Shaving with a 1912 The Traditional Way

Perfect i have some tubing at work.
Billy that will be the same diameter for a wedge blade too i suppose. As the overall lengths are about the same. I assume the bevel angles should be the same. I can make them up for my SE's and one for a wedge.

 

No... A Wedge blade is different Bevel Setting...I will get back to you on that One..

Billy..

 

Thanks Billy. I will have some fun tomorrow at lunch. Better than sitting around.

 

I've been using a rolls for a little while, I purched the ever ready in an effort to get some training in before using the rolls, but the star blades were useless I even tried a Stanley scraper blade and that was better, so I just had to learn with the rolls. I've been thinking abought making a honeing jig for the every ready blades but your post solved the problem. The shave I'm getting is every bit as good as the rolls it might even just have the edge on the rolls. I had intended to use a 1912 but picked up the 1924 by mistake so I think I should stay with it for a few weeks to give it a good try, but I must say it took very little effort and is definitely 10 out of 10

Dave

 

The Hollow Ground Blade Jobby is a good 7mm either side of the Spine.,.Outside width..

Billy..

 

Good deal. I will take my bad wedge blade and verify once i make them up. Thanks for the help guys.

Tom

 

The Bunny Stropper! I can't wait!

 

Three Pass Shaving Routine...

Hot Water prep & massage with Argan Oil
Gem G Bar Junior Lather Catcher
Star Cru Steel Blade
Leon Hardy Pure Badger
Monsavon Bol Tallow Soap
Thayers Original Witch Hazel

I just had the most Wonderful Shave of my Life with My Gem G Bar Junior with an Original Cru Steel Stropping Blade recently..These Blades are just so Darn Comfortable & Smooth as Icing on a Cake..A Current Gem Blade Just isn't Fit to Lick their Boots..The G bar Junior is a Mild razor but with these Original Stropping Blades it about as Twice as Loud as a Current Gem Blade & a Darn Site more Comfortable..

The G Bar Junior with a Freshly Stropped Cru Steel Blade is more forgiving than a Modern Cardridge Razor..You can literally paint your face with this thing without any Burn or Irritation..The G Bar Junior shaves very well with a Current Gem Blade with a Full Gem Spine as Shim but it aint as Half as Smooth..This works well..But if you want the Best from your G Bar Junior then the Original Cru Blade is the Way to Go with the Traditional Stropping Methods..Around 40 Laps a Side after you shave & you are good to Go..I am using a Stropping Handle here but you can also get a hold of an Ever Ready or Gem 1912 Auto Strop that will Do the same Job..

The Post Shave Feeling with these Cru Steel Blades is Like Velvet..It feels Akin to the feeling after shaving with a Hollow Ground or Wedge Blade..You just cant get this Sorta Feeling with a Current Gem Blade in these Older Stropping Blade SE Razors..If you want the Best from your Older SEs this is the Way to Go..You will Reap the Rewards..I was laughing today when I was shaving with the G Bar Junior because this thing is over a 100 years Old & its more forgiving & Smoother than a Top Dollar Modern Cartridge System..

Oh..Yeah..A Darn Site more comfortable & Easier to use than that New-Fangled OneBlade..


Billy..

 

I won an Ever Ready version of this razor today. Now I see I'll have to hunt down some blades. It never ends

 

The Ever Ready Lather Catcher is Far more Aggressive than the Gem G Bar Junior..The Bar Junior is a very Mild Razor...The Ever Ready One is more Aggressive for Sure..Not overly Aggressive though..I will need to have a shave with my Ever Ready Lather Catcher with a Stropping Blade..

Billy..

 

Please do and let us know. Thanks

 

I was expecting a stropathon after the last few posts, has anyone made a stropping handle.
Hopefully this thread is more abought the blades rather than the razor I managed to find a Star lather catcher head, not for the collector or the purest but at least it gives me a chance to see what shaving with one is like with a Star cru steel blade, needs a clean but is in good condition with no plating loss.



