Injector & SE Party !!!

As I contemplate an Ever Ready month.....I thought I would share a bit of research I did as a labor of love, 3 1/2 years ago...

August Scheuber originally designed ladies' pocketbook latches in the late 1800's....Jerry Reichard was designing razors for the Kampfe Bros and the Zinn Family when August came to work for them....

Reichard went on his own and started GEM Cutlery Co., which was financed by the Zinn family....He shortly later left and started R&S manf. with August Scheuber and JB deMesquita....R&S became Yankee Razors and Ever Ready, Reichard owned all 3 names...And Ever Ready became the official name, although Reichard still held the copyrights to the name Yankee and would release prototypes under that name from time to time....

August Scheuber is best known for designing the GEM Junior Bar Lather Catcher and later the Damaskeene or 1912 design. He applied for a patent on the 1912 in 1909 actually....This same year, JB de Mesquita applied for a patent on the first shovelhead design....This is where I first noticed deMesquita.

When I look at August's early lather catchers thru the Damaskeene I can recognize his style and development....But when I look at JB's first drawings of his 1909 front hinged razor....They look just like the ER1924...His vision was so futuristic, I don't see him drawing on anything. He just had this concept, fully blown from the start. This captured my imagination and fascinated me....So I researched him...

Julius Bueno deMesquita:
-He was born in the early 1880's...
-He hooked up with Reichard probably 1903-1905 when Reichard broke away from GEM ..Seems he spent maybe all of his life living in Brooklyn... the first I see of him is when he patented his 1st Shovel Head type design in 1909 for ASR. It was released that same year as both "the Yankee Safety Razor" and "The New Ever Ready"...The cool blade stropper, hidden in the handle has its own patent. It appears they quit marketing this razor before Joe Kaufman's Little Lather Catcher became Ever Ready's Flagship Razor in 1913-1914
-maybe earlier, but I know in 1919 Joe Kaufman was the president of ASR and de Mesquita was the Vice President and Treasurer.
-Around 1919 his new tweaked version of the 1909 (the hollow handle and the blade stropper that it held were dropped and replaced by a heavy solid handle. This was because now the emphasis was moving away from stropping blades to replacing blades) This new version replaced Ever Ready's 1914 as their new Flagship razor...The 1919 version is the one we call the 1924 (because that was the year the patent was awarded), with the little elbow joint under the head that the handle screws into...
-In 1924, that joint was dropped, and the handle screwed directly into the head.
-1949 he was elected ASR's President
-1954 he retired but not before he acquired the PAL and Personna Brands for ASR
After he retired the path gets cold...but I did see a Family Tree for the de Mesquita family and it appears that maybe he passed away in the same year he retired...he was around 73 years old...

The razor we have come to know as the 1924 was his final version of a razor he worked on for over 20 years...Because this was obviously a pet project of his, he probably used it...so I have to surmise he rocked a closely shaved demeaner....lol

This post is too long......I'll finish later and post some pics......

 

Beautiful razor Bob.....Is this a new acquisition or from your collection?

 

The 1909 'New' Ever Ready



If you pull that little lipped edge at the bottom of the handle, the stropper pulls out. You unscrew the handle and screw it into the strop and viola!

The production of the 1909 was moved to England and ER in the US manufactured the ER1914 Little Lather Catcher.
In 1919 the razor we call the ER 1924 replaced the 1914 as ER's Flagship razor. This model had an elbow joint riveted to the head for the handle to screw into. In 1924 they lost the elbow and started screwing the handle straight into the top. That was the last tweak, and stayed that way til 1930 when ER's version of the 1912, The "New Improved" replaced deMesquita's masterpiece.

Below we have the 1919 version on left and the 1924 version on right.

This concludes tonights essay.....There were two slightly different comb shapes of this last model. One has a flat top to the combs teeth and the other more rounded.....We'll pick this up later.....anyone have any shovel headed lovelys they would like to post pics of......Please do.....

