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SOTD SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020
One of the issues with having too many great-shaving safety razors is deciding which razor to shave with each day. I've had some incredible shaves with my Auto Strop razors this month. My VB2 display model delivered an incredible shave, but the VC4, the last and only model with a safety bar, delivered one of the closest shaves I’ve ever had from any safety razor, modern or vintage, which I reported on last week. A FB shave brother from nearby Delaware, and Auto Strop collector of many years, contacted me on messenger. He asked for my mailing address, as he wanted me to try a shave with the model he felt was the best, the VC1
The nickel plated VC1 arrived two days ago and was an extra from a lot he’d recently purchased on EBay. He’d examined it and pronounced it mechanically sound, but neglected (read ‘dirty’). After a good scrub with Dawn, whitening toothpaste, and an aluminum foil boiling water baking soda soak, it cleaned up nicely. Following an overnight Barbicide soak, it was ready for a shave this morning. According to the Waits Compendium, the VC1 was released in 1922, a year after the VB1 and continued to be produced through 1929. It was the last true Auto Strop model before Gaisman acquired Gillette and blade protection measures became a regular part of the Auto Strop models that followed under Gillette auspices (VB2, VC2, VC3, VC4).
My benefactor insisted on the use of a despined Gem blade. Thanks to an excellent video by Jim Roe of Jayaruh Shaving (
@Jayaruh), preparing the Gem blade for use in the Auto Strop VC1 was easy. After an early morning shower and cold water rinse, I lathered up with the Jayaruh Custom Boar #374 and Nancy Boy Signature shave cream enhanced with the usual 6 drops of M-Bomb. The razor is about 5 grams lighter than my VB2 and VC4, which made no appreciable difference in the shave which was very good, although not quite as close as my VC4 shave. It was still an excellent BBS, but fell a bit shy of the velveteen level. I’m not sure whether to attribute it to the blade. I’ve noticed that the first shave with a Feather FHS-10 was always closer than subsequent shaves, which is also true for their DE blades. Two passes (WTG, ATG) produced a very acceptable mug and noggin BBS. Tomorrow I’ll repeat the shave with a Feather blade. But today I do feel clean, smooth, cool and refreshed. Alum revealed very slight heat around the Adam’s Apple.
RAZOR: Valet Auto Strop (Model VC1)
BLADE: Despined Pella PTFE Gem
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Jayaruh Custom Boar #374
CREAM: Nancy Boy Signature
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH and Nancy Boy Signature Scent Cooling After-Shave Gel.
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