The "what is" and " how to" thread for the Rolls Razor

I noticed that my hone from years of use, had slight indentations from where the blade would first come down. Most likely someone slapping it too hard. When the blade has to come out of this slight depression the metal is first removed at that angle and then the correct one. So I took the hone out and cleaned the other side and flipped it. It needs a bevel though to stay in place as that is what holds the end away from the clips in place. Well you can't bevel that end again as the hone would be too short so I put the beveled end down to where the 2 clips are, used my Dremel with a course wheel and in about 2 minutes had a bevel on the opposite side of the hone at the opposite end of the original bevel. Now the hone stays in place and I have a new hone surface to work with. Should be good for another 50 years or so. :^) The hone was surprisingly easy to grind down.

Also, from info earlier in the thread, I took the guard off of two of my blades and made it so they click into place now. Thank you for posting the info on adjusting the guard, I wouldn't not have known to do this!

 

Neat!

 

I saw some guy selling a rolls at an estate sale for $50. A bit high I believe from everything I see here.

 

I picked one up last week, never used for 20 dollars. I see a lot of high prices on ebay. I think Rolls is worth a lot more but there are many so supply and demand kicks in.

Even though the one I just got is NOS, I can tell it has never been used, no marks on the strop or hone and the blade and case are shiny and new looking, there was still tiny nicks in the blade that I had to hone out. The box is also like new with the material piece that keeps the lid from opening too far, still intact and like new. The strop still had red rouge that would come off on your finger. Sharpened the blade, honed and stropped and it is very, very sharp. Also it gives me a good idea on how tight the friction should feel when using the strop or hone.

edit: shouldn't read and work on a razor at the same time. Just got nicked real good with the edge of the Rolls while adjusting the guard. lol

 

Respect the blade...

 

Lol, I have cut myself all my life. I have messed with blades for many years, it just happens. But yes, these blades you don't mess with!

The Rolls I got yesterday in the mail was made in 1949. The same year I was born. It looks brand new. The blade now that I honed it and then stropped, and the mechanism on this new Rolls is so good, has a great edge. The blade didn't have any blemish on it, nice and shiny and the handle is the type that screw apart and I prefer that a lot over the other one I had which is the ball and spring type. It was interesting to see how a new strop looked and how they prepped it.

 

Congratz on your birth year Rolls!

I prefer the screw apart handle as well. It's slightly longer and it is easier to load the blade.

 

I can see why there are a number of almost new Rolls razors around, there is a learning curve just to getting the blade right. After that it isn't bad but you have to think about what you are doing when you are honing and then stropping it enough to get it fine tuned. I have mine now to a point, where I am getting what I would call a nice barbershop shave each day. Also I haven't used lather for some time so I got a nice brush and like the combination of e shave and Duke Cannon. Yep, I squeeze some Duke into the e shave and go from there. Great lather and I use no scent e shave so I have the scent of the Duke Cannon and the lather is perfect.

Also I have found it is really important to get the friction area cleaned up or you will never get anything right.

 

Great to hear you're enjoying your Rolls.
But what's e shave and Duke Cannon? Got some pics? You made me curious!

 

They are shaving creams. I got them off of Amazon. Both are highly recommended but using them together for me, is great.

I got another razor yesterday with the handle that screws in to hold the blade. I noticed that the end cap on the handle had a little gap. Does the end cap come off for some reason, yes it does. It unscrews and there is a spring and then the shaft comes out. I cleaned up both of mine, two different handles. One had a little rust on the spring, not much, so I cleaned it and then added a protective coat to it and did the other one. Neat how everything comes apart. Years ago I used to commercially resort fine antiques and use period correct finishes for them. I even restored Art Deco furniture, which can be a challenge with all of the veneers. But one thing I have always admired about what "used" to be made was it was meant to last.

Great shave today. I wanted a good shaving mug so I was going to buy one then I saw my lab mortar that I never use, nice thick wall to hold the heat and just the right size and it worked excellent. Kept the shaving cream warm, etc. etc.

The Rolls is now holding a very good edge like a good straight razor. No nicks or pulling and my chin, that has always been sensitive, was shaved without pain just like a good barber shaving with a sharp straight razor. Now I need to fix one of these up for a friend and give it to him as a gift.

