The Journal of a Backwards Professor

[Rosseforp]

Its also difficult to tell because of reflections. If you want to try something Doug, you might lay a piece of tape on the inside half of each bearing surface of the cap.

Tool & Die makers use a product called Prussian Blue to coat the mating surfaces. When the parts are separated the Prussian Blue sticks to the surfaces that did not mate, the mating surfaces are left shiny revealing the actual contact point. Luthiers use carbon paper to check the fit of guitar necks.
I just found the phone # of the guy that certified our Optical Comparators at work. I'm gonna check with him to see if he has an old one laying around for a cheap price.

 

[Rosseforp]

Fatip. Each razor is an adventure!

Both of my KBG Grandes weigh 68.2 grams, until you switch the handles

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This morning I caught up with all the interesting conversation - razor design parameters, dynamometers, gap, etc.

Having never raced cars I still know more about racing cars than about razor design. I get all the gap and blade exposure stuff, and rigidity, and torquing the blade, etc. Well, I get it in a kinda sorta way. Still, it doesn't all add up for me into parameters I could specify were I interested in ordering a fancy, jewelry razor all custom made to order.

I had no idea the real and correct SC cap fits only the SC and the others fit all sorts of razors. I might like my NEW SC better with the correct cap, but I doubt I'd like it as much as an Old Type (with a fat handle of course, borrowed from a FH tech) or a Fatip.

To me, all good razors are just jazzed up Old Types. I have no idea why anyone would want a razor with a gap of twelve inches.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

Tool & Die makers use a product called Prussian Blue to coat the mating surfaces. When the parts are separated the Prussian Blue sticks to the surfaces that did not mate, the mating surfaces are left shiny revealing the actual contact point. Luthiers use carbon paper to check the fit of guitar necks.
I just found the phone # of the guy that certified our Optical Comparators at work. I'm gonna check with him to see if he has an old one laying around for a cheap price.

I meant to use the tape as a filler to fill that gap and lend the blade more support. When I did that with my Regent it was a night and day difference.

 

[Rosseforp]

To me, all good razors are just jazzed up Old Types. I have no idea why anyone would want a razor with a gap of twelve inches.

Interesting. That would make my 1967 'stang just a jazzed up Model A, and my Chevy Volt one of those battery powered 5 blade thingy's.

I think gap is overrated. My RR DE1 has the largest gap of all my razors and is also the mildest. The gap is the same on both of my New SC's, but they certainly don't shave the same.

 

[Rosseforp]

I meant to use the tape as a filler to fill that gap and lend the blade more support. When I did that with my Regent it was a night and day difference.

I don't think my Fatip's need any more support, but I might try that on my Aristocrat. Devcon is more permanent than tape. LOL

 

[Esox]

The gap is the same on both of my New SC's, but they certainly don't shave the same.

The NEW SC has a very precisely machined base. Imagine making all those bases on manual machines in 1930!

I don't think my Fatip's need any more support, but I might try that on my Aristocrat. Devcon is more permanent than tape. LOL

If the edge can flex, which even mine can, any lack of support behind the edge of the cap could let the mid section of the blade flex, especially when used steeply. The edge of the cap could act as a fulcrum. Removing any possible flex midblade could make it smoother.

 

[Rosseforp]

The NEW SC has a very precisely machined base. Imagine making all those bases on manual machines in 1930!

Mike, my Grandfather gave me his Rogers Machinist Guide, published 1913, when I was 8 years old. The hand drawn illustrations are fabulous. I have his micrometers with patent dates from the 1800's that have Vernier scales measuring to .0001"/.00254mm.

Having watched the advances in machining from the 1960's to this present date firsthand as a machinist, I can very easily imagine the machines those baseplates were mass produced on.
I can remember walking through a large aerospace fastener manufacturing facility during a job interview 1978, watching the fasteners as they were fed on specially designed conveyor belts through the various machining stations, never being touched by human hands until final inspection.
There was a Brown & Sharp screw machine department with hundreds of the same exact machines lined up in neat rows, each one of them producing thousands of nuts and bolts an hour. Usually 1 million parts between set-up changes, parts inspection made hourly, maybe.

