Making a DE blade holder for your GEM razor

[Slivovitz]

Some one else and me here thought a 1924 would do the trick (strong spring), but the side clips on that one prevent from loading half a de blade. The 1914 (also good spring) does not have such big side clips, so that one does work. So it is the 1914 that works for me. Loading half a de blade is about as easy as loading an SE blade

Can you show a picture of what you mean? I experimented a bit with half a no name DE blade and both my 1914s. The side clips got in the way, and the blade stops were too widely spaced for the cutting edge. Maybe there was more than one type of 1914?

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

Can you show a picture of what you mean? I experimented a bit with half a no name DE blade and both my 1914s. The side clips got in the way, and the blade stops were too widely spaced for the cutting edge. Maybe there was more than one type of 1914?

I think you are right about the blade stops. Tried one of my other 1914s this morning, did NOT work. The 1914 I can load with a saloon blade has a six sided handle and its blade stops are a bit closer to eachother than on the 1914 with the Damaskeene handle

 

[Rexall]

OMG I have not actually tried the epoxy and 2 SE blades trick yet, but of all my SEs, the GEM JR was the only one with stops close enough to work with a half blade. Took an old blade out of the blade bank. It was in the bank because it seemed too dull etc in one of the DE I have been using, even though it did provide several good shaves before being discarded. Broke it in half with pliers and put into JR. WOW, it works great. even this old probably dull blade, gave a great , close, non irritating shave. So now I can not wait to try a "new" half blade , which will undoubtedly provide an even better shave. This is so cool ! The Shaveopolis just got put off by double the number of DE blades in my stash. Thanks for a wonderful and rewarding idea!!!!

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

OMG I have not actually tried the epoxy and 2 SE blades trick yet, but of all my SEs, the GEM JR was the only one with stops close enough to work with a half blade. Took an old blade out of the blade bank. It was in the bank because it seemed too dull etc in one of the DE I have been using, even though it did provide several good shaves before being discarded. Broke it in half with pliers and put into JR. WOW, it works great. even this old probably dull blade, gave a great , close, non irritating shave. So now I can not wait to try a "new" half blade , which will undoubtedly provide an even better shave. This is so cool ! The Shaveopolis just got put off by double the number of DE blades in my stash. Thanks for a wonderful and rewarding idea!!!!

I have tried most of my razors and the only one that worked was a later model 1914. Believe I have also tried a junior, but will check that. But after about a dozen shaves it no longer worked. Probably as the spring got a bit loose. The razor was hardly used (if used at all) so the spring was very strong in the beginning. With regular use that changed and it no longer held the blade tight. So let us know how long you can continue to use the junior with half DE blades.

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

Can you show a picture of what you mean? I experimented a bit with half a no name DE blade and both my 1914s. The side clips got in the way, and the blade stops were too widely spaced for the cutting edge. Maybe there was more than one type of 1914?

Here it is:

 

[Casey]

Snip the side clips off, and a standard blade will work in the 1914. I use a pair of bandage scissors I bought initially for clinical use, and never used. They snip blades like a pair of tinsnips.

 

[dilly-b]

YES!!! the adaptor works in my E-R 1914 'army kit' razor as well as the 1912!

Snip the side clips off, and a standard blade will work in the 1914. I use a pair of bandage scissors I bought initially for clinical use, and never used. They snip blades like a pair of tinsnips.

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

Snip the side clips off, and a standard blade will work in the 1914. I use a pair of bandage scissors I bought initially for clinical use, and never used. They snip blades like a pair of tinsnips.

Only in a later model 1914, in the earlier models the blade stops are placed further from each other and the blade falls thru. But cutting the sides might solve the problem with the spring in later model 1914. How many shaves did you do like this?

 

[alex2363]

me too having troubles..it does not compute

 

[alex2363]

this?

 

[RocketMan]

I ain't catchin this either.

The SE blade is removed and turned around before reinserting? Why does the blade seem shorter in depth now? There are two? Glued together - where?

 

[wrinkles2]

Great Info!

 

[marty39]

I found this thread through Google because I wanted to try again using my left over GEM razors. Then I registered with Badger and Blade so I could post here. This is my first post on this site.

I started using SE blades (with a mug and brush) early in life, switched to electric and then to cartridge, then back to blades but DE because by that time it was hard to find good SE blades. I'm now using a vintage gold plated Gillette 3-piece (like my father used to use) with Wilkinson Sword blades, I just bought a small sampler pack of DE blades, but I still remember how satisfied I was with the old GEM.

I have about half a dozen cheap GEM razors because the cheapest way to buy GEM blades, just before I quit using them, was in a package with a razor. The handles are gray plastic with a white metal stripe down the back, and the blade stops are barely close enough to hold the edge of an SE blade.

I built the holder, with modifications because I don't have epoxy handy so I used Ambroid cement, which doesn't dry fast enough. To keep the SE half blade from falling into the holder, I put a little strip of tin can metal through the center hole and bent it flat on both sides so the edge of the strip bears against the middle of the half blade. I couldn't close the razor over the blade until I broke off the end tabs of the half blade. Then I had to be very fussy about positioning the blade when I closed the razor so it would engage both blade stops.

For trial purposes I did it with a used DE blade, and that's what's in one of my GEM razors now. Haven't tried it yet, but if it comes close to working tomorrow morning I'll try a fresh blade, maybe even one from my sampler pack.

 

[Luc]

I found this thread through Google because I wanted to try again using my left over GEM razors. Then I registered with Badger and Blade so I could post here. This is my first post on this site.