Oh, I also got some Rolls strop dressing. After 65 years, as it came with a razor from 1950, it is still good. No separation and still moist. I applied a little, rubbed it in for a while, cleaned it off and you know what, it works better than anything else I have tried. The blade is just better. Also a square of sandpaper came with it with instruction that if there was any dirt or blemishes to use it on the strop. I had a couple of place I wanted so smooth out, and was so sure about it but with the application of the dressing afterwards, the strop works great.

 

Going to check them shaving creams!

Seems you've got a very complete RR set! Strop dressing, sand paper. That is the first time I hear them mentioned as being part of a set. Congratz on that!

And I agree on that antique items were built to last. I've got a soft spot for antiques. Apart from my vintage shaving tools I've got about fifteen sewing machines, a few antique books (19th century and a few facsimile editions of 14th, 17th, and 18th century books). Then there is some antique tools, sailing equipment, an antique buffet, kitchenware, tableware and even a game/puzzle made by an ancestor of mine in the mid-19th century.

Be careful with the mortar or use shoes with steel tips...

 

That mortar would do serious damage but works great!

Picked up a Darwin razor, the same basic idea as the Rolls but not as easy to use. Fancy case and looks beautiful but functionally, IMO, not as good.. Still working to get a good edge on one of the two razors. It will take a while. Cleaned up the kit and it is fine, looks almost new, most likely because it wasn't used much. Extremely well made but I would stick with the Rolls.

 

After using the Darwin Universal, it is much more difficult to get a good shaving edge on the razor than the Rolls. Also for some reason, though made of the same type of steel, it doesn't hold an edge as well as the Rolls. The Rolls, now that I have the technique down, is fairly easy to get a good edge on. I can use my favorite couple of blades and get a tug free smooth shave that is better than store bought razors and as what I call tug free/no burn. The Darwin, though I am still trying, is just harder to work with. The handle and so on is fine but their method of honing is lacking and I have to get the blade in shape with a true hone and the stropping takes a long time. I have two of the Darwins so it would seem to rule out the variable of a unit not working correctly.

Anyway, the Rolls is going great. Clean, straight razor smooth and now, really very easy to use. Yesterday I tried the Darwin again (I inspect the blades under a directing scope for edge nicks etc.) and I looked like I have been in a fight with a ninja. I had 5 nicks. So back to the hone and strop. I finished up with the Rolls with no further problems.

 

It's called a Rolls for a reason...

 

Ok, so now after some time, honing and refining technique, and plenty of stropping and conditioning of the strop, I have a couple of blades now so sharp that they just glide over my face. Absolutely no tug or burn, even around my lips and under my bottom lip.

The same amount of work on the Darwin Universal has not gotten it there. I can do a complete shave with it but it doesn't glide as to this point, I still haven't gotten it sharp enough for that. It is a beautifully built piece of equipment and had to have cost quite a bit more than the Rolls but to this point, it just doesn't work as well as the Rolls.

 

Too bad the Darwin bluntly refuses to cooperate. Perhaps it has evolved into something dull...

 

I have really worked on the Darwin. I have 2 of them so that is 4 blades and I have honed and worked on one a lot. I even releathered the strop/hone of one Darwin with kangaroo, which has the right hand (stiffness) and finish. I used to do leather work professionally so I have latigo leather and everything I need. I honed the Darwin on a stone first then worked it with the strop and the Rolls strop paste, that works well but . . .

Anyway the Rolls is smooth as silk now, which is a relief.

 

One thing I notice, that no matter how careful I am to hone the blade, slowly lowering it to the stone, I still get tiny nicks. I have a few NOS blades with 2 still having grease on them. These are perfect, not nicks, even under 30X on my disecting scope. But when it comes to the hone that comes with the Rolls, I can't get them this clean of an edge. The stones I have are smooth and I even have new stones now for the Rolls.

Other than that, it is easy to keep an edge on my blades now. No more blades to buy.

 

This is mine, and the blade is marked 1947, my birth year. I tried shaving with it once... Now it is just for show.