Dave

 

You can use a Stropping SE Cru Blade in these..I would recommend One Complete Gem Spine just pushed down behind the blade that you are using to keep into seated in those Forward Guides..,

Billy..

 

There is a little clip at the back to keep the blade located, should I use a spine to change the blade angle.

Dave

 

I just checked & the Cru blade does seem to seat ok in the forward Guides without a Gem Spine..If you are using a Current Gem Blade it tends to slip back to the wrong angle..As long as the blade is flush with those forward guides and not falling back & going loose you will be fine..The Spine is just to stop the blade falling back is All..If it moves back even a Tad the Angle will be all Wrong..Bearing in mind these were meant for Hollow Ground Blades that take up that full space..

Billy..

 

Sent you pm with few question regarding GEM razors

 

Hi thanks Billy, I understand what you are saying now, I can't believe the condition of this razor head it almost looks new. The little spring clips on the sides that hold the blade down are hard down on the base plate and seem in good order, when I put a Star cru steel blade in they hold it down firm, hopefully it will work fine but I will keep a careful eye out for any blade movement. I will keep an eye out for a hollow ground blade, but my budget is bottom end, I work on the principle that all things come to those who wait. I'll try the razor in the next week or two and post my impression.

Dave

 

Three Pass Shaving Routine..

Hot Water prep & massage with Coconut Oil
Ever Ready Lather Catcher
Invisible Edge Stropping Blade NOS
Fichard Pure Badger
Haslinger Tallow soap
Thayers Original Witch Hazel

I just had the most Wonderful Shave of my Life with My Ever Ready Lather Catcher with an Invisible Edge Stropping Blade Today..A Dolphin Smooth All Over BBS Result..This thing just Mowed down the Whiskers like a Darn Snow Plough..One of these Stropping blades in the Ever Ready Catcher Transforms it into One Almighty Aggressive Smooth, Comfortable & Forgiving Shaver..

Its like putting a Twin Blade in a Schick Injector..Its Twice the Razor..Because of the age of the blade I gave it 10 Sets on 0.5 Micron Lapping Film just to Refresh the Edge & 20 Sets on the Nylon side the Strop & then another 20 Sets on the Leather..Awesome Sharp but very Comfortable & Forgiving..This Combo makes a Noise like Rolling Thunder..Current Gem Blades are Mediocre by Comparison..These Stropping blades are more Rigid than Gem Blades & Totally Change the Characteristic's of the Razor..Current Blades are a Step Backwards in Performance for Sure..

You are only Tapping into Shaving 1/2 the Potential of this Razor with a Current Gem Blade...The Ever Ready Lather Catcher is One Almighty Shaver when its used the Traditional Way as it was Intended..You are only Sniffing the Full Potential of this SE using a Current Gem Blade..

Billy..

 

I couldn't agree more, my understanding is the crucible steel these blades are made of is the same steel the old straight razors were made from so think anything you can do with a straight you can do with these blades.

I rescued the blades I have from the rubbish back in the early 1980s, I was model making at the time and thought they might come in handy, in reality I didn't use single edge blades much, I've always had one in the workshop that I use for scraping and they usually last a few years before I either lose or break them. Last week I picked up the blade in the workshop to use and noticed it was nice and shiny, I think it the handling with dirty oily hands that have cleaned it up and thought how come I'm using such a nice blade for this job, I could see the chips in the blade at arms length. I put it in the stropping handle taped the handle tube and used 30 micron film to remove the chips then worked through the grades to 1 micron and after stropping the blade worked well nice and smooth with no pulling.

The stropping handle put a steeper angle on the blade than the original angle but that didn't seem to mater, I also tried the same process on a new Stanley scraper blade and that was a wast of time it was of no use at all.

I really don't think that modern materials can hold the same edge as the old steel, I learnt using the rolls that if you get the edge right and the shaving angle you will always get a smooth shave without any pulling, if the edge is not right then you seem to try a steeper angle and more pressure resulting in razor burn and worse still cuts and nicks.

Dave

 

That is A Great Way of putting it..

Billy..