I started using SE blades (with a mug and brush) early in life, switched to electric and then to cartridge, then back to blades but DE because by that time it was hard to find good SE blades. I'm now using a vintage gold plated Gillette 3-piece (like my father used to use) with Wilkinson Sword blades, I just bought a small sampler pack of DE blades, but I still remember how satisfied I was with the old GEM.

I have about half a dozen cheap GEM razors because the cheapest way to buy GEM blades, just before I quit using them, was in a package with a razor. The handles are gray plastic with a white metal stripe down the back, and the blade stops are barely close enough to hold the edge of an SE blade.

I built the holder, with modifications because I don't have epoxy handy so I used Ambroid cement, which doesn't dry fast enough. To keep the SE half blade from falling into the holder, I put a little strip of tin can metal through the center hole and bent it flat on both sides so the edge of the strip bears against the middle of the half blade. I couldn't close the razor over the blade until I broke off the end tabs of the half blade. Then I had to be very fussy about positioning the blade when I closed the razor so it would engage both blade stops.

For trial purposes I did it with a used DE blade, and that's what's in one of my GEM razors now. Haven't tried it yet, but if it comes close to working tomorrow morning I'll try a fresh blade, maybe even one from my sampler pack.

Welcome to the site and post some pictures when you can!

 

[marty39]

I tried it. It works. I got the shave I expected from a used blade. Half blade. But it's noisy. That's not just my experience, dilly-b (06-05-2011, 05:35 PM #30) said it was loud. That tells me the blade is not rigid. But ajsaxs (02-21-2009, 09:04 PM #4) said he found the edge to be quite stiff.

How can the holder be built so it hold the half blade firmly but still allows the half blade to be inserted easily? Is that what the epoxy (which I didn't use) is for?

BTW I object to being called a "Wetshaver Wannabe" just because I have only one post here. I was wet shaving over sixty years ago.

BTW there's something wrong with the way this website is set up. I was typing a reply in a window like this, I hit the post reply button, and I was told I wasn't allowed to do that, I had to refresh the page and then log in. So I refreshed the page and the text I had typed was gone. This is my second try.

 

[Luc]

I tried it. It works. I got the shave I expected from a used blade. Half blade. But it's noisy. That's not just my experience, dilly-b (06-05-2011, 05:35 PM #30) said it was loud. That tells me the blade is not rigid. But ajsaxs (02-21-2009, 09:04 PM #4) said he found the edge to be quite stiff.

How can the holder be built so it hold the half blade firmly but still allows the half blade to be inserted easily? Is that what the epoxy (which I didn't use) is for?

BTW I object to being called a "Wetshaver Wannabe" just because I have only one post here. I was wet shaving over sixty years ago.

BTW there's something wrong with the way this website is set up. I was typing a reply in a window like this, I hit the post reply button, and I was told I wasn't allowed to do that, I had to refresh the page and then log in. So I refreshed the page and the text I had typed was gone. This is my second try.

Your custom title (under your username - i.e. wetshaver wannabe) is based on your post count. Keep posting and it will change. When? that's part of the fun...

Sorry you got an issue, a glitch happens sometimes. But thank you for the reply.

 

[marty39]

Forget what I just said about blade rigidity. A real SE blade is just as noisy as the DE blade in a holder. A Gillette butterfly razor is noisy but less so. My Gillette 3-piece is much quieter. So it isn't about how rigid the blade is, it's about how rigid is the thing that holds it. A 3-piece Gillette screws down on the whole blade except for the very edges, so the whole weight of the head damps the vibration.

Anyway, I found my epoxy and I'm rebuilding the holder as originally described. I should have learned not to deviate from the approved specifications.

 

[marty39]

The approved design didn't work for me. The holder was too big front to back, it didn't let the razor close properly, and I wasn't sure how far the epoxy should extend.

Here's what my 1912 Ever-Ready looks like when open:

The middle is lower than the edges, so I broke off the corners of the blades so the holder would fit in the low part. I left off the spine and dulled the sharp edges with a grinding wheel in a rotary tool. And I held the blades together with two strips of tin can metal, which I tapered and pushed into the slot as far as they would go so they would fill the slot. The edges of these metal strips bear against the half-DE blade (on which you can just see the tips of the trademark swords):

Without the half-DE blade, this is how the holder would fit into the razor. It drops below the edges and the stop hooks, so it's not going to interfere with the positioning of the half blade:

With the half blade in the holder, and the holder in the razor, the razor closes like this:

The razor is fully closed, the blade is docked under the stop hooks and the holder is nowhere near them, and I didn't have to break off the ends of the half blade. Sorry about the lack of sharpness, and the reflection on the edge of the blade that makes the far end of the blade seem to disappear.

The tin can metal is supposedly protected against surface rust. If the strips eventually rust in from the cut edges I can replace them.

Oh. It shaves.

 

[mjclark]

Just to say I followed the OP instructions and it works - brilliantly!
It's well worth the effort and it gives SE rigidity to the DE edge.
Suddenly a whole new universe of blade choices is open to the SE user.
If you can be bothered, try it cos it gives amazing results.
I'm surprised this isn't more popular but I suppose the number of dedicated SE users with a stash of DE blades and who like fiddly modifications is quite a limited demographic!
Honestly though, this is superb.
Thanks for the great invention ajaxs

 

[ajsaxs]

I'm glad you like holder and the way it shaves.

Thank you.