The Segal One-Piece Safety Razor

[Komboloi]

Excellent write up! Thanks for the excellent history and MacGyver lesson.

I think it was Hyman Segal, not Samuel Segal, who invented the Segal one piece razor. According to Robert Waits, Hyman Segal filed all the patents on that razor and assigned them to the Segal Safety Razor Company.

Samuel Segal was indeed a prolific inventor, mostly of locks and related gizmos. Segal Lock - History And according to Waits, Segal Lock & Hardware developed a two-piece single edge open comb razor that it patented in 1931, only to have the patent declared invalid in 1933 in a suit brought by Gillette.

The logo of Segal Lock & Hardware is nearly identical to that of the Segal Safety Razor Company, so I suspect there was a connection and that Hyman and Samuel Segal were related. Indeed, in the Segal History linked above, the Segal Lock & Hardware company references the Segal one-piece razor as one of its own, so there must have been a connection.

 

[NewShaver83]

The Holy Grail of Segal razors must be this early model. Just try and find one!

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[Feather-man]

Nice!

 

[jmudrick]

The Fourth District Court of Appeals actually held in Segal's favor in November 1939 but by then the game was over. The judge's ruling makes for very interesting reading. Gillette was quite devious in acquiring an old patent which had little to do with their own designs then using it against Segal to kill competition with the Aristocrat.

GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR CO. _ 107 F.2d 105 (1939) .pdf

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

The Fourth District Court of Appeals actually held in Segal's favor in November 1939 but by then the game was over. The judge's ruling makes for very interesting reading. Gillette was quite devious in acquiring an old patent which had little to do with their own designs then using it against Segal to kill competition with the Aristocrat.

GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR CO. _ 107 F.2d 105 (1939) .pdf

So, what's the shave like with that Segal?

 

[jmudrick]

So, what's the shave like with that Segal?

Pretty familiar profile gives an idea. Neutralish exposure, small gap. I get very good shaves from it but dealing with the blades is something I haven't done in sufficient numbers to make it a regular choice.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Pretty familiar profile gives an idea. Neutralish exposure, small gap. I get very good shaves from it but dealing with the blades is something I haven't done in sufficient numbers to make it a regular choice.

Thanks.

I see what you're talking about. Looks much like an Old Type.

My four Old Types and my Single Ring are all somewhat different from each other in their shaves. Now that I have a Segal and a Schaeffer in transit I'm looking into the blade issue and seeing that the solution has been figured out.

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Highspeedlane]

I really need to break mine out again this weekend and use one of its OEM blades I was graciously gifted courtesy of Alan @Morman Bridge and update some pics of it also. Along the way make some mental comparisons to other razors I've been using over the past year. Great idea and thanks for reminding me

 

[troy]

They're great shavers, pretty mild, but still very efficient. Great balance and feel in hand too. I'm still on my first modified Astra SP probably has close to 20 shaves on it and still going.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

They're great shavers, pretty mild, but still very efficient. Great balance and feel in hand too. I'm still on my first modified Astra SP probably has close to 20 shaves on it and still going.

Your post makes me think I'll be modifying a blade real soon. I like what you said about the razor. Mine are in transit. One's a gold Segal and the other is a silver Schaeffer. Those are their colors. I don't know what the metal plating is.

Here's a link to my post with photos (vendor's) of these razors and a couple of others. I don't usually find so many razors in a month or two as I found yesterday.

I've read that the base metal of these Segal and Schaeffer razors is brass. Does anybody know that for sure?

My gold Segal looks like the plating is not terribly great (from the vendor's photos), but sometimes razors look better in person. The silver looking Schaeffer looks to be (again, vendor's photos) in better shape. It's occurred to me that perhaps one might be a candidate for replating if I like the shave enough and if I don't find modifying blades too tedious.

I suspect and hope the blade modification is a piece of cake after the first couple of fumbling efforts, and blades often last me a good while. Not that I'm in the Excalibur Club league.

I usually start off with a new razor loaded with a Polsilver, but I'm open to suggestion.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Highspeedlane]

Your post makes me think I'll be modifying a blade real soon. I like what you said about the razor. Mine are in transit. One's a gold Segal and the other is a silver Schaeffer. Those are their colors. I don't know what the metal plating is.

