I was given a couple of interesting razors my friend of mine who knows I'm into such things. He spotted them at a yard sale and grabbed them for me. He wouldn't tell me what he paid, but he asserted they were embarrassingly cheap. One was a Gem Jr, and the other one was a very nice 1941 Rolls Razor. (The box has a handwritten 1949 date on it, but the BLADE says it's a '41 manufacture.) I had NO knowledge of, or experience with, a Rolls Razor, other than vaguely knowing what it was (in general). The Gem Jr is a pretty normal little single edge razor. Worn finish but still looks fully functional, undamaged and intact. The Rolls Razor is in AMAZING condition! The blade is dated '41. I never realized the center piece of the flip-flop handle thingy was actually a BLADE! I always thought it was a blade holder, in which you slid a blade. This beast is really more like a straight razor than a safety razor! After the Battle of Britain, as Germany began Operation Barbarossa, and the US had not yet entered the war, these guys in England were still manufacturing this beautiful razor! Go figure! The blade appears to be in great shape, and the hone/strop are in great shape, too! I can hardly wait to try this baby out! Needless to say, I'm going to use it more like you'd use a straight razor than zipping it around my manly chin, recklessly, like I do with a DE Safety Razor. I guess I owe a bottle of bourbon to the guy who gave them to me! I'll attach pics. Pics of the razors, not the bourbon. - Bax
Nice score! Oftentimes the hones are cracked and the strops are dried out. Glad you got one in such great condition.
Make sure you read the 'what is and how to use the Rolls Razor' thread. It's a long read, but it will get you up to speed on what to do and not do to the Rolls Razor. I can assure you that no matter how nice the blade looks, it won't be in anything approaching 'shave ready' condition. It's not that difficult to restore one to flawless working condition though.
I couldn't find the "how to" thread, so I'll just document my journey with this face-filleting beast and post the results. Hopefully I can get it in shape without too much effort. I'll title it something like "what it is and how to use the Rolls Razor!" - Bax (Old people aren't very good with interweb myface spacebook forum newsgroup tick-tock instachat-gram net searchy stuff...)
No problem. Here you go: https://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/the-what-is-and-how-to-thread-for-the-rolls-razor.22371/
