I have to blame Hoosier Trooper here on TSD for posting a couple of threads recently about using NOS vintage blades. It got me thinking how I haven't had a good Valet Auto Strop shave for a while despite the fact that I have about 20 NOS packets of 1940s Canada produced Valet blades. I have never used vintage Valet blades because I have read of people saying they have tried and the shaves were very poor. I gotta blame Hoosier Trooper here again - because I have heard people say using the old vintage Gem Blades didn't work - and here was old HT having a great set of shaves!!! Well, I needed a shave badly. I have been on holidays for five days and haven't shaved the whole time. I was probably the scruffiest I have been for quite a while and was darn near convinced I should just sport a beard for the winter!!!! Fortunately, I came hear to nose around the Forums and got enthralled by HoosierTroopers experience (thnx HT!) Anyhoo, I unwrapped a new blade, stropped it up to reset the edge, loaded my favorite silver plated Model B and prepped. Wow!!!! I should have tried this out before!! It was a darn fine shave. One of the best I have had with an Auto Strop and I have tried multiple types of blades, including the Feather Haney. This old Canadian Valet kicked bottom!!!! I intend to use this blade as intended - strop then shave and strop, then strop and shave and strop, and....... well you get the idea. I am going to see how it goes for a bit. This has proven to be a wonderful injection of fun back into the shaving experience!! VIVA LA SINGLE EDGE!!!!! The NOS Blade packet - the inner wrapper is nice thick wax paper and peeled off of the sealed edge My Model B - Loaded, Stropped and Locked! Ready to Go!!! I got a great shave!!! Pleasantly surprised. Thanx for the inspiration HT!!
Wow! That's great to hear! Let us know how many shaves you get out of one of those blades. One question, are the old Valet blades carbon steel? What are the made of?
Well, that is really cool! I really like the VAS's with the modern blades but you took it to a whole new level by using the original blades. It will be interesting to see how well that blade holds up to multiple stroppings. Nice setup you have there by the way.
It's good to know those can work. I got a batch of them, with several boxes still wrapped in the original cellophane. No luck with them at all. Tried stropping one with the strop, tried handstropping another on the theory that the original strop was doing more harm than good, tried figuring out a way to hone them, even tried one straight out of the wrapper so that nothing I did could spoil it. They were all way too dull, and I couldn't bring them back. I plan to give it another shot some time, but it may be the luck of the draw as to whether you get a good batch or not.
Very interesting. I'd be very interested in reading the finer points and even the rough ones about stropping blades with the AS. I hang my head in shame... I bought a beautiful kangaroo leather strop from Neil Miller in the UK and promptly detroyed it. I have an original VAS strop now, but I don't want to destroy it as well. While on the subject of stropping, have either you or HT had any luck stropping the Feather SE blades? Or the modified Ted Pella blades used in the model B?
I can speak for the Feather SE's (the only thing I use in my Valet). I don't have personal experience with stropping the blades...I don't have a strop. But with the Feather SE's (stainless ones anyway) you won't want to strop them. I understand that if you do you will make the blade duller. Part of the reason it is so sharp/smooth is because of the coatings Feather puts on the blade. As you strop it, you take them off. Now I don't know how it works with Feather carbon steel blades...I haven't tried them. I may order a box one day just to try out and hand out to others. You can see them below. Maybe Tom (or someone else) knows if the carbon steel blades can be stropped.
I found the same thing with the modern Feather Auto-Strop blades, the difference being that they're sharp enough to shave with without stropping. I won't spoil any more by trying to strop them. The old Valet blades, though, which work for RocketMan, but not for me, were intended to be stropped. Even with the built in mechanism, it may be possible to do this part incorrectly and make them worse, but I suspect that on some of them, the edge has deteriorated to the point where mere stropping can't save it. Honing should help, if done properly, but I've never successfully honed a safety razor blade, although other people have reported good results.
I don't strop any blades. I tried a couple times with Gem Blue Stars and Treets but it seemed to ruin them. The closest thing I do to stropping is to lightly run the edge across a dry towel hanging on a towel rack, and that's just to clean the edge.
