Some times you need to shave on the Go. That means that sometimes you will need a safety razor in your pocket – a pocket safety razor if you like. And while a great many have been patented, Mr P A Benet’s pocket safety razor is one of the earliest I am aware of. It is a neat little Single Edge razor too, just in time for Single Edge September
Continue readingEveryone likes to store their razor somewhere. Some likes a cabinet on the wall. Some likes a smaller container you can’t get your blade out of. And some like to keep a sanitary case in their pocket. And it was the last group Mr Stephen Woods targeted with his 1909 patent application.
Touted as a “new and useful Improvements in Sanitary. Cases for Toilet Articles and other Uses”, the invention is reminiscent of the WW1 Service Sets and the Gillette Khaki Kit in layout. It differs in how it works though.
Continue readingThe world of razors was an exiting place at the turn of the last century. Not only was the Kampfe-Star for sale and King Gillette patented his now iconic safety razor, while razors like the Diamond Edge and Curbo were trying to undercut even the cheap Christy razors. But around the same time you also had people like Guy Osborne and John Elmer Parkison patenting things like folded sheet metal razors. And it is the folded sheet metal razor of Mr Parkison I want to share today.
Mr Parkison filed his patent in 1905, and had it granted almost three years later. I find it interesting because it not only show the construction of the razor in detail, but also details how the blades for it could be made in a continuous strip.
Continue readingThere have been plenty of patents designed to reduce the need to use both a razor and a lathering device. In the past we have looked at a couple of disposable razors with cream in the handle. We smiled at the combination razor and brush. And I’ve shown off an overly complicated brushless razor. But I think my new favourite in this narrow field is Raymond V Acken and his safety razor.
Not favourite as in “I would want one”, mind you. Favourite as in “what the f… was he thinking?”.
Continue readingRemember the adjustable shavette invented by John J Meehan? As I mentioned, that wasn’t his only shaving related invention. In 1909 and 1911 he received a pair of patents for a razor blade stropper. And while there are some differences between the two patents, what strikes me is the similarities – so I’ll cover them both at once.
Stropping or honing a razor blade to make it last longer or shave better is something most people don’t do today. But back before modern coatings, razor sharpeners were popular to the point of people making their own. So it is no surprise that John J Meehan got in on the action.
Continue readingWe have looked at shavettes before. We have looked at quite many adjustable razors before. But I can not recall showcasing an adjustable shavette before. And to make it even more exciting, it is an adjustable safety shavette patented as early as 1906.
Continue readingBe it known that I, FRANK H. ANDERSON, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Razor- Strop Hangers, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification
From US patent 721,654
There is more to a shave than a razor. And before cheap, replaceable razor blades were a thing, you needed a razor strop and a way to hang it. And it is the way to hang it that Frank H Anderson1 filed a patent for in 1902.
Continue readingWe all know what we mean when we say “safety razor”. It is a razor with a a protective device positioned between the edge of the blade and the skin. On the traditional hoe razors we all know and love, this can be a comb, a bar, or a scalloped bar. But back in 1890’s the standard for razors were the straight. And of course someone tried to invent a straight edge safety razor.
The earliest one I am aware of Perret, in 1762. But after that there were several attempts, including Zammet in 1881. But in 1897 Richard Sherman Bradley came up with something slightly new – a straight razor that could either be used as a safety razor or as a regular striaght.
Continue readingRemember Nicolas Testi and his shaving cream dispensing tube? Turns out that was not his first rodeo patent. He also – on behalf of Gillette – patented a safety razor blade receptacle.1
The patent is classified by the US patent office as B65D83/10. Or, in layman’s terms, as pertaining2 to containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for dispensing thin flat articles in succession for dispensing razor-blades
Continue readingOnce you have a razor and brush, you’ll need somewhere to store them. A container for shaving accessories, if you will. We’ve looked at one before, a patented cabinet for holding shaving requisites. It was, of course, not the only shaving accessories holder patented. Today we’re taking a peek at a 1934 patent for a wall mounted holder.
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