1912 SE Question? ~

[Dave Deluxe]

1912 SE Question? ~

In my quest to find and buy a SE 1912 razor, I've noticed there is a version that has some gears along the side of the razor head. Some if not all of these versions load from the top as well. Is there any advantage / diadvantage to this configuration.

Also, whats the difference a 1912, and a Junior model, if any? Is that a variation on the 1912, or a totally seperate model?

DD

 

[Pioneer]

What do you mean by "gears"?

 

[michiganlover]

I don't think that model with gears on the side is a Gem 1912 at all. That sounds more like a Valet Auto Strop to me. Did the razor look like this one:

This razor is a Valet Auto Strop, the gears are used with a leather strop, to prolong the life of the blade. Blades are not available for this razor, but can be fashioned out of a standard SE blade if you are so inclined.

 

[Telecaster52]

EDIT: AARGGGHHHH!!!! you beat me John!
sounds like a Valet Auto Strop to me

other than both being SE razors, they are very different

for one, the autostrop requires modification to the blade to be used with a standard SE blade

 

[tom myers]

The 1912 patent razor was made by American Safety Razor Co. and sold under several brand names. You may find 1912 razors with the Gem, Gem Jr., Star, and Ever-Ready names on them. The main differences between the various models is the handles. The head design is vertually all the same and they all tend to shave the same.

I agree that the razor you have seen with the gears on the side is probably an Auto-Strop. The gears had to do with the mechanism that flipped the blade over when stropping it. This razor isn't related to the ASR 1912 at all.

Regards,
Tom

 

[Dave Deluxe]

michiganlover -
Telecaster52 -

Yes - It's the "auto strop" you have provided photos of that I was asking about. It's good to know that it doesn't readily take modern blades. Thanks for the tip.

DD

 

[Dave Deluxe]

"The 1912 patent razor was made by American Safety Razor Co. and sold under several brand names. You may find 1912 razors with the Gem, Gem Jr., Star, and Ever-Ready names on them. The main differences between the various models is the handles. The head design is vertually all the same and they all tend to shave the same.

I agree that the razor you have seen with the gears on the side is probably an Auto-Strop. The gears had to do with the mechanism that flipped the blade over when stropping it. This razor isn't related to the ASR 1912 at all.

Regards,
Tom"

In terms of the handles, are they all roughly the same length & weight. Is it mainly an aesthetic choice? Or are some more desirable for more practical reasons?

DD

 

[Walter Sobchak]

Nothing useful to say here, but I am subscribing to this thread as I'm interested in the 1912 models, too.

 

[H-D]

how do you make blades for an auto-strop? I have a valet and it looks like it would work well. I am interested in giving it a shot.

 

[MrGuy]

how do you make blades for an auto-strop? I have a valet and it looks like it would work well. I am interested in giving it a shot.

Take the spine off, like this.
Then you can do this.
Now, I don't tent to cut the tips off the blades, (second video) but I think I spend a lot more time aligning the blade to the razor, there are some clips and such that make alignment very tricky. I risk cutting myself a lot more than what is shown, I think. But I also don't have tiny little loose bits of metal floating around.
In the end, the Auto-Strop is a very nice razor, and if you have access to carbon steel blades and can effectively use the strop, it is vary hard to get a bad shave from one of these outstanding, and very unique razors.


BTW: Many thanks to Dave for the videos! I don't think I'd have ever had good shaves from the AS if it weren't for the suggestion to take the spine off a SE blade!

 

[H-D]

i saw that video before. My autostrop has a cut inside the razor. I think it is impossible to fit one to it.

 

[tom myers]

In terms of the handles, are they all roughly the same length & weight. Is it mainly an aesthetic choice? Or are some more desirable for more practical reasons?

DD

There were several different metal handles which were approximately the same diameter but had different styling. There were also some that were a little shorter and fit into a small square case. These are generally considered to be "travel models".

There were some of the later models that had very large diameter bakelite handles which some folks really like and others don't care for. In any event, it is really a matter of personal preference. As I mentioned before, they should all shave equally well.

Regards,
Tom

 

[Shave Cat]

There were several different metal handles which were approximately the same diameter but had different styling. There were also some that were a little shorter and fit into a small square case. These are generally considered to be "travel models".

There were some of the later models that had very large diameter bakelite handles which some folks really like and others don't care for. In any event, it is really a matter of personal preference. As I mentioned before, they should all shave equally well.

Regards,
Tom

I agree with Tom, but add that all 1912 handles are not interchangeable. The Gem Cutlery Damaskeene has a knurled steel handle with smaller threads and the travel Gems also have a smaller thread. AFAIK, the others can be swapped, if desired.

-Clarke