Some time ago, I picked up a nice case Old Type pocket edition. It had an as-new head, but a cracked handle. The blade bank's plating was terrible, but the case looked great and I decided to have the set brought it back to life.
All the work was done by Chris Spencer at Backroadsgold. Chris located an un-cracked handle from another razor with a roached head and polished and plated everything to 29 microns of 24K gold. He's a real craftsman and everything came out wonderfully.
Although I have shaved with Old Types MANY MANY times, I had not shaved with this one before its restoration. It somehow seemed fitting that I should break it in with the blade it was made to use - something I had never done before.
Chris liked the set well enough that he sent me some original Gillette 3-hole blades to put in the blade bank for display purposes. I didn't ask for this, he just did it - part of why he's such a fantastic razor man.
I had no idea the exact age of these blades, they seem to pre-date date stamping, and how they have been stored for 100 years, so I decided to hone the blade before using it on a nice old Dart razor hone I had, new in the box. It was the hone's first use also (!) These blades are carbon steel, not stainless, they are not coated, and they are thicker than modern blades - at least 30% thicker. I then stropped it on my forearm, 20 swipes per edge side.
I paired the blade and razor with an Artuche Pure Badger and some old-school Barber's Saloon soap, similar to what would have been available in the 1910's. I face lathered and finished the shave off with a Parker alum block and some Proraso green.
So how did it go?
Well, let me start by saying the razor's fit and finish was a dream. Chris could not have done better work.
I had never shaved with one of these blades before, and let me say, if you have never put an old type blade in an old type razor, you should do it to see the difference. The blade exposure is DRAMATICALLY different. And by different, I mean more aggressive. A lot more aggressive. And lots stiffer, plenty of backbone to the edge. The blade gap is noticeably increased over a modern blade. Interestingly, Gillette called these razors adjustable, allowing a user to loosen the handle to increase gap. I can't in good conscience recommend anyone do that on your first shave with a 3-hole blade.
The blade feel during the shave was acute. More than I have ever felt on any DE - ever. At times it had the blade feel of a straight razor. I managed no cuts, nicks or weepers, but from the first stroke, I knew I needed to pay more attention - like when I set an adjustable at 8 or 9. I don't think I ever paid more attention to angle, form and hair direction than I did during this inaugural shave.
I was rewarded with a great shave for my efforts, BBS on the cheeks, lip and chin, DFS on the neck. That's as good as I ever got from any shave, as my neck skin is sensitive and I never risk a 3rd pass. Order was WTG - XTG - ATG.
I was surprised that there was a LOT of alum feedback - more than from any modern blade I've used, yet there was virtually no visible irritation, no razor burn, etc. Actually a lot like a straight razor shave.
These blades, even after honing and stropping, are NOT as efficient as modern blades. They are very angle sensitive and I took 3 passes to do what I can normally do in 2 passes with a GSB. This should be expected, there is no slick coating, they are thicker, and there is zero give to the edge, no matter how heavy or light your touch.
I've always been keen to try most things at least once, and all future use of this razor will be with modern blades. But I'm really glad I de-flowered this exceptional razor with a completely old-school setup. It was genuinely special and I enjoyed it immensely.
My tremendous thanks to Chris for the fine craftsmanship and the blade as well
All the work was done by Chris Spencer at Backroadsgold. Chris located an un-cracked handle from another razor with a roached head and polished and plated everything to 29 microns of 24K gold. He's a real craftsman and everything came out wonderfully.
Although I have shaved with Old Types MANY MANY times, I had not shaved with this one before its restoration. It somehow seemed fitting that I should break it in with the blade it was made to use - something I had never done before.
Chris liked the set well enough that he sent me some original Gillette 3-hole blades to put in the blade bank for display purposes. I didn't ask for this, he just did it - part of why he's such a fantastic razor man.
I had no idea the exact age of these blades, they seem to pre-date date stamping, and how they have been stored for 100 years, so I decided to hone the blade before using it on a nice old Dart razor hone I had, new in the box. It was the hone's first use also (!) These blades are carbon steel, not stainless, they are not coated, and they are thicker than modern blades - at least 30% thicker. I then stropped it on my forearm, 20 swipes per edge side.
I paired the blade and razor with an Artuche Pure Badger and some old-school Barber's Saloon soap, similar to what would have been available in the 1910's. I face lathered and finished the shave off with a Parker alum block and some Proraso green.
So how did it go?
Well, let me start by saying the razor's fit and finish was a dream. Chris could not have done better work.
I had never shaved with one of these blades before, and let me say, if you have never put an old type blade in an old type razor, you should do it to see the difference. The blade exposure is DRAMATICALLY different. And by different, I mean more aggressive. A lot more aggressive. And lots stiffer, plenty of backbone to the edge. The blade gap is noticeably increased over a modern blade. Interestingly, Gillette called these razors adjustable, allowing a user to loosen the handle to increase gap. I can't in good conscience recommend anyone do that on your first shave with a 3-hole blade.
The blade feel during the shave was acute. More than I have ever felt on any DE - ever. At times it had the blade feel of a straight razor. I managed no cuts, nicks or weepers, but from the first stroke, I knew I needed to pay more attention - like when I set an adjustable at 8 or 9. I don't think I ever paid more attention to angle, form and hair direction than I did during this inaugural shave.
I was rewarded with a great shave for my efforts, BBS on the cheeks, lip and chin, DFS on the neck. That's as good as I ever got from any shave, as my neck skin is sensitive and I never risk a 3rd pass. Order was WTG - XTG - ATG.
I was surprised that there was a LOT of alum feedback - more than from any modern blade I've used, yet there was virtually no visible irritation, no razor burn, etc. Actually a lot like a straight razor shave.
These blades, even after honing and stropping, are NOT as efficient as modern blades. They are very angle sensitive and I took 3 passes to do what I can normally do in 2 passes with a GSB. This should be expected, there is no slick coating, they are thicker, and there is zero give to the edge, no matter how heavy or light your touch.
I've always been keen to try most things at least once, and all future use of this razor will be with modern blades. But I'm really glad I de-flowered this exceptional razor with a completely old-school setup. It was genuinely special and I enjoyed it immensely.
My tremendous thanks to Chris for the fine craftsmanship and the blade as well
