some of these preferences myself. Among them: Black 1940’s wing tips Vintage safety razor with brush & mug ‘Soda jerk’ glasses Pipes (corn cob, burl, and deer antler so far - looking to add a clay churchwarden) Gardening and preserving Soviet era eastern European firearms Fountain pens My grandfather’s hats & ties Vinyl records, and some lacquer 78’s

M

I do like to go simple, timeless with certain things at times or in some areas. I like to go reuseable(sp?) over disposable, also prefer foods with more natural ingredients. I use paper where lots of folk would use computers and such. Double edge razors, or at times a straight. I prefer cooking w/gas, wood, charcoal etc. over electric units. Stuff like that. Simple if not anachronistic… For the record, as I’ve heard. Pagan means “the people who dwell in the countryside”, those who didn’t want to live in the kingdom under the rule of the king. So a pagan may or may not have a religion. I think I heard this in R. Buckland’s or G. Gardner’s work…

H

Badger brush and shaving mug. Cast iron pans and dutch oven. Pocket watches rather than wrist watches (mechanical of course!) Old Time Radio (mostly hardboiled detectives and Fibber McGee & Molly.) Musical preference - Doo Wop. Monastic aspirant. Sad to say… the handlebar moustache that I sported for several years has been replaced by a goatee (of sorts) after I was told that the handlebars would probably have to go if I become a monk.

S

@howdydave That’s a cryin’ shame. I miss my handlebars :((

A

Pagans, myself included, use the term to mean pre- or non-christian (generally non-mainstream) religious practices, like shamanism, wicca, druidism &c. I’m amused to find that Americans generally prefer “pagan” and tend to find “heathen” derogatory, while in Europe, or at least the UK, the opposite is generally true. Most of our words derived from ancient words are at best tangentially related to their original meanings, like dexterity and sinister. @basement_Shaman, are you affiliated with the Basement Shaman business?

B

@Asherael- No, I am a self employed Craftsman, General contractor in the building trades industry. I study the use of herbs for medical and spiritual enlightenment and optimal health. I don’t believe in organized religion but trust they do hold value to society. That they give hope for people to believe there is something after death. And the fear of eternal damnation keeps masses from suicide,homicide and genicide. I believe in the spirit world and there is a power struggel of positive and negitive forces in the universe. Being human is a temporary condition but the spirit is immortal .We reside in a three dimentional world where we measure time as linear that is one dimension. And that is ok for most humans that use 10 to 15 % of their brains. The shaman expansion into the spiritual world brings about change and answers to benefit those whom are in contact with help from a hyperdimentional nonlinear realm resulting in a paradigm shift. These are only words on the screen, though they effect everyone who reads them, so does every action you take throughout your existance. I put this into my work that will be around long after I expire.

M

Ashrael- yeah, the meanings and uses of various terms is interesting. In my (personal, and subjective) experience, the Wiccans-witches-etc, that I’ve known seemed to rarely use the term pagan, maybe those you know use it more. Also I found it interesting that the term “occult” simply means “hidden”, which makes a lot of sense to me when I think about it. Also “sinister” I believe means left or left handed, and “The left hand path” is a common term to occultists. All interesting to me! basement_shaman- do you think immortality can be found in transcending linear time to the eternal present? I love thinking about this stuff! *eh, maybe that was just one of “those questions” pardon me…

K

Snuff-Check; Straight razor, mug and brush-Check; Cast iron skillet and dutch oven-Check; cooking from scratch. besides snuff my other passion is the practice of medieval and renaissance swordmanship (mostly longsword and sword & buckler) not of the same period but I love them both!

Man @tboyer that explains me pretty well. Actually, exactly.

K

I am also a WWII British Reenactor. Kindof a center of all of my anachronistic tendencies. Snuff, Straight Razor shaving, Pipe Smoking, old firearms, and everything Old English.

A

I am also a WWII British Reenactor. Kindof a center of all of my anachronistic tendencies. Snuff, Straight Razor shaving, Pipe Smoking, old firearms, and everything Old English.

Interesting that you are a WW2 re-enactor. By 1939 all the things you mention (old firearms is of course subjective) had become or were becoming old hat! I also find it interesting how WW2 has become historic in my lifetime. I was born in 1971 and as a 70s kid read comics and saw films about the war constantly. It only ended 35 years or so previously so didn’t seem ‘old’, just a bit dated. Even the Great War was not so distant - as a boy, I knew one or two elderly men who had fought in it. Yet now, looking back, the 1940s seems like ancient history.

K

It is strange to think that WWI is now out of living memory completely. It is especially strange to think that when looking at footage of the war. @Austinallegro

C

Snuff. Merkur safety razor with mug and brush, straight razor occasionally but not lately. I want to get a better straight before I pick it up again. I do like the Safety razor a lot though so I might stick with it. I like to read an actual newspaper when I can. I wear suspenders (not the super skinny hipster ones but the dickies/perry work suspenders). Always use my zippo or other such lighters or muches. And I Love baseball and The Reds. America’s past time.

