Thought I'd start a mini-show & tell here. I've discovered in addition to my new found addiction to buying/restoring/using vintage razors, I also have a love of repurposing things to enhance the experience -- or at least to modify some gear I already have at hand to satisfy my need to "tweak" things. At least until I can find a more suitable replacement So, in that spirit, I'm going to post a few things I've cobbled together or customized, and hope you'll share your own inventions, hacks, "almost million-dollar ideas" and homebrews. Whether they are hardware or software, soaps or cases, razor racks or blade banks. I'll start, below.
Here's one of my first homebrews. It's soap I made from some rosemary essential oil I had here, a few drops of pure Mexican vanilla, a few drops of glycerin and a couple of pucks of Williams mug soap. I made three versions of this. One "plain" (which I melted into a simple camp drinking mug), another version where I used Bath & Body Works White Citrus Eau du Cologne instead of the rosemary oil (in a tea canister from Teavana) and a third version with extra rosemary, in a travel tea tin I got years ago from the Art of Tea. All three soaps turned out pretty good, considering I invested a grand total of $3 and change for the soap pucks and the repurposed everything else including the containers.
Not much to see here. But the little container in the photo is a combination of Clear Head after shave treatment from Head Blade along with some White Citrus Eau du Cologne from Bath and Body Works, in about an 8:1 ratio. Made for a very light, clean citrus aftershave that my wife seems to like (and she's picky about scents). I may buy more of the Clear Head, just to be able to create more of this with the remaining Eau du Cologne. Here's the Eau du Cologne I used for this:
Here's a straight "upcycle." I found a piece of pottery at a Salvation Army store for $2.99 and thought it was a beautiful little bowl to use for soap. Not sure if the pottery mark on the side is indicative of the pottery company who threw this piece but I liked it partly because the mark reminded me of a safety razor.
This one is pretty simple. Made a blade bank from a Twining's tea tin by cutting and polishing a slot with the cutting wheel of a dremel.
And, my most recent hack - a travel case for my vintage Gillette Travel Tech, made from an Altoids tin and some packaging foam (courtesy of Dish Network, unbeknownst to them) that I cut with a razor knife into the interior of the case with cutouts for the three pieces of the razor (no place for blades, since I'd likely pack those separately).
Come on, no one has anything to offer by way of reply (with pics)? Was hoping this thread would grow and give me (and others) some ideas to fuel the imagination!
I really like this. I've been toying with the idea of making my own soap. Maybe I'll pull the trigger this weekend
OHH MAANNN .......... I just found this great thread and hope to see it become much greater with involvement, BUT I'm at work right now I love simple repurposing as well as full on design and construction of hand made items. Additions there will be Greatness will be felt in the force
http://theshaveden.com/forums/forums/inside-the-den.16/ This forum also has lots of ideas and creations. Maybe drop a post in there as well to steer people over here in case they have missed the post?
http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/need-a-shave-stand-for-free-try-this.33836/#post-607680 Here's a start. One I posted ages ago. Brush/razor stand on the cheap Low cost, very quick, quite effective, semi artistic, easily reproduceable, entirely disposable, probably bio-degradeable and entirely unneccessary
This one isn't exactly a hack... It's more repurposing something designed for another use : Bought this from Amazon yesterday to use as a razor display rack. Several reviewers said they used it for DE razors with excellent results. Bought it here: Premium Wooden Test Tube Rack, (12) 22mm Holes, 16.75" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I13ZOUO/?tag=thshde-20
Great DIY projects here. Btw, when you get that rack from Amazon post some photos of how it looks with razors in it - I'd be a little concerned about the height as to how well it will fit longer handled razors.
So the test tube rack from Amazon arrived today. Woot! Here's a photo. Next comes the real test... With razors in it.
I think a lot of people when they do something like these blade banks consider them to be disposable once they are full (granted in a couple of years from now) and will glue any lid/top so that it's safe to throw it away when it's full. May be a good idea unless of course in 2016 you decide to transfer the blades to another container for final disposal
