Trouble Loading 1914 Ever Ready

[Shave Cat]

I just picked up a patent 1914 Ever Ready which cleaned up rather nicely. However, I'm having difficulty getting a modern SE blade to stay in place properly. My go to razor is a patent 1912 which has a small space beneath the the blade stops. The edge of the blade goes under the stops. On this 1914, there is no space and the blade wants to ride over the stops. If I carefully hold down the edge of the blade with my thumb and carefully snap the top shut, the blade seems to be held behind the stops, but you can still move the blade side to side, if you try. I'm wondering if the original blades for this razor were slightly different than modern SE blades. I notice that there are two metal tabs on the side of the blade holder. I assume the blade goes under these tabs and they are some sort of guide for the blade. However, the notches in the sides of the blade line up with the side tabs. Therefore, the side tabs do nothing. Am I doing something wrong, or do modern SE blades not fit very well in a 1914?

-Clarke

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Do you have photos? I have some 1914 models and can also take photos, depending on which one you have to determine if there is a difference/defect causing this to happen on yours.

 

[Shave Cat]

Photos will have to wait until later this evening. Are you saying that there are variations in the blade mechanism within the 1914s?

-Clarke

 

[82R100]

I just picked up a patent 1914 Ever Ready which cleaned up rather nicely. However, I'm having difficulty getting a modern SE blade to stay in place properly. My go to razor is a patent 1912 which has a small space beneath the the blade stops. The edge of the blade goes under the stops. On this 1914, there is no space and the blade wants to ride over the stops. If I carefully hold down the edge of the blade with my thumb and carefully snap the top shut, the blade seems to be held behind the stops, but you can still move the blade side to side, if you try. I'm wondering if the original blades for this razor were slightly different than modern SE blades. I notice that there are two metal tabs on the side of the blade holder. I assume the blade goes under these tabs and they are some sort of guide for the blade. However, the notches in the sides of the blade line up with the side tabs. Therefore, the side tabs do nothing. Am I doing something wrong, or do modern SE blades not fit very well in a 1914?

-Clarke

I also have a 1914 and the blade fits under the stops on mine. The razor shaves well this way. You probably need to very carefully and slightly bend them up to allow this.

I agree that there isn't positive side to side positioning with the modern blades but that shouldn't be an issue if the blade is clamped tightly enough against the stops. If you find that the blade isn't tight against (and under) the stops, you'll need to tweak the "wings" under the cover so that they push better against the spine of the blade when the razor closes.

I believe the notches in the blade were introduced for the Micromatic design and weren't there at the time the 1914 was introduced. That being said, the cover traps the blade pretty well once it's closed.

- Chris

 

[Shave Cat]

I also have a 1914 and the blade fits under the stops on mine. The razor shaves well this way. You probably need to very carefully and slightly bend them up to allow this.

I agree that there isn't positive side to side positioning with the modern blades but that shouldn't be an issue if the blade is clamped tightly enough against the stops. If you find that the blade isn't tight against (and under) the stops, you'll need to tweak the "wings" under the cover so that they push better against the spine of the blade when the razor closes.

I believe the notches in the blade were introduced for the Micromatic design and weren't there at the time the 1914 was introduced. That being said, the cover traps the blade pretty well once it's closed.

- Chris

Chris,

If the blade is supposed to go under the stops just like in a 1912, either someone has flattened these or broken them off evenly 'cause there's not even the hint of a space. The stops stick up just a little.

-Clarke

 

[newboy]

That's normal for them to not have a decent stop compared to a 1912, that's how they were made.
Most razors made after the 1912 do no have the proper hooks you can slide the blade in under, they mainly have just a basic stop the blade sits against.
The trick is the rear spring, it has probably been bent back and doesn't have enough spring to hold the blade

 

[82R100]

Chris,

If the blade is supposed to go under the stops just like in a 1912, either someone has flattened these or broken them off evenly 'cause there's not even the hint of a space. The stops stick up just a little.

-Clarke

It's possible that they got flattened in rough handling. If they've been broken off you won't have a tab that you can raise at all.

I'll take a picture of my setup.

- Chris

 

[Shave Cat]

That's normal for them to not have a decent stop compared to a 1912, that's how they were made.
Most razors made after the 1912 do no have the proper hooks you can slide the blade in under, they mainly have just a basic stop the blade sits against.
The trick is the rear spring, it has probably been bent back and doesn't have enough spring to hold the blade

If I lay the blade flat in the tray, it will ride up over the stops before I can close the blade cover. I must angle the blade downward by pressing the sharp edge of the blade downward with my thumb and carefully closing the cover. The downward pressure from the cover holds the blade against the stops. It's as if the stops are too short. Then again, I've read the the spine on the old SE blades was thicker, which would raise the back edge of the blade and lower the front.

-Clarke

 

[82R100]

My stops.

View attachment 95444

View attachment 95445

With what newboy says you may want to just bend them up to the point where they will stop the edge of the blade without you having to use your thumb. I tend to prefer my razors somewhat aggressive, so it's possible that what I've done is inappropriate.

- Chris

 

[Shave Cat]

Chris,

Thanks for the photos. The stops on my 1914 are nowhere near that long, and apparently have always been short. Due to the way the stops are formed, if they were somehow shortened, there would be an obvious opening or small hole beneath where some of the stop had been removed. I was able to force the stops a hair higher by pushing from the bottom side. That made it somewhat easier to load a blade, although it's still tricky keeping the blade from sliding to the side while snapping the top down.

-Clarke

 

[D.Irving79]

ive seen photos of the 1914 in ads showing a blade loaded in it and yes, b/c of the thickness of the old blades an original fit perfectly. you basically have to hold the blade the best you can in place until you snap down the top.

 

[newboy]

My stops.

- Chris

Mines broken then, doesn't have full hooks like a 1912, has just a raised bit like a micromatic. Seems the hooks are completely broken off on mine then.
Still holds the blade secure and shaves OK though.

 

[mark_mw]

Mines broken then, doesn't have full hooks like a 1912, has just a raised bit like a micromatic. Seems the hooks are completely broken off on mine then.
Still holds the blade secure and shaves OK though.

The hooks may not be broken - mine also has slight bumps on both sides, the same size - unlikely that both would break off exactly the same. Also, there are no perforations through the guard where hooks would be bent up.

 

[82R100]

The hooks may not be broken - mine also has slight bumps on both sides, the same size - unlikely that both would break off exactly the same. Also, there are no perforations through the guard where hooks would be bent up.

This is a good point. If my hooks were broken off, I'd see holes in the sheet metal underneath where the broken parts had come from. It appears that they changed the stop design at some point during production. Shorter, Micromatic-style stops make more sense in that they can locate the blade more accurately that having it slide underneath towards the inside of the bend radius.

- Chris

 

[mark_mw]

This is a good point. If my hooks were broken off, I'd see holes in the sheet metal underneath where the broken parts had come from. It appears that they changed the stop design at some point during production. Shorter, Micromatic-style stops make more sense in that they can locate the blade more accurately that having it slide underneath towards the inside of the bend radius.

- Chris

Exactly! The spine on old SE blades is more than double that of modern ones - that extra thickness tilts the blade into the smaller stops.