Thick SE blades came with Ever Ready razor

[AJJ]

I got hold of an Ever Ready razor with ornate handle (I don't know all my SE razors yet, so I don't know if this is a "1912" or some other model.

The Ever Ready paper box the razor came with also contained 5 blades. These look like ordinary SE blades but are much thicker and are marked "Ever Ready".

Were the disposable razors that much thicker 100 years ago or these were intended for extended used through stropping?

 

[ShavinBacon]

Nice catch. Yes, that is a 1912 model. And yes, the blades they made at the turn of the last century were that much thicker up until around the 1940's or so I believe based on the blades I have gotten with my SE razors. I wish they still made blades like that! I have an ER that came in a box similar to yours and it originally came with a single packaged blade to get the new owner started with his shaves.

 

[gearchow]

That would be my guess. Certain SE sets came with an "automatic" stropping device and strop. The blades weren't wrapped?

For instance, this post displays the manual stropping device:

Let-s-see-those-SE-razors

And here is an "automatic" example:

What-s-in-the-box

-jim

 

[AJJ]

The blades were loose in the box. They look unused. I guess I need to find a stropper and try one of them out. I have no intention to preserve it for the next collector.

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

The blades were loose in the box. They look unused. I guess I need to find a stropper and try one of them out. I have no intention to preserve it for the next collector.

Do that. You will like how they shave, when properly honed/stropped.

 

[Slivovitz]

I've got some old SE blades like that too. On some of them there is a decorative pattern on the spine, which seems like something you wouldn't bother to put on a disposable blade, but then, maybe they just had different attitudes toward esthetics back then.

On the original question, I don't know if the maker meant for all of these to be honed, stropped, and re-used, but I think it used to be more common for users to try to extend the life of all disposable blades, even DEs. There were a lot of third party honing devices for disposable blades, and you read of people honing them on the inside of a drinking glass. People may have been more careful to save every penny.

 

[gearchow]

I've got some old SE blades like that too. On some of them there is a decorative pattern on the spine, which seems like something you wouldn't bother to put on a disposable blade, but then, maybe they just had different attitudes toward esthetics back then.

On the original question, I don't know if the maker meant for all of these to be honed, stropped, and re-used, but I think it used to be more common for users to try to extend the life of all disposable blades, even DEs. There were a lot of third party honing devices for disposable blades, and you read of people honing them on the inside of a drinking glass. People may have been more careful to save every penny.

Aren't they pretty though? Not only is the spine decorated, but it's much thicker then modern SE blades. I wonder if they were made that way because they were also meant to be used in lather catchers that formerly took a wedge blade? On second thought, maybe it was just an evolutionary step away from wedge blades. Decorated wedge blades, honed and stropped -> Decorated, heavy SE blade meant for stropping -> modern throw away.

-jim

 

[dilly-b]

Got a boxed Damaskeene on Ebay that had an old SHA VE ZEE brand blade as well as the small, 2-piece 'manual' stropping handle which was the real reason I bought the set. That blade, as well as 3 E-R blades that came with a cased 1924 Have proven to be incredible blades, that I use a few times a week. If you want to use those blades (and you should, because they ROCK), you will need to give them a light honing as well as a thorough stropping. The good news is that one of those little 'stropping' handles ensures the correct honing angle. I put a piece of electrical tape on the 'spine' of the stropper while honing - this serves two purposes: no hone wear on the spine of the stropper, and you will cut a bevel at the very cutting edge of the blade. I used a 4k w/slurry > 4k water > C12K with heavy slurry > C12k light slurry > C12k water. Then I stropped the hell out of them, on denim, newspaper, leather. The result of this 'overkill' has been some of my most enjoyable shaves ever - all I might add in a 1912. Your razor is a 1912, so good on you. Was it a PITA? YMMV, but I LOVE to hone. At the risk of offending, I will say that these vintage blades, properly 'prepped,' make a GEM SS blade seem like a freakin' soup can lid - at least on my face. The only drawback with the vintage, solid blades is that they can only be used in models up to the 1924. For the Micromatic series and later, you have to have the modern-style notched/perforated blades. Since the 1912 is the best of the lot, it shouldn't matter.

 

[dilly-b]

Do that. You will like how they shave, when properly honed/stropped.

Truth! A pity you generally have to buy yet another razor just to get some of these blades!

 

[AJJ]

Check out the pic. These swirl marks on the blades show they probably were stropped with one of those hand crank devices (e.g. Twinplex, Blue Beard, Kriss Kross). I'm not familiar enough with these stroppers to know for sure.

Anyway, I'm going to try using a Swaty hone and leather strop to see if I can bring one back to life. They appear plenty sharp and are in good shape.

 

[gearchow]

From what I can tell, they all come like that - right out of a unopened wrapper. Not sure why they did it, but it sure looks decorative to me. It may be just an example of making something that is sturdy and nice to look at. Then they figured out that if they eliminate that step, they can eliminate 5 jobs. Check out this page for examples that are more ornate, but the same process I would believe:

http://www.workingpsychology.com/diversions/jeweling.html

-jim