Vintage razors that use proprietary blades

I will resend it.

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Here , but I’m no photographer

 

Very difficult to see. I resent you my info, in the PM section, with the PM thread we had, back in 2016-2017.

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It’s not the easiest material to photograph. The pic on my phone is much better and shows the fluorescent blue hue, and edge in detail. That is the original prototype and I have been using it for many years and it’s still as sharp after all this time. I pulled it out of a cheap $5 buck shavette to accommodate your request.

 

I look forward to seeing it in person. Just include a tracking number after it is sent.

 

Of course. After the snow storm has passed, I will get it out to you. Perhaps you can take some pictures with better lighting and a few props such as the wrapper it comes in, the overall presentation, finish, logo, description , shaving implement of your choice, cream or soap you use, brush, aftershave,, impression of the material, and it’s versatility in another razor , such as a SE razor that accepts pre spit DE - SE blades, and the amount of shaves you get out of the blade for a separate post. The purpose of this whole post was to procure some proprietary blades that are not readily available for those who have some old and tired blades and need/want replacements.

 

I'll do what I can.

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Looking for a few old, tired, dull., and useless blades preferably any Durham Duplex’s Segal’s Christy’s and Wardonia .

 

Just so you know.....
Durham duplex blades look the same as the "carpet cutting blades " that are available from lowes and home depot currently.. the big difference between the two is the bevel angle is completely different on the shaving blades... the personna pathology blades are the "current " blades that some have had luck out of for the durham duplex.... I have tried to find a blade that would work in the durham as I have Never had any original blades for the shavette or the "shovel" razor and I have not been able to acquire any of the pathology blades to try for it either.... I wish you great success with being able to come up with any compatible blades that will work with these razors that no one currently makes blades for.....
Oh , and if you come up with any christy compatible blade please let me know......

 

Well, I have got one lying here, with two or three blades, gathering dust. In pink. If you'd like, I can send it to you so you can make more blades and test them on your... (*whispering*) Unmentionables

 

Ah, yes, that's the name. I completely forgot. Thanks!

 

Just did a few Christy’s today. I already mass produce pathology blades. Hopefully some one will provide me with a Durham Duplex and I will work on some

 

I”ll take them ! Thank You . The unmentionable barber can use them !

 

Sorry Mike, I thought you had Durham Duplex blades. I have a small bundle of them I could send as well if you need. I checked and they both fit the demonstrator shavette and the DE style as well. I searched extra hard for ‘rusty’ ones!

 

Good luck with your blade making, Mike.

 

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These thicker 3 hole blades were widely used up until the 1940s and even longer by some manufacturers. The blades seem rigid when folks look at them because they are indeed thicker than the alternates that started being produced in the 1930s. That said however, they are a flexible blade as well and the flex is an integral part of their proper functioning. The cap tightens down onto the frame and this tightening - certainly in Gillette Old Types and New Improveds (1903-1930+) could be stopped where desired, leaving a blade/frame gap of the users choosing - they essentially were adjustable from the get go.

I am lucky enough to have a Darwin ‘adjustable’ (3 pin, very similar to gillette) which frustrated me initially bc the darn cap would be too loose to shave with once I backed the gap off any noticeable amount. I got a nice slash when the cap spun one time. Wtf I figured. Super razor indeed! So when I use it I shave with a modern blade tightened all the way down. One day while I was ‘playing razors’ (too old for toy soldiers I suppose) I decided to put an old original Darwin blade in the razor just playing around. I happily found that the Darwin razor had suddenly become almost infinitely adjustable. I could open the gap to any point and the more robust original blade flex kept the head in check. Ok. So the darn thing is adjustable after all. And, it is that thicker design which allowed the flex. Wardonias are similar, though not as well machined regarding the tightening/slacking function. (Differently, the Durham Duplex blades above are indeed rigid with no appreciable flex.) The Gillette Dbl/Sgl Rings hold their adjustment points ‘ok’ with modern blades, but they too tend to loosen.

An important point (Maybe?) is that the thicker guage of old blade leaves the blade apex at a height that the engineering intended, and that a modern blade leaves the blade gap narrower. I’m not sure that counts with the adjustable types, but it would (?) impact the ball end non adjustable old types.

So, here I am playing razors again and looking at your question, and it occurred to me that the Wardonia will fit all the 3 pin razors (the ones I have at any rate). Gillette Old Type, Darwins, Wardonia, and probably any 3 pin. The Wardonia design was intended to fit their razor exclusively, but taking a trick from Gaisman at Valet, it would also fit the competition as well.

That said, for someone who might be able to reproduce a 3 pin blade, with a similar flexure to the gillette/darwin/wardonia blades, the Wardonia pattern would provide for shaving in all types, as intended. That would be a cool trick! (I imagine some will argue to double stack blades to get the stiffer quality to allow for the adjustability, but my experience trying this on Old Types is that the result is impaired blade function - so a crappy trade off).

As a note, not all Old Types will adjust - the ABCs and ball ends do not.

I would be happy to send you all 3 blade types and I can toss in an early Gillette single ring so you can get a feel for the adjustability if you would find it helpful.


Top blade Gillette 1925 Middle Wardonia Bottom Darwin




The Darwin above…1 Fully tightened. . 2 Fully open

Below, a Gillette 1906 Canadian Single Ring before tightening to desired gap

 

Very informative, great post and pictures. Personally, I prefer a thicker blade. The thin blades occasionally seem to chatter or produce unwanted audible feedback. Devout straight razor enthusiasts are the enlightened ones ! Thank you for the blades.

 

Thank you to everyone who was kind enough to help and send me their blades. I will be working my Mojo on them and mailing you back some replacements. I am closing my offer on Friday, January 12th to retool and work on a much different project. Once again, thank you to everyone who has helped.

 

Thank you. I appreciate it

 

Just PM me your address
And I'll send it along.