2 Treasures from Tony's Barbershop Durham, NC

[lindyhop66]

I went to Tony's Barbershop in the American Tobacco district in Durham, North Carolina for my first barbershop shave. Tony used a Weck handle and Annie blades instead of the long Personnas. Nice shave. Next time he'll use one of my straights.


On the wall was a picture frame with 5 straights, 2 Roefflers, 1 Frederick Reynolds small wedge with barber's notch and 2 C-Mon's, one a Cadillac, made in Germany and the other a Filarmonica Doble Temple from Spain. The owner was going to give them all to me, because she saw how much I liked them, but I ended up giving her $40 each for the the C-Mon's, still a great deal. Here are photos before I clean them up. Now I've her interested in getting Glen Mercurio to restore the Frederick Reynolds.

 

[Gamma]

Nice score! Awesome!

 

[drathgeb]

Holy cow, what a deal. Great looking razor.

 

[blackman]

Great score. Those two look wonderful. I love the Cadillac.

 

[hig789]

Nice scores. Why didnt you didn't buy the Fili?

 

[Obiwan]

Very nice. Yeah, go back and get that Fili!

 

[tomjr]

major score, indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Wid]

WOW, nice score.

 

[hokahay]

2nd C-Mon sez Filly. I'll just wait here for GreyBeard to explain it.

 

[lindyhop66]

Nice scores. Why didnt you didn't buy the Fili?

I cleaned these up and honed them and will shave with one or both tomorrow. I did buy the Filarmonica. It's the bottom one. It says C- Mon and Filarmonica on the shank and the other side,Peter J. Michaels, New York, Made in Spain. The scales also say Filarmonica, but are fading. I didn't take a great photo, so it's hard to tell. Both C-Mons are Peter J. Michaels, New York. One German, the other Spanish. The Cadillac still had a great bevel to start with. I added one piece of tape to hone the Fili on lapping film, got a bevel on 12 micron with around 10 laps.

 

[Skyrider55]

Ahhh. That Cadillac is a beauty. That other c-mon was just re-scaled with some old Fili scales. Great score! Congrats I'm sure you'll enjoy them. Wait say's Filarmonica on the shank too? Cool. I guess you never know who's making blades for who?

 

[lindyhop66]

Yeah, I've been on SRP looking for info on C-Mons. Dovo is making reproductions of them now, including the Cadillac. I don't know the history or story behind Peter J. Michaels of New York/C-Mon. He had the Germans and Spanish making straights for America.

 

[hig789]

I cleaned these up and honed them and will shave with one or both tomorrow. I did buy the Filarmonica. It's the bottom one. It says C- Mon and Filarmonica on the shank and the other side,Peter J. Michaels, New York, Made in Spain. The scales also say Filarmonica, but are fading. I didn't take a great photo, so it's hard to tell. Both C-Mons are Peter J. Michaels, New York. One German, the other Spanish. The Cadillac still had a great bevel to start with. I added one piece of tape to hone the Fili on lapping film, got a bevel on 12 micron with around 10 laps.

Oh wow I have never seen one of those, very nice score.

 

[hig789]

Let us know how the fili shaves.

 

[Greybeard]

The history of these companies can be confusing and the working arrangments are not completely known. Here's some of what I've gleaned.

Carl Monkhouse started manufacturing razors in Germany.
Around 1912 he opened a plant in Ellicottville, N.Y. In 1937 the company headquarters moved to Allegheny, N.Y.
As well as manufacturing razors in Ellicottville, they continued to import razors from Germany. They are still in business today as Cutlery Associates, in Allegheny, N. Y., manufacturing and importing very fine scissors and manicure kits. They ceased manufacturing razors sometime in the 1970s.

Peter J. Michels was a re-seller of razors and shears manufactured for them that started business in 1915. Several sources state that they went out of business in 1955. However someone must have purchased the company because there are Peter J. Michels catalogues selling C-Mon razors from the early 1960s to as late as 1973 and they are still listed as in business in Bolivar, N.Y. There might have been a gap from 1955 to the early 1960s since there have been C-Mon labeled razors produced under the Carl Monkhouse name without the Peter J. Michels imprint.
C-Mon was a trademarked brand of Peter J. Michels. Originally C-Mon razors were made for them exclusively by Carl Monkhouse, manufactured both in Germany and in Ellicottville. Later C-Mon razors were also supplied to PJM by Filarmonica, Tru-Edge, Camillus Cutlery and Dovo. C-Mon razors from the 1980s until the present are made by Dovo.

 

[superbleu]

ahh thanks Peter,
Do you have any more info on the C-Mon Fili connection?
I always wondered as I have a C-Mon marked Fili.

 

[Greybeard]

ahh thanks Peter,
Do you have any more info on the C-Mon Fili connection?
I always wondered as I have a C-Mon marked Fili.

Sorry Bong, I wish I did. All I can add is that the razor was probably manufactured in the late 1960s to 1970s since Filis don't show up in PJM's earlier catalogues.

 

[lindyhop66]

Thanks for the info,, Greybeard.

I shaved with the C-MON Cadillac this morning, late. I honed it and the Filarmonica last night with lapping film, 12,9,5,3,1,.3 and lapped with CrOx and Diamond Slurry(maybe, overkill), worn jeans, webbed fabric strop and Walkin' Horse horse butt leather strop(around a 100 laps) and got a superb edge. Terrific 2 pass almost BBS shave. I'll let you know about the Fili tomorrow.

 

[malocchio]

a real classic !

 

[hokahay]

Sorry Bong, I wish I did. All I can add is that the razor was probably manufactured in the late 1960s to 1970s since Filis don't show up in PJM's earlier catalogues.

Certainly appreciate the info, Peter!