We 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 readingIt’s all well and good to have a fun razor to shave with, an odd brush to make lather with, and an old soap to make lather from… but if you can’t see your own face, your shave probably won’t be great. And for those who shave in the shower, you’ll probably like a non-steaming mirror. Like the one Nicholas S Kladitis filed a patent for in 1980, for example.
Continue readingIn 1887, Mr Arthur Henry Wallace of Houghton, Michigan came up with what he described as a new and useful improvement in shaving apparatus. And by shaving apparatus, Wallace clearly meant a doodad to hold and heat a brush.
Wallace’s doohickey was compact enough to be carried in a pocket or stowed away in a satchel. It would, he claimed, fulfil all the requirements for which it is intended. As long as the requirements is limited to forming a water reservoir, having a lamp to heat it, and having a built in shaving brush that wouldn’t touch the table when you put it down…
Continue readingAt about the same time as the original Gillette safety razors were offered for sale, Henrie Clauss filed a patent for a spring loaded hoe razor. It was a reasonable straight forward razor, using a single edged Christy-style blade. So let us have a look at what made it stand out from the crowd.
Like so many razor patents, the patent text describes the invention as containing “new and useful improvements”. And while it might have been novel – or at least novel enough for a patent – I’m unsure of the usefulness.
Continue readingMemorial day is upon us, and while I’m not in the US I do realise that a lot of my readers are.. and Memorial day is both the start of summer and a log weekend. So to help y’all pass the time in the sun, I’m offering free copies of my second book.
From May 26th and until May 30th you can go to Amazon (US, UK, or wherever) and grab a free Kindle copy of
When the New improved Gillette was introduced, Gillette needed a new improved advertisement too. After all, the ads for the Old Type was, well, old.
Continue readingA few days ago we had a look at a 1917 Gillette advertisement, which referenced a patent filed in 1901. And today we look at that patent – and how it differs from Gillette’s better known and slightly newer patent for the Old Type safety razor.
But before we get into the differences, let’s see what King wanted to achieve with his invention:
Continue readingAs I briefly mentioned in a post a couple of years ago, the idea of a heated razor is old. As old as the idea of self-lubricating razors and self feeding brushes. And a heated safety razor makes about as much sense to me. It may make more sense if you’re bathroom is frigid and you don’t have endless hot water straight from the tap. And it obviously made some form of sense to Leon and Thomas J Henderson back in 1935 when they applied for a patent for their variation on the theme of heated safety razor.
Continue readingPeople get bright ideas now and then – and by that I mean people trying to put a light in or on their razors. The light attachment patented by Jacob N Garfunkle in 1927 is just one in a long line. Personally I like turning up the light in the bathroom, but a century ago that might not have been an option.
But first, let us see what Jacob was trying to achieve with his invention:
Continue readingWikipedia, in their article on shaving soap, sort of implies that a 1867 patent for an improved shaving mug is the first patent for a scuttle. And while I haven’t tried to verify that claim, if this isn’t the first scuttle it is an early scuttle for sure.
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