Bought this Gem Lather Catcher at an antique store a couple days ago for less than 25 dollars and I know nothing about it. In the case was a hand written note that said Please do not destroy. Upon unfolding it it read This safety razor was a present from my pal Emil Westman. Dated January 8 1911. So I'm guessing this would be a 1910 model. I shaved with it the other night using a new spined single edge blade and it gave me just a great shave. Very happy with its performance but I know nothing about it. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
My first Gem Lather Catcher
- Thread starter old school shaver
- Start date
You may not have gotten the Steal of the Century, but you DID get the Steal of the Decade!
That's a Gem Junior Bar, and the note provides a pretty good window of provenance. You may be able to track down the former owner's name and where they lived, using the name you have.
I have an old Singer treadle sewing machine that my wife and I use a lot. I bought it from a friend who was trying to keep his wife from ripping it apart to make a chintzy table out of it. He got it from an estate sale. I found some of that "name tape" that we of a certain age remember our mothers sewing into our clothes in one drawer, and that eventually led me to the obituary of the woman who'd owned the machine.
But back on topic! You should check out The Association of Lather Catchers (T.A.L.C.) in the clubs and brotherhoods subforum, if you haven't already. The Gem Jr. Bar is in some opinions the best of the ASR lather catchers. I have one. My other lather catcher is a Star. Of the two the Gem gives me excellent shaves while the Star takes a little negotiation and willingness to accept a less than stellar shave.
As you have noted it will shave well with a regular Personna Stainless PTFE coated blade. You may benefit from shimming the blade, if you wish. I don't typically, though I keep a shim handy in the Shave Cave just in case.
Congrats on an excellent razor and piece of history -- you really are shavin' it old school now!
And mutter-mutter-mutter I paid about four times that for mine...
O.H.
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Thank you . I really love the Gem Junior Bar Razor. I'm having trouble finding the (T.A.L.C.) . I'm new to this forum and dont know my way around here yet . Thanks .
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Awesome, congrats. You got a great deal on a nice razor. Lather catchers are so cool. Careful though, you may not be able to stop at just one!
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Funny you should say that I have an Ever Ready lather catcher coming in the this week that I bought two weeks ago from someone on another forum .
Beautiful razor, I have its twin. Only mine is missing the box. Congratulations!
Nice razor and a nice story. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
@old school shaver -- welcome to the Lather Catcher club....these are truly beautiful and amazing shavers. B&B rules are that you have to have 10 posts (it looks like you have 5 so far) before you can access the Clubs & Brotherhoods threads....so keep telling us about this and your other razors and you'll be there shortly. Once you can, please stop by the TALC, I think you'll find some good info there on this one, the one you have coming and lots more!!!! Congrats on finding this one....if I had found it for that price, I would have absolutely picked it up (and I've already got one or two...maybe more). 
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- #10
Thank you I have always wanted a Lather Catcher and now I'm glad I got one and what a great shave it gives me .@old school shaver -- welcome to the Lather Catcher club....these are truly beautiful and amazing shavers. B&B rules are that you have to have 10 posts (it looks like you have 5 so far) before you can access the Clubs & Brotherhoods threads....so keep telling us about this and your other razors and you'll be there shortly. Once you can, please stop by the TALC, I think you'll find some good info there on this one, the one you have coming and lots more!!!! Congrats on finding this one....if I had found it for that price, I would have absolutely picked it up (and I've already got one or two...maybe more).
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Does your Ever Ready have a wooden handle or a metal one?
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Wooden handle I'll be posting when I get it. Hopefully it will be in the mail today .
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Nice! Looking forward to seeing it. What kind of Gem blades do you use? Gem SS PTFE-coated, just stainless steel or a carbon blade (like a Treet or Gem carbon)?
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I believe they are just the carbon steel Gem blades I got a plastic bank of them about 5 years ago and now i dont remember which ones they were. After growing a beard for 5 years it's kinda nice to be back wet shaving old school style.
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- #15
Thank you.
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Oh wow!!! Welcome back!!! Now one more question (which will tip the scale to 10 posts) -- if you were a tree, what tree would you be? Just kidding....it's an old Barbara Walters joke. Probably before your time. But I see you just posted something else...yay!!!!!I believe they are just the carbon steel Gem blades I got a plastic bank of them about 5 years ago and now i dont remember which ones they were. After growing a beard for 5 years it's kinda nice to be back wet shaving old school style.
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Please try the TALC link and let me know if it works.
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Yes it works now thank you
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Great, and Pro-tip....if you go to that thread, then use the search function (top right of your screen), type in "Gem Junior" and next to it where it says "Everywhere" and two-arrows, click on the arrows and select "This Thread". Then you'll search for those words in just the TALC thread and it will bring up all the postings with those words. The thread is fun to peruse, but that's an easy way to get to specific razors.
Congrats again, and please do share the Ever-Ready with us when it arrives!!!
Best,
Fred
Great find! The Gem Junior Bar was my first LC and one of my favorite shaving razors!
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