Category Archives: History

Shaving cream can with mirror

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Some of the patents I run across can best be categorised as “bleeding obvious” – to the point where I have to wonder how they could be granted… such as this one from 2004:

The present invention provides in two embodiments a cap for use with a shaving cream container. The cap has a top portion and a sidewall which defines an interior space. A mirror having a reflective side is positioned in the cap so that the reflective surface may be viewed from either the top or the bottom of the cap. In addition, the shaving cream container may have a mirror surface located thereon.

Or in short; let’s glue a mirror to the cap and/or bottom of the can of goo…

The patent application makes a couple of valid points and one I can’t wrap my head around though:

It has been long known that people often shave in the shower using a hand held mirror as an aid. However, there is competing need to economize the number of items used in the shaving process. For example, when traveling it is often difficult to carry a mirror or to store a mirror in the shower area. Further, using a glass mirror in the shower presents a safety concern.

Economizing the number of items used for shaving is pretty much the opposite of what I like to do… well, each to their own.

Shaving as an exercise of character

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Taken from The Gentlemen’s Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness, from the best French, English, and American Authorities – printed in 1860!

…every sensible man will shave himself, if only as an exercise of character, for a man should learn to live, in every detail without assistance. Moreover, in most cases, we shave ourselves better than barbers can do.

While it may take a little less character to shave in this day and age than it did back in antebellum America, the idea that men (and women) should strive to be self sufficient to the best of their abilities holds true – at the very least when it comes to shaving!

Cart? DE? SE? Straight? Shavette?

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If you have a problem deciding what kind of razor to use, the invention of Mr M H McIntyre and E L McIntyre might be the answer you didn’t know you were waiting for:

A reusable shaving instrument complex having a safety razor member with a guarded blade and a straight razor member with an exposed blade, and a unitary handle constructed and arranged to hold and carry both of said members during use and storage.

The basic idea seems to be to mount a straight and/or shavette in the handle of a safety razor, letting the user use whatever instrument suited their fancy, or the particular needs at the time. One of the amazing things about this patent isn’t just the sheer amount of shaving power packed into one razor, but the year it was granted: 1985!

There is also a sideways reference in the patent to the shave head being detachable, opening the possibility of switching between SE, DE and carts. The patent has lapsed – and the invention is therefore in the public domain – but one part of the patent application is as valid today as when it was written:

Safety razors have come into vogue in the last century, and offer the advantages of a safe, clean shave with minimum risk of facial injury, and the replaceable blades eliminate the need for special care in keeping the blade sharp and clean. More recently, the shaving industry has offered so-called one use or throw-away razors which are wasteful and expensive in the long run and such devices are outside the scope of the present invention.

(My emphasis.)

Shaving in the dark…

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…must have been a problem during the Depression – it is the only logical explanation I can think of for why Mr F Pollifrone patented a combined safety razor and flash light back in 1928.

…an improved combination safety razor and electric light which will enable the user to secure a better shave due to better light.

 Come to think of it; if this is an improved combination, what combinations came earlier?

The actual invention seems to mainly consist of a flash light with a pair of adjustable arms that holds either a DE or SE razor head. The net effect is a unwieldy and heavy razor.

…the combination with a cap adapted to cover one end of a flash light and to direct light there from, of links pivotally attached at one end to the sides of said cap and diverging in advance thereof in spaced relation to the paths of the rays of light emitted by said flash light, said links being adapted at their upper extremities to be pivotally attached to the end portions of a safety razor for adjustably supporting the same in advance of said cap, and projections on the inner sides of said links adapted to engage in spaced: recesses in said cap for retaining said links in an adjusted position.

The obvious problem I spot – the razor head will throw a shadow directly on the area being shaved – seems to have escaped the worthwhile inventor completely…

Reasons for cuts while shaving

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Shaving made easy is a book from 1904 that I have mentioned before on my blog.. it’s an interesting read and it’s free (as in beer), so why not download it and give it a read? Even if it’s 110 years since the book was printed, the advice given is just as valid.

On my latest read through of it, I spotted the following sage advice:

If a man cuts himself while shaving, it is usually due to certain causes that are easily avoidable. The principal causes are six in number:

  • First—Attempting to shave with a dull razor.
  • Second—Using a sharp pointed razor.
  • Third—Shaving with a razor that is too hollow ground, so that the edge springs and bends on the face.
  • Fourth—Holding the razor improperly.
  • Fifth—Shaving upward against the growth of the beard.
  • Sixth—Shaving in too great a hurry.