A

I assume you mean that combat in WW1 is out of living memory. Some people, centenarians, will still be alive who remember it as children - I know of one such person myself.

C

Yeah, I still know WWII Vets.

C

Depending where one lives, I would say nasal snuff is a characteristic, or at least a gateway into other forms of anachronism. It is by no way common in the “blue” northeast so those who do partake, seem to overlap with other past customs and lost arts as well, well, from my experience at least. Personally, I am a mixed lot of time periods. Snuff, fountain pen, mechanical watch, gentleman’s pocketknife, and a wide-brimmed felt hat combine with an always connected cell phone, digital SLR, and ebook reader. It is an interesting balance where I use the modern to experience the past. For example, what is my ebook reader filled with? The classics, or non-fiction history. The ability to locate and immediately read a book using these methods is quite extraordinary. However, if it is a text that I know I will re-read or holds value to me, I’ll then only accept it in a physical form. The same with music, I have an iPod, but it’s filled with classical. My truck has manual windows and manual locks. I prefer a revolver over a semi-auto and .38 over 9mm. A man always opens the door for a lady and a man always pays. Whiskey neat, though occasionally over ice depending on the brand.

F

Seek and ye shall find. As it takes some effort esp. in thr States to locate and now purchase snuff, I would say that the modern snuffer is indicative of a broader, more anachronistic nature.

B

I think it has more to do with epicurean spirit the willingness to look for the most awesome ways to do things. You have to have the kind of spirit that doesn’t just enjoy the raw aspects of things but the refined aspects as well. Or at least that’s what I deduce

J

Some things are simply timeless.

N

I use a lot of pencils and fountain pens. I have made my own quills. I like to grow my hair long (unlike what my corporate beings would like to do or see). I hardly use my smartphone these days. I collect coins. I use a full blade metal razor (and not Gillette) and a shaving soap. I use alum as aftershave. I love to preserve papers and books (blank ones, on which I can write). I journal by hand written notes. I have a kindle but don’t use it - prefer hard copies. I use tealights in my room at night before sleeping with an oil diffuser. I grow my thumbnails. I don’t like noisy pubs and bars and prefer a drink with close friends at home.

M

OP you sound a lot like me. I use a DE razor and a straight occasionally, love to write by hand with a good fountain pen, I buy vinyl and CDs over downloads, love old books, enjoy real ale, my pushbike has a Sturmley Archer three speed hub.I’m a Christian who loves the Book of Common Prayer and the Authorized KJV for their beauty of language but am not a KJV only fundamentalist: I have modern translations of scripture. I like simple pleasures but take snuff for the aromas and the nic in the main. I started using a Double Edge Razor to save money and get a nicer shave (I have sensitive skin) and started on the straight razor thing after being “enabled” by people on wet shaving forums the same goes for injector razors, slants nd adjustables. Several were gifted to me as the wet shaving community is very generous.I use proper shaving soap and a brush. I like to support the many small artisan soap makers we have in the UK. I’m 39 and still like my ipad, kindle, smartphone, using the net etc though.

G

Good thread!!!
~O)

Y

In our community we are very cautious of new things, that doesn’t mean they are forbidden, but just we wait to see if there is  a real good reason before adopting and that it won’t mess with our way of life. Most of us don’t have computers. Almost all of us don’t have smart phones. Don’t shave. Wear hats ( not baseball hats, but real hats), Don’t go out side without wearing a jacket. Very, archaic fashion.  

C

There is a tendency for most people to think that the past had it all wrong  and we’re finally getting it right in the last fifty years. What is forgotten is that people did things in a certain way for thousands of years (such as wet shaving) because they worked and were practical. I think people who are anachronistic 

B

well I’ve said it before I prefer things that are timeless. There absolutely are reasons I wouldn’t want to go to the past and deal with something as they where, that said there are also lots of things that are mostly lost and wish would be more widely adapted. Tradition can contain wisdom or be a chain around your neck. But people are people no matter when and there are always going to be things they excel at and things that suck at. So best to find the best you can no matter old or new.

C

I am 41 and I have grown a moustache. The reaction has been unbelievable. You can grow a goatee, sideburns, wear an earring or a piercing, a skull tatoo… whatever. But your moustache looks so… old fashioned

L

About the same time I got into snuff I discovered the wet shaving movement and bought my husband an Edwin Jagger DE and some Taylors of Old Bond Street shaving cream ( I love the rose). I use fountain pens and am trying not to have a collection of them. I am also partial to leather travelers notebook covers (oh the smell of leather!) filled with moleskine notebooks. Some things are just incredibly tactile pleasures.