In 2013 I declared the 1909 'New' Ever Ready my ultimate 'Holy Grail'....Last week, @Billyfergie pm'd me with a link to one that was being sold in the U.K...Billy knew how much I wanted one.....So it is now in transit across the Atlantic, on it's way to me, as we speak, So now the waiting begins ....

I can't thank Billy enough....more of that special, unique Shave Den vibe, that we hold so near and dear around here....I will certainly be back with pics and a full review as soon as this razor makes the scene....

Round of applause for Billy's kind and generous nature....
Now back to your previously scheduled activities.....

 

Sorry to dredge up an old post but I have found more info on these razors. It would appear they are more than likely from the mid to late fourties. Another has been found! This time in its original box!! All credit to @huntereyes_ for finding this one!

 

Seems to be a Bit of a Mystery that One Bob..They are Built like Panzer Tanks & were made with all Sorts of Company Stamps..Like a lot of French Hoe SEs..Manufactures were Often Unknown as Well as Origin..Some have argued the French Hoes were an 19th Century English Design..

Billy..

 

Well Done..Never seen that Set before..

Billy..

 

I only Tagged it...You Bagged it..

The Waiting Game..

Billy..

 

If you can find a set that Billy hasn't fondled.....that IS a job well done Sir!....

 

SOTD Tue. 6/28/16







Nice shave with the GEM Pushbutton this morning guys. Silky smooth finish but as much as I like this single edge razor it requires a lot of work to get there due to it's mild qualities. La Toja never disappoints, it's just a marvelous shave soap and at it's cost everyone should try it. Have a great day friends.

 

I'm full of suprises! Well.. I'm full of something..
It's good to know my instincts were right though.. I wasn't convinced it was a frankenrazor. I'm just glad to find another! It's one to add to the long list of razors out there!

 

Tuesday Shave

Brush- RazoRock Tri-Colored
Razor- Schick Type G
Blade- Schick (3)
Soap- Stirling Margaritas in the Arctic
Post Care- Crystal Alum
Thayers Witch Hazel with grapefruit EO and M-Bomb
Osage Rub

Wonderfully cold shave this morning. First try with the Osage Rub and I'm a fan, great barbershop scent and cooling feel. This was also my first shave with the MITA and I love it. Wonderful citrus scent, great lather and protection, nice menthol kick. I'm very impressed with this soap. The Schick performed great today, three passes with minor touch up and I'm dolphin smooth. Have a great day folks!

 

Awesome photo Ben, riding the G train!.............

 

....anyone have any shovel headed lovelys they would like to post pics of......Please do.....

In honor of @Bird Lives great posts and the satisfaction and pleasure of bagging a long sought Holy Grail I offer the following pic:



Thanks Lloyd and congratulations on that 1909 - I love the photo with the stropping attachment.

 

Thanks Rob! I kinda copied your photos, I like the perspective you have been using. Had I started with injectors I'm not too sure I would have tried a DE. Awesome shaves!

 

Agreed, when was the last time you've seen one in my SOTD's? For the pics I try moving around in different angles and squatting with an upward shot, all kinds of stuff.

 

I see them everyday. I was referring to how you were putting the razor front and center, almost a 3d perspective.

 

Yeah buddy, I meant when was the last time you've seen a DE in my SOTD's. The front and center one I have to literally squat and angle the camera phone at a slightly upward perspective. I actually like yours better than mine, whatever way your doing works great Ben.

 

Ahhhh, completely misread that one. Now that you mention it, it's been a long time since I've seen you post a DE. Thank you for the compliment brother!

 

I picked it up a few weeks ago, but just got around to cleaning it up and honing the blade. Things have gotten a little crazy in the world of SE's. A couple of months ago I had no modern SE's; now I have 6 of them.

Modern razors are great but nothing shaves like a properly honed and stropped wedge blade.

--Bob