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

Is the Avon Eagle fulla juice or just for show? Cool either way.

 

Craig,

This is from a cardboard strip of instructions in the box with a Viscount I just received.

To the Customer
Do not hone prior to your first shave.
Only Strop.

Mickey

 

Gorgo,

Read the instructions on the Naval Jelly.

I have Aluminum Jelly and instructions say to rinse carefully with water as it is corrosive.

Mickey

 

So I know the imperial and viscount models aren't worth much but how about this I believe it was the popular the first model and not very popular so they would be rarer

 

A very early version of the Popular with a lot missing, sold for just over $1000 recently.

 

Yes I actually saw that it did not even have the stone but the clips that hold the doors on looked like they were press fit but I saw this one for sale and was wondering how much it would be worth I'm guessing a lot less as that one that sold for over 1000 appears to be a prototype

 

Someone PLEASE help me stop buying these razors! I am now up to 6 of them! I have overhauled every one of them and shave with one of them every day... Looking for another Viscount and that alligator design case along with some extra blades, blade containers, strop paste containers, extra strops, stones... OHHH BOY, I need an intervention

 

Maybe, but on the upside, just one more and you'll have created your own 7 day set.

I'm a "the a/s bottle is half full" kind of guy.

 

Would never have believed it if I didn't see it.

 

I am in the same boat. I am an antique camera collector. That is enough. I do not want to collect Rolls Razors.
But I have lost control. I now have five and two more on the way.
I have an Imperial - no number.
Imperial No. 2.
Imperial No. 2A.
Viscount nickel or chrome - I can't tell the difference.
Viscount aluminum.
How will this end?
I wonder. Straight razors are called cut throats.
No. No. That is too drastic. And messy.
Cleopatra's asp? Yuk. A snake.
Hemlock? I am not a tea drinker.
What would happen to my precious cameras?
Perhaps a beard???
HELP!!!!!

Mickey

 

You guys got nothing to worry about I found a imperal at my cottage last weekend now I have 15 imperals in the mail and two viscounts no joke and since joining this board at the start of this month I've got more de and se razors then I care to count and over 2000 blades I seriously can't stop as soon as I buy something I find 10 better deals and just need them

 

I have a weakness for Nikons

 

Wow,

gregindallas you have some greats in that camera collection. Do you use any of them?

Swigman

 

Those are the ones we normally use. The rest are either to delicate ,to weird or to slow. 50's German solar powered AE is a hoot.

 

Great that you are both preserving history and keeping it alive.

Swigman

 

Swigman


PLANofMAN has a good point. Even crappy Rolls razors are becoming more expensive - and all I want is a couple of functional shave handles! But the upside is that every collector is preserving history which may otherwise be lost to the trash pile.

Making a Rolls functional is the real challenge. And in my opinion essential before attempting any honing or stropping. Case in point. I measured the force required to pull the strop handle on my unrestored razors and found that it varies greatly from razor to razor. Too small a force results in a useless brush of the cutting edge on the strop. And too large a force causes the blade to smack hard upon the hone potentially causing it to chip the cutting edge. In addition contined honing with a high downward force on the blade will remove too much of that precious edge.

Another important point is the blade edge or bevel geometry. The Rolls mechanism is amazingly good at emulating manual stropping. Gently pushing the cutting edge and spine shoulder uniformly against the hone or strop to create the correct bevel angle. But ONLY if the mechanism is functioning as designed.

I sort of learned this the hard way playing with my razors in their original purchased condition and ended up almost ruining a blade. Then after following gregindallas' restoration method on my old Viscount I found the downward force on the blade to be close to ideal for both honing and stropping. Unfortunately the wrong blade bevel angle caused by using the unrestored mechanism needs considerable correction and as a result I am STILL honing and stropping that Rolls blade.

Swigman

 

THIS thread on the Rolls Razor by "gregindallas" has just been such a GREAT source of info!!! I now own 3 Rolls and have restored two of them. I've shaved with one of them twice, but I'm still in the process of honing/stropping the blade properly also, so I can get a Good shave out of it. It does take a little finess when sharpening not to bring the blade down too hard on the hone or strop! About the only thing "Bad" about this thread is as more people read it and get the wants for a Rolls, it's going to make the price's go up!!...

 

Yeah I know I just need a couple more but I'll wait untill the ones I bought get here and i have tryed them all at least besides its everyone else's fault for talking about how great all these diffrent types of razors shave so how can I not try them all

Ill also add that I found many threads on sharpening these with lapping paper by first setting the bevel on the coarsest one I believe thats 12 micron then working up to 0.03 micron with a piece of paper underneath to give it a better edge and everyone says its excellent and gets them as sharp a edge as a straight ( I don't know how they shave ) but I haven't got any idea how many layers of electrical tape to use anyone know