If you will avoid these mistakes and exercise proper care, you will seldom cut yourself. But when you do, it will be well to know how to treat the wound. If it be slight, the bleeding may sometimes be checked by using pressure. Covering the fingers with a towel, simply press the cut together. If this does not stop the flow, use an astringent. The styptic pencils, made especially for this purpose, are the best, and may be obtained at any store where barbers’ supplies are kept. In case you should not have the pencils, alum may be used. In any event do not be discouraged, for such accidents sometimes happen to the best barbers.

I suspect the second and third reasons don’t quite apply to those of us using a DE or SE, but the other four holds true.

Shake it sharp!

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Yet another razor oddity I have dug up some information on, courtesy of a chance remark over on my favourite shave forum: the Shape Sharp Razor!

The basic idea is interesting, and ties into the razor blade sharpeners I blogged about last month: Keep your razor blades sharp, and keep them longer. Made a lot more sense of the old carbon blades than it do for modern stainless ones, since they cost more (relatively speaking) and dulled quicker.

At a glance, it looks like a SE razor with a wicked blade exposure and an oversized head… but there is a reason for that: the head contains a hone, and holds a regular DE blade. The idea is/was that the user shake the razor back and forth to keep the edge honed during shaving, thus having a perfectly honed blade at all time for the best possible shave… at least, that is what the pamphlet says.

According to the information I found online, the construction is a combination of cast zinc and stamped brass, and possibly steel – although I’ve also spotted references to Shake Sharps with bakelite handles.

Since only one edge was exposed at any given time, the shaver had to open the razor and flip the blade around when he wanted to use the second edge. If the honing feature worked – and I have no reason to believe otherwise after looking at the patents online – you would only have to do that after wearing one edge out completely.

Personally I’m not convinced that shaking a razor back and forth with wet hands is the best idea in the world, but this razor do provide the SE experience while using DE blades… I guess just for that it ought to get a free pass.
I’m not sure how well the Shake Sharp sold in it’s heyday – it was only in production for about a decade – but since it died off it is clear that the shavers of the day preferred a simpler, cheaper razor at the cost of using more blades. Which funnily enough is just what King Gillette hoped for when he came up with the idea of selling the razors cheap and make his profit on blades, and just what the big multinationals are doing with cartridge razors to this day. The more things change and so on I guess…

The first safety razor?

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Pulling a dragnet across the web brings up some interesting titbits now and then, and the 1762 Perrett’s safety razor is one of them.

By placing a wooden guard around an ordinary straight razor, in such a manner that only a sliver of the edge protruded, you were at least sure not to slice your ear or nose off while shaving. Still a far cry from the more modern DE and SE razors, but from what I can tell it was the very first baby step towards the razors we know and love. The basic idea was copied and expanded upon for the next hundred or so years.

Wehrmacht razor

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Inspired by my recent acquisition of a WW1 Gillette Khaki, I have looked at what other military razors there are out there… this is the standard issue German razor from WW2, spotted on ebay in it’s original packaging.

Overall, it looks rather similar to the Gillette Old and New… probably shaved much the same.

Old style DE blades

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This week I’m trying out my ‘new’ razor – the Gillette “Khaki” Old Type – and is so far quite enjoying the experience.

The blade I’m using is rather different both in alloy and in shape from what the US Doughboys would have tucked away in their dopp bag as they were deposited into the maelstrom of mud and horrors that were the trenches of the great war…

The alloy was mild carbon steel, and there was three more-or-less circular holes. The old school blades were also thicker than the blades used now, which probably to some extent affects the perceived aggressiveness of old razors by dint of altering the blade angle slightly.

Today’s blades are commonly made out of stainless steel, and have a single elongated hole shaped to fill all DE razors (not just the three piece razors).

An old soldier go back to war

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Introducing my latest razor; a Gillette Khaki Set from WW1 – aka the Great War, the War to End All Wars (that sentiment didn’t pan out). Thanks to a fellow from my favourite shave forum, this 96 year old soldier will once again return to active duty – although this time it will hopefully just be for various exercises and when I’m on the Go, and not the muds of Flanders.

The serial number under the guard is a crisp J4173, which according to my source places it as an reasonable early production military razor, manufactured in 1918. Another source claims that the single button closure is a rare variant; perhaps experience proved that a two button closure was more stable.

There is a minor crack in the handle – but from what I can tell online that is both common, repairable and not influencing the shave with these old, classic Gilletter. The mirror has gone AWOL at some point in the life of this old soldier, but my GoBag already have a small, unbreakable mirror in it so I’ll manage (unless someone has a spare khaki-set mirror they need to get rid off…). The blade holder should fit one or two modern blades on the diagonal, so I’m set in that regards provided I remember to refill. The fabric and seams are in surprisingly good condition considering the age of this set – the only thing worn is the print on the inside of the flap.

I’ve yet to shave with this baby, but when I do I’ll be sure to share my impressions.