Those Brown & Sharp screw machines were made in the 1930's, and you would be surprised at how many are still in operation.
I once had a CNC salesman tell me those old machines were his main competition. They took them as trade-in's so they could melt them down for scrap.

Back in the 1930's they were not only machinist's, they were craftsmen.

 

[Rosseforp]

My Practice Tree! Yeah, I know it doesn't have anything to do with shaving, but I will be using it to keep my reaction times sharp.
And boy, do I need the practice.
As I was looking for one of my logbooks so I can start keeping track of my races, I came across some of the pins and patches you get for being a member of the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), along with some specialty pins from Riverside International Raceway and the inaugural race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

I also have a few pins from when I worked for 3M when they were a sponsor of the Olympic Games, and when we introduced the Hard Black Anodized K200 Mini Driver and Pin Driver attachment. I worked on the prototypes, then one of them was used to pin a bone in my left wrist. I still got the pin and the scar, and a note from the Plant Manager thanking me for my work on the project.

 

[Rosseforp]

Monday, January 25

Razor: KBG Grande
Blade: Gillette Green(2)
Brush: Mistura #9
Soap: Proraso Red
ASL: Proraso

I was in the mood for something besides menthol, so Proraso Red it was. And what a nice shave it was.

With 72 hours of stubble there was some resistance shaving my neck ATG, so multiple swift reduction passes were the name of the game.
I trimmed my sideburns then shaved my face N-S, going around my jawline. There was plenty of audible feedback, the blade making the sound of a credit card scraping against my whiskers, then going silent as the stubble met its match.

After another trip to the tub with my Mistura, the second pass lathering up felt wonderful as it is nearing 10 shaves. A nose to ear face pass followed by a N-S finish pass on my neck, the razor now moving slower with long full strokes.

The Witch hazel worked its usual magic, there was no sting or burn from the Proraso ASL, the scent blending in nicely as the Nivea balm left my skin feeling refreshed.

It was a nice shave.

 

[Esox]

Mike, my Grandfather gave me his Rogers Machinist Guide, published 1913, when I was 8 years old. The hand drawn illustrations are fabulous. I have his micrometers with patent dates from the 1800's that have Vernier scales measuring to .0001"/.00254mm.

Having watched the advances in machining from the 1960's to this present date firsthand as a machinist, I can very easily imagine the machines those baseplates were mass produced on.
I can remember walking through a large aerospace fastener manufacturing facility during a job interview 1978, watching the fasteners as they were fed on specially designed conveyor belts through the various machining stations, never being touched by human hands until final inspection.
There was a Brown & Sharp screw machine department with hundreds of the same exact machines lined up in neat rows, each one of them producing thousands of nuts and bolts an hour. Usually 1 million parts between set-up changes, parts inspection made hourly, maybe.

Those Brown & Sharp screw machines were made in the 1930's, and you would be surprised at how many are still in operation.
I once had a CNC salesman tell me those old machines were his main competition. They took them as trade-in's so they could melt them down for scrap.

Back in the 1930's they were not only machinist's, they were craftsmen.

I wonder if they had some sort of automated line for producing those bases. I think they only made the SC for a year so it was, most likely, not cost effective enough for Gillette.

I wouldnt be that surprised if all those machines from that era were still working, assuming they could be repaired if they ever did wear out. Consumerism wasnt a thing back then.

 

[thombrogan]

Consumerism wasnt a thing back then.

I must be thinking of a different 20th Century…

 

[Rosseforp]

I wonder if they had some sort of automated line for producing those bases. I think they only made the SC for a year so it was, most likely, not cost effective enough for Gillette.

I wouldnt be that surprised if all those machines from that era were still working, assuming they could be repaired if they ever did wear out. Consumerism wasnt a thing back then.

I'm sure they were produced on automated production lines, Mike. The baseplates would have started out as extrusions, imagine a baseplate 4 meters long. The initial machining process on a Cincinnati horizontal milling machine, then transferred to another horizontal milling machine where they are cut into individual baseplates and the slots machined at the same time. The actual machining time per baseplate would have been measured in seconds.

