Wilkinson 7 Day ‘Empire’ Razor

[the.village.idiot]

Gentleman,

My wife and I have been touring around the globe with our backpacks, and I do my level-headed best to duck into as many flea markets and antique shops as I can…

Currently we're in Newark-on-Trent in the UK, and I found (and purchased) an NOS 1936-1952 Wilkinson 7 Day ‘Empire’ Razor set... the blades still have the original oil on them, and the strop is still in it's original packaging

Sorry... no pictures... sent it home with my son who was here to visit with us.

Does anybody have any experience with this razor? I've read that the blades needed to be replaced after a few months of use?

This is definitely a nice addition to any collection, but I'm not one to simply put things like this behind glass!

Also, I'm sure the strop would need work IF taken out of it's packaging... I have no experience with that sort of thing... YET!!! Any advice?

Also purchased at the same shop was a NOS 1912 Ever Ready in it's bakelite case... looking forward to getting home in a year or so to try out my acquisitions!

 

[Haiku]

Gentleman,

My wife and I have been touring around the globe with our backpacks, and I do my level-headed best to duck into as many flea markets and antique shops as I can…

Currently we're in Newark-on-Trent in the UK, and I found (and purchased) an NOS 1936-1952 Wilkinson 7 Day ‘Empire’ Razor set... the blades still have the original oil on them, and the strop is still in it's original packaging

Sorry... no pictures... sent it home with my son who was here to visit with us.

Does anybody have any experience with this razor? I've read that the blades needed to be replaced after a few months of use?

This is definitely a nice addition to any collection, but I'm not one to simply put things like this behind glass!

Also, I'm sure the strop would need work IF taken out of it's packaging... I have no experience with that sort of thing... YET!!! Any advice?

Also purchased at the same shop was a NOS 1912 Ever Ready in it's bakelite case... looking forward to getting home in a year or so to try out my acquisitions!

Congratulations on your acquisition. Wonderful!

The blades should last a few lifetimes. They need to be honed every now and then, but no, they're not intended to be tossed out, they're intended to be passed down to future generations.

 

[jkingrph]

If it is anything like mine, the blades are wedge shaped, basically a short section of a straight razor blade. They may need honeing. I put a couple of layers of electrical tape on the spine(thick edge) and honed on a very fine hard Arkansas stone, then stropped and get good shaves . I do not use very often but would think the blades should last for years, not a couple of months.

 

[Bob the aged Lurcher]

I have just acquired one at auction, it is not in as good condition, when I get back to the UK will get a new strop for it and post photos.