What's new

Vintage Stainless Steel Razors

Putting this thread in the DE razors section as the most popular section though it could go in either the DE or SE razors area.

So far as I know the first stainless steel razor was the Darwin, introduced in the 1930s from England. A beautiful art deco design razor which now seems to go for circa $1000 when they appear on ebay. A DE razor design.

I discovered a second vintage razor that by my tests is also stainless steel today. It is a last model (that I know of) CV Heljestrand lather catcher style wedge blade single edge razor. I bought one on Ebay and it arrived Wednesday, a 7 blade boxed set in almost NOS condition except missing the strop and stropping blade holder. I noted the finish was high polished metal and did not look like silver, Nickle or Chrome plating. Being curious I grabbed a strong niobium magnet and was surprised to see that it was slightly attracted to the razor, both the handle and the razor head. Similar attraction as to my new stainless steel Asylum Evolution DE razor which is 303 stainless per the maker.

I know of no material other than some alloys of austenitic stainless steel which is this lightly magnet attractive. Other types of stainless steel are more magnet attractive and some grades of Austenitic stainless steel are almost entirely not attracted by a magnet such as 316L stainless. Aluminum, zinc alloys and brass as used in other razors are totally non magnetic at all.

Included are some photos of my stainless steel CV Heljestrand razor. No photos of a Darwin as I do not own one but lots of photos available via a Google or B&B search.

CVHeljestrand-7.jpg
CVHeljestrand-8.jpg
CVHeljestrand-9.jpg
CVHeljestrand-1.jpg
CVHeljestrand-5.jpg
CVHeljestrand-6.jpg
 
I double checked in comparison with a German Ostaso I believe is Nickel plated and the magnetic signature of the CVH is much stronger than the Ostaso. It can actually pick up a 1/10 ounce strong magnet from out of a old disk drive, either the head or the handle. Any members have a suggested non destructive test I can do? The finish on the razor is basically flawless so I hate to damage it.
 
I also checked the CVH razor finish color versus multiple believed to be nickle plated razors and the color is wrong. Nickel plating has a more yellow or warm cast while this looks more like a chromium plating or high polish stainless steel color with more of a cold bluish tone to the silver color. If there is nickel plating it is below the visible surface and the CVH razor reacts to magnets much stronger than any Nickel plated razor in my collection including the seller listed as nickel plated recent production Phoenix PAA DOC razor which has a head of nickel plated zinc alloy and a handle of nickel plated brass, as documented in the razor description on the PAA web site. Both do react to a magnet but far weaker than the CVH razor.
 
I can't add much on the magnetic discussion, but how the heck does that thing work?? Looks more like something from a 19th century surgery kit...??
 
I can't add much on the magnetic discussion, but how the heck does that thing work?? Looks more like something from a 19th century surgery kit...??

It's closest relatives are early lather catcher razors made by Kampfe Star, Gem, Ever-Ready and many others prior to WW1. I believe the CV Heljestrand was the last of this configuration made and last production may have been as late as after WW2. It can use the original wedge blades or a modern GEM stainless steel single edge blade.
 
Putting this thread in the DE razors section as the most popular section though it could go in either the DE or SE razors area.

So far as I know the first stainless steel razor was the Darwin, introduced in the 1930s from England. A beautiful art deco design razor which now seems to go for circa $1000 when they appear on ebay. A DE razor design.

I discovered a second vintage razor that by my tests is also stainless steel today. It is a last model (that I know of) CV Heljestrand lather catcher style wedge blade single edge razor. I bought one on Ebay and it arrived Wednesday, a 7 blade boxed set in almost NOS condition except missing the strop and stropping blade holder. I noted the finish was high polished metal and did not look like silver, Nickle or Chrome plating. Being curious I grabbed a strong niobium magnet and was surprised to see that it was slightly attracted to the razor, both the handle and the razor head. Similar attraction as to my new stainless steel Asylum Evolution DE razor which is 303 stainless per the maker.

I know of no material other than some alloys of austenitic stainless steel which is this lightly magnet attractive. Other types of stainless steel are more magnet attractive and some grades of Austenitic stainless steel are almost entirely not attracted by a magnet such as 316L stainless. Aluminum, zinc alloys and brass as used in other razors are totally non magnetic at all.

Included are some photos of my stainless steel CV Heljestrand razor. No photos of a Darwin as I do not own one but lots of photos available via a Google or B&B search.

View attachment 776446 View attachment 776447 View attachment 776448 View attachment 776449 View attachment 776450 View attachment 776451
That's one beautiful razor. The blade set up reminds me of the Wilkinson wedge blade set.

Cheers
John
 
Very nice. The Watts take a standard DE blade? Certainly a unique looking design.
Yes it does take standard blades. The one that came with it is much thicker. Might have been a strop type blade. It just arrived today so I'll need to take it apart.

Cheers
John
 
Yes it does take standard blades. The one that came with it is much thicker. Might have been a strop type blade. It just arrived today so I'll need to take it apart.

Cheers
John

A great many of the old wedge blade razors take standard GEM blades including both my Heljestrand and most Henckels Rapide razors. Per what I have read there were three versions of the CV Heljestrand and the earliest did not have blade bottom edge stops so will not take Gem blades. The earliest Rapides also did not have blade bottom edge stops and is difficult, though reportedly not impossible, to use with Gem blades. Late model Wilkinson wedge blade razors can only use their own blades and my early one takes wider than standard wedge blades, making it scare me from trying it with Gem blades.
 
I never heard of the Watts Service razor so glad that my original post is pulling some other little known razors out of the closet. I was aware of the Pal and Personna injector razors of the 1960s. Both were composite construction with a combined stainless steel and plastic handle, at least the ones I have. The Supply injector razor is styled on both but is all stainless and much heavier construction.
 
That's one beautiful razor. The blade set up reminds me of the Wilkinson wedge blade set.

Cheers
John

Pre Gillette all safety razors used the wedge style sharpenable blades. Their use continued in Europe far longer than in the USA where the disposable blade took over faster than in Europe. Per Wikipedia the Rolls Razor lasted till about 1958, presumably the last of the species. Readily available on ebay.

Early Wilkinsons used a similar blade but wider. The later Wilkinson razors used a much shorter vertically blade which fitted into an adapter which mounted it to the later version razor head which included provisions for stropping, similar to the Valet Autostrop razors.
 
Top Bottom