Some razors are all edge and no point. Ferdinando Pasquale Musso’s cylindrical safety razor is arguable one of them. Even if Mr Musso did have a point with his invention. In the words of the patent;
Continue readingA razor of this type has the advantage that it will produce a a fast clean shave whether the beard is long or short, and can be moved over the face in any direction with equal effectiveness.
From US patent 2,598,711
Last year for Halloween, I wrote about the patent for the Crime Skeleton.
And now I learned that someone built it a couple of years ago and put it on YouTube…
Continue readingOne of the first things I had to learn – or rather unlearn – when I started using a traditional safety razor was the use of pressure on the razor. A shaver using a plastic cartridge razor will often press it against their skin. A shaver using a traditional safety razor will most often apply as little pressure as possible. It is, after all, the edge of the blade that does the work. You don’t need to remove the top layer of skin as well…
Continue readingA little bit back we discussed an easy clamp safety razor. In that post I mentioned that the inventor had at least one other safety razor patent in his name. And funnily enough that other razor was also patented in Denmark, which is a language I can easily understand… so today I present John’s patent for a barbermaskine – or shaving machine, for those who don’t speak Scandinavian.
Continue readingWhen you go to a barbershop, you want the tools used to be clean. In the days before antibiotics, you really wanted the tools used to be clean. Which is why there are so many patent for antiseptic utensils for barbers. From simple disposable cups, via more complete outfits, to shiny glass and brass contraptions. What sets Henry Rosenthal’s antiseptic utensil apart from the others is that he filed his patent before the big shaving brush anthrax scare.
Henry also did one better than many inventors by not using a paper cup. And he did one worse to himself when it came to the brush… More on that later.
Continue readingA lot of patents I’ve discussed are about making your shavegear smaller, handier, and more portable. And it makes sense, in a way, to have things that pack small for travel – doubly so in the days before we all drove automobiles. So I can see why Charles Finley applied for a combination drinking cup and shaving mug back in 1901. I just don’t see why anyone would combine the two.
Sadly the patent don’t say why Charles felt this was a good idea. But it does claim it to be an improved combined cup and mug, so there must have been some earlier (and worse) versions of this.
Continue readingOne benefit of a safety razor is that you can more or less easily change the blade. John H Woods patented a safety razor in 1910 that aimed at making this even easier than most by using a clamp operated by the handle.
Continue readingIn 1907 Mr Joseph J Steinharter got improved what he claimed to be certain new and useful improvements in safety razors. As you may have guessed, I’m not convinced of how useful or how improved his idea was, but his safety razor would at least got you both coming and going. So there is that at least.
Continue readingWho says a razor blade have to be flat? What if it was a segment of a sphere, with four or more cutting edges? The blade would in effect be a self contained spherical razor.
I mean, there is a couple of glaring problems with the idea, but even so. It isn’t the first all edge and no point razor we’ve looked at.
Continue readingIf a terrific electric razor wasn’t enough to put you of shaving, I have another potential bathroom terror. Self-heating shaving preparation composition. Or self heating shaving cream to you and me.
This horror was invented by Ronald E Moses and Philip Lucas in the mid sixties. And the patent was assigned to Gillette Co LLC, because of course the evil empire of shaving would back this baffling idea.
Continue reading