Right then chaps - what have I got here then??

[JonG]

My Grandfathers shaving box contains "Stuff" - I genuinely have NO IDEA about most of it

So, in no particular order i find I now have the following:-

1 x GEM Micromatic - still with the swing tag attached, so, it looks un-used but it has some discolouration on the gold

1 x Royal Razor card box containing a KROPP "Made and Ground in Sheffield" straight

1 x unmarked card box containing a GOLDEN DESPATCH 34 5/8 Peter Ludwig Schmidt straight

1 x unmarked card box containing nothing

1 x unmarked card box containing OSGAR straight

1 x unmarked card box containing Gold Krone EKS (bone colour handle) Solingen Germany

1 x Bakelite box containing Valet Autostrop safety razor, complete with razor and what appears to be the strop a little mouldy but I think saveable - also the instruction leaflet - the box appears to be the original storage box as it's got an empty bakelite box for spare blades - there's 1 blade in the razor - the razor itself looks OK but used condition

1 x Chrome / Stainless steel covered, wood box lined with blue satin(?) marked Wilkinson Sword - the blade in the razor doesn't appear to be a disposable style more like a section of a cut throat style blade - there's a spiral roller on the front of the razor - the blade it adjustable in and out by a knurled adjustor on the back of the razor - the head is locked at the shaving angle by a knurled locking adjustor on the handle of the razor - probably this one would make more sense with pictures

Also got 2 x Siemens Austria DE blade sharpeners - again, little bakelite boxes with sprung loaded sharpening stones running on an off-set cam, worked by running backward and forwards on string - I'll admit - I've tried using one of these in the past with "mixed" results - let's just say, the blades AREN'T returned to razor sharp!!

Some Valet Strop Dressing, part pack of Blue Gillette Blades and 2 packs (one opened) of Gillette Thin Blades

And my fathers Gillette DE 3 piece razor - it's British Made and stamped 4 T on the "middle" bit of the 3 parts - so NOT the handle and not the top bit - so the middle bit

Pics will follow as and when or if there is need for more information - or, just for interests sake

 

[YetiDave]

Pics would certainly help in determining the usability of the the straights, but it sounds like you just found yourself a very good reason to use a straight razor

 

[eth]

1 x unmarked card box containing nothing

Nice find! Store it in a dry, dark place, nothing doesn't hold up very well.

 

[JonG]

You can never have too much "nothing" - as long as you've got plenty of nothing you've always got space to put "something" - now, what I need is a straight to put in this box

 

[JonG]

Right - let's see if I can get this to work - here's some (hopefully) pictures

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/sam0298o.jpg/

 

[alex2363]

Right - let's see if I can get this to work - here's some (hopefully) pictures

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/sam0298o.jpg/

here...

 

[JonG]

Actually, they're pretty poor pictures looking at them now - the've been down sized a bit too much - also, I wasn't too sure what the policy was with embedding pictures straight into a thread

This is the one I'm really interested in find out more about



If you need better / larger picture then let me know and I'll sort something out

 

[RobAtSGH]

The Gillette's a 1970's Tech. The GEM's an open-comb Micromatic (as opposed to the safety-bar "Clog-Pruf"), and is polished brass, not gold plate. Feel free to take some brass cleaner to it to clean all the gunk out/off, scrub it clean of any residue, and rub it down with a polishing cloth to get it back to a nice brassy shine. From there, keep it clean of excess soap residue and keep it dry, and it will stay in decent nick. If it starts to patina/discolor, just hit it with the polishing cloth again.

The straights, provided they're not excessively corroded, sound like they could be good starter shavers once re-honed and cleaned. Try it. You'll dig it.

The Wilkinson, I can't help with.

 

[JonG]

Thanks for that Rob - so, what I've got here is, a good "starter" set, nothing special, but a few bits 'n' bobs nevertheless - thanks for the information

The Straights don't look, to my untrained eye, excessively corroded - let's put it this way, if they were a car - they'd be put back on the road, NO PROBLEM

This just leaves the Wilkinson do dah! - I'll try and take some much better pictures for identification purposes - I know that there's nothing special here, but the last person to use them was my Grand father and he taught me (made me, truth be told) take my first steps - I was a lazy little S*d and wouldn't walk but I also liked oranges - and he had an orange which I wanted a piece of so he made me walk and get it - granted I was about 14 at the time

 

[Price]

Thanks for that Rob - so, what I've got here is, a good "starter" set, nothing special, but a few bits 'n' bobs nevertheless - thanks for the information

The Straights don't look, to my untrained eye, excessively corroded - let's put it this way, if they were a car - they'd be put back on the road, NO PROBLEM

This just leaves the Wilkinson do dah! - I'll try and take some much better pictures for identification purposes - I know that there's nothing special here, but the last person to use them was my Grand father and he taught me (made me, truth be told) take my first steps

That alone makes them significantly more "special" than any other razors you could buy.

 

[Nova316]

The wilkinson sword is an 7 day Empire

http://damnfineshave.com/archive/index.php/thread-1416.html

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/284412-Wilkinson-Sword-Single-Edge-Razor

 

[JonG]

They'll always be special to me. To me, they're all priceless - now all I've got to do is learn how to use the damn things properly - the only story I was told by my father about his father and the "razors" was that he (somehow) managed to regularly cut the stops in half

 

[JonG]

The wilkinson sword is an 7 day Empire

http://damnfineshave.com/archive/index.php/thread-1416.html

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/284412-Wilkinson-Sword-Single-Edge-Razor

That's it - BLOODY HELL!! <big thumbs up>

So, now all I've got to do is figure out how to use it and how to sharpen it and "stuff" like that - BRILLIANT!!!

What could possibly go wrong - a newly identified razor, no shaving knowledge, a gut full of alcohol and a stubble crying out to be shaven - BRILLIANT!!

I maybe some time, gentlemen

 

[Nova316]

Haha always exciting to figure out a razor, glad I could help

I'd probably start with the DE they are the easiest to use, the wilkinson sword from what I've read you can modify a GEM single edge blade to get it to fit so you can use it

Just read and research as much as possible, I am just getting into straights razors so I know the feeling of it being scary haha

 

[Slash McCoy]

The Wilkinson is no good. Please allow me to safely dispose of it for you.

 

[alex2363]

That's it - BLOODY HELL!! <big thumbs up>

So, now all I've got to do is figure out how to use it and how to sharpen it and "stuff" like that - BRILLIANT!!!

What could possibly go wrong - a newly identified razor, no shaving knowledge, a gut full of alcohol and a stubble crying out to be shaven - BRILLIANT!!

I maybe some time, gentlemen

here

 

[JonG]

The Wilkinson is no good. Please allow me to safely dispose of it for you.

Mr McCoy - thank you for your very generous offer - I honestly couldn't put you to such trouble and, lets be honest, in todays litigious society I would feel guilty beyond words should any mishap befall you - I shall struggle on trying to tame this (obviously) dangerous beast but able to sleep well at night knowing that my fellow B & B'ers are safe

(rubs forehead, looks at hand to see if there's any ink smudge on it - NOPE, MUG WASN'T WRITTEN ON THERE)

And Alex - thanks for the instruction leaflet - if it's OK with you, I'd like to down load a copy print out

 

[Sledgehammer39]

Sweet Find!