Here's a link to my post with photos (vendor's) of these razors and a couple of others. I don't usually find so many razors in a month or two as I found yesterday.

I've read that the base metal of these Segal and Schaeffer razors is brass. Does anybody know that for sure?

My gold Segal looks like the plating is not terribly great (from the vendor's photos), but sometimes razors look better in person. The silver looking Schaeffer looks to be (again, vendor's photos) in better shape. It's occurred to me that perhaps one might be a candidate for replating if I like the shave enough and if I don't find modifying blades too tedious.

I suspect and hope the blade modification is a piece of cake after the first couple of fumbling efforts, and blades often last me a good while. Not that I'm in the Excalibur Club league.

I usually start off with a new razor loaded with a Polsilver, but I'm open to suggestion.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Looking forward to your results Jim. I'm not 100% sure but personally I believe the Segal baseplate was a brass casting, based on general observation along with its production era. I don't believe US manufacturers were using zinc alloy technology in razor manufacture then. But I'm not certain and would welcome correction if necessary.

 

[Highspeedlane]

Well...I attempted to use the same Segal carbon steel blade I had used some time ago. After last use I dried it and put it back into its original wrapper. Unfortunately these old carbon steel blades don't age well. You know when a blade feels uncomfortably dull, and this blade felt very much like that. Finished the sides of the face on first pass but stopped short of the chin and below. So I'll hang onto this blade and use it as a template marker for new blades that will get cut (once I find my cuticle scissors )

I ended up completing the shave with my Karve /C using a Treet black carbon steel blade. I'll have the Segal out again once I get a new blade cut for it

 

[Highspeedlane]

I've read that the base metal of these Segal and Schaeffer razors is brass. Does anybody know that for sure?

I'm beginning to believe the baseplate of the Segal is not brass. Two things seem to point to something other than brass. One is on my own razor in which I see plating removed by a tight fitting blade, revealing a "silver-like" color beneath:

Then I saw this pic of a Segal for sale on ebay:

The condition of the teeth of the razor in question doesn't look anything like I would expect brass to appear due to age and strongly resembles deterioration of some type of zinc alloy I've seen. Given their approximate production era (U.S. 1930's), I would have thought such razor manufacturing techniques would not have been employed yet, but that does not mean the well regarded lock maker was not doing so.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I'm beginning to believe the baseplate of the Segal is not brass. Two things seem to point to something other than brass. One is on my own razor in which I see plating removed by a tight fitting blade, revealing a "silver-like" color beneath:

Then I saw this pic of a Segal for sale on ebay:

The condition of the teeth of the razor in question doesn't look anything like I would expect brass to appear due to age and strongly resembles deterioration of some type of zinc alloy I've seen. Given their approximate production era (U.S. 1930's), I would have thought such razor manufacturing techniques would not have been employed yet, but that does not mean the well regarded lock maker was not doing so.

It could be they used various metals. In some of the historical material there is mention of the company having its own foundry.

There are references to articles which might answer many questions, but finding the articles is beyond me. I suspect it would require subscriptions, libraries, maybe a trip to New York City.

There is a drug store I've been wanting to visit, but I was hoping to win the lottery and buy a tractor trailer and build an addition onto my house before I make the trip.

Looks like we'd better take good care of the nice Segals and Schaeffers we have! My razors seem heavy and well made, but they could be made of anything. How would I know.

My R41 seems heavy and well made, too, and we know what it's made of.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Check the wear patterns of this razor. Link.

I know gold plated razors often (maybe always) are first nickel plated.

 

[jmudrick]

There could be variation. And brass itself being an alloy the composition may vary from that other manufacturers used in terms of zinc content or presence of lead. I've polished my baseplate pretty good and it looks like brass to me.

 

[Highspeedlane]

Check the wear patterns of this razor. Link.

I know gold plated razors often (maybe always) are first nickel plated.

Thanks for that link . Good posts and pics in there.

 

[Highspeedlane]

There could be variation. And brass itself being an alloy the composition may vary from that other manufacturers used in terms of zinc content or presence of lead. I've polished my baseplate pretty good and it looks like brass to me.

That's good to know. They all look very robust and well made.