Razor: Tatara Masamune
Blade: Astra Green
Brush: Vie-Long #13051M
Pre-Shave: O Way Softening Shaving Cream
Lather: Body Shop Maco Root & Aloe
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
Humpday shave. Nothing fancy but who needs that when it feels fantastic?
Have you ever gotten fed up with how the cake of soap sits at the bottom of the shaving cup, being wet and gross and all that stuff? Me neither, but in our defence most of the people treating traditional wetshaving as a hobby have more than one soap. And most of us don’t keep it in a single shaving mug. But way back then, when a single cake of soap kept in a mug was the order of the day? I can definitely see the appeal of John Richardson’s 1892 patent for a shaving soap holder.
And it is a nice, simple idea too. But before we look closer, let us see what John wanted to achieve:
Continue readingRazor: Tatara Masamune
Blade: Astra Green
Brush: Wilkinson Sword Badger
Pre-Shave: O Way Softening Shaving Cream
Lather: B&M Latha Oceana
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
Fresh week, fresh shave. And don’t forget that you can get a free digital copy of my first book this week 😉
Razor: “Normal”
Blade: Shark Super Chrome
Brush: Omega #10048
Pre-Shave: O Way Softening Shaving Cream
Lather: Proraso Menthol & Eucalyptus
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
My birthday is coming up. And it is a round number too. So to celebrate, I’m offering digital copies of my first book for free!
It is a meandering look at the history of shaving, as seen through patents from the last century and a half. Somewhat serious, somewhat humorous, with quite a bit of snark. The book explores a wide range of ideas ranging from electrically heated razors to plug into the light fixtures, magnetic pseudoscience, and of course the ever present vibrating razors. And you’ll find a few sensible razors that were the right idea at the wrong time in there too.
What I appreciate the most is the author’s commentary. He points out the most interesting aspects of the patent in a couple of short paragraphs. This isn’t always obvious from the patent drawing itself, so the author has done the work of reading through the patent and describing the vision and features of the invention.
Dennis, review on Amazon
So from Monday 3rd July and for five days you can grab some free summer reading!
Razor: “Normal”
Blade: Shark Super Chrome
Brush: Semogue TSN LE 2012
Pre-Shave: O Way Softening Shaving Cream
Lather: Taylor of Old Bond Street Peppermint
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
A minty fresh Wednesday shave. Don’t rhyme as well as it would have done on Monday, but it felt great on a muggy morning.
So I was visiting a newly opened dollarstore (no, not a type – that is the company name) and spotted something I just had to take a couple of photos of.
Continue readingRazor: Gillette Slim
Blade: Shark Super Chrome
Brush: Artesania Romera Manchurian Badger, imitation horn
Pre-Shave: O Way Softening Shaving Cream
Lather: Asylum Shave Works Flying Mango
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
A fine Friday shave on a sunny morning
Design patents are a different breed. A utility patent, which most of the patents I write about are, protects a new new or improved – and useful – product, process, or machine. A design patent, on the other hand, covers any any new, original and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. Designs like Herman Griebel’s design for a shaving-mug, which he got a 3½ years design patent for in November of 1882.
Continue readingWe can’t shave at home all the time. As I recently lived through, sometimes we have to shave elsewhere. And one thing I did miss was a traveller’s shaving-mug – like the one Henry E Biggins filed a patent for on 1911. It looks very neat and handy, even a hundred and twelve years later.
Continue reading