 

[Rosseforp]

I must be thinking of a different 20th Century…
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I believe Mike was talking about the throw away attitude prevalent in today's society. I shaved with two Gillette New SC razors that were made in the 1930's last week. Two of my favorite razors were made in the 1950's. Try that with your BIC.

 

[thombrogan]

My last Bic razors made their way back to nature last year. Only have their DE blades now.

I think people were possums back them just like today — either they didn’t have access to our vices (and resources) or they didn’t talk much about it in mixed company.

 

[Rosseforp]

Tuesday, January 26

Razor: Merkur 15C
Blade: Gillette Green(3)
Brush: Mistura #10
Soap: 1912 Club Cola
ASL: Lucky Tiger Bay Rum

After a brisk 4 mile walk, I took a quick shower and felt like having a nice mild shave before dinner. We were having what my wife calls "Hot Pot", literally a pot of hot water and broth on the table, and various types of sliced seafood and vegetables tossed in, cooked and served.

The Mistura made quick work of the Club Cola, I'm really starting to like this brush, it gets better each time I use it.

I grabbed my Merkur 15C as it is my mildest OC razor, and started at my soul patch, shaved my chin and on down the middle of my neck, then from my sideburns to the base of my neck.

A nose to ear face pass and two more N-S passes on my neck. No ATG today as I was going for comfort.

It wasn't my closest shave of the year, but it was the most comfortable. The Witch hazel felt refreshing as did the LT Bay Rum, the Nivea balm a finishing touch.

I also thought I would show a picture of my super expensive camera box set-up. It started out as a box of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, some duct tape and construction paper from my daughter's school art supplies. The most expensive part of the set-up was my desk lamp, which set me back $30, but it is still a desk lamp.

 

[Sotiris_A]

Tuesday, January 26

Razor: Merkur 15C
Blade: Gillette Green(3)
Brush: Mistura #10
Soap: 1912 Club Cola
ASL: Lucky Tiger Bay Rum

After a brisk 4 mile walk, I took a quick shower and felt like having a nice mild shave before dinner. We were having what my wife calls "Hot Pot", literally a pot of hot water and broth on the table, and various types of sliced seafood and vegetables tossed in, cooked and served.

The Mistura made quick work of the Club Cola, I'm really starting to like this brush, it gets better each time I use it.

I grabbed my Merkur 15C as it is my mildest OC razor, and started at my soul patch, shaved my chin and on down the middle of my neck, then from my sideburns to the base of my neck.

A nose to ear face pass and two more N-S passes on my neck. No ATG today as I was going for comfort.

It wasn't my closest shave of the year, but it was the most comfortable. The Witch hazel felt refreshing as did the LT Bay Rum, the Nivea balm a finishing touch.

View attachment 1214086
I also thought I would show a picture of my super expensive camera box set-up. It started out as a box of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, some duct tape and construction paper from my daughter's school art supplies. The most expensive part of the set-up was my desk lamp, which set me back $30, but it is still a desk lamp.
View attachment 1214087

Very nice setup!

If you haven't done already, you could experiment a bit with any type of thin paper you might have available at home to make a DIY diffuser. Just put it in front of the lamp to soften the light and reduce the shadows.

 

[Esox]

I must be thinking of a different 20th Century…
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It goes back farther than that.

Its only become worse as time has gone by but my point was, "they" stopped making serviceable things and things that just dont break down.

A case in point. I have a Philips Air Ecologizer from the mid to late 1970's.



100% serviceable. Once a year I tear it down, clean it, take the filter apart and wash the internal components of it, then tear down the electric motor and clean and lube the armature and brass bushings the armature shaft rides on. After all these years it still works perfectly and the Brass bushings and the armature itself, show little to no wear.

 

[thombrogan]

Oh...

The relentless marches of progress and regulations that claim to benefit consumers coupled with our lack of omniscience have certainly provided asymmetrically checkered results.

 

[Esox]

Dont get me started on regulations! lol