This shaving composition comprises a water soluble polyethylene oxide polymer having a molecular weight of 400,000 or less, a tracking agent component, a preservative component, and an anti-caking component.
From US patent 4,381,293
At some point I thought that shaving soap was a simple thing… well, I’ve learned much since then. And this 1983 patent for a shaving composition highlights just how much it can differ from a simple mixture of a base and fat or oil.
Continue readingNeed a new travel kit? One that keep everything tidy and don’t slide around as you try to shave in an unfamiliar bathroom? Well, look no further than the utility kit patented by John E Borah in ’57.
So now that I told you to look at it, what is it? To quote from the patent:
Continue readingBetween 1908 and 1914, Edward Weck was granted four patents which, when taken together, creates a full on shaving system centred around a shavette – a shavette system if you want. Interestingly enough, this was around the same time as another shaving system was patented. And much like Clark’s system, Weck’s shavette system contained a razor, a blade, and a way to package the blades. Weck also came up with a stiffener, to make the blade stiffer.
Continue readingEvery invention seeks to solve a problem. In the case of John T East’s shaving mug, the problem was that of unsanitary shaving mugs. Or, to use a less technical term, icky soap.
According to John, the soap would fit snuggly in a regular mug, and thus get moist and soft, and, well, icky. Or in the words of the patent;
Continue readingThere has been a great many travel brushes thought up throughout the years. They range from simple ideas like my Omega 50014, via oddities like Michel Charles Blondin’s plurality of flat elements, to neat ideas like Marcus B Berhman’s collapsible lather brush. So Archer G Jones was in good company when he patented a retractable brush suitable for shaving and make-up.
Continue readingWhat if you had more readily access to a brush or a suitable soap while shaving? And what if this more readily access was in a form that was convenient, compact, water proof, and adapted to be carried in your pocket or traveling bag? Well, fear not. William H C Taylor have you covered, with the shaving kit he got a patent for in 1925.
Continue readingSome toiletry kits are small. Some are so big they can double as a pillow. But the combination traveling case and toilet table patented by Roberta R Thornhill is the first I can recall that came with its own table.
Continue readingAs I mentioned last week, the self-feeding shaving brush is an idea that won’t die. But while most of them, from 1849 onwards, have used a piston to force soap into the knot, Richard Burton Waterman’s soap-feeding shaving brush was different.
I mean, the idea of pushing soap straight into the knot is the same. But he did it differently. Possible even better.
Continue readingThe fountain brush – or self feeding brush – is one of those ideas that just won’t go away.
Previously we have looked at a 1849 self feeding shaving brush, another self-feeding shaving-brush, a shaving brush suitable for travel and home, a soap-dispensing shaving brush, a fountain shaving brush, the Warner self-soaping brush, and more.
Continue readingThe seventies and eighties were a weird time. Plastic was fantastic, and making disposable things were seen as progress. And while in hindsight a disposable shavette may seen as a silly thing, the disposable shavette invented by Joseph W Blake III was meant for a specific use. And for that use a single use shavette makes sense.
To quote from the patent:
Whenever human (or, for that matter, animal) surgery is to be performed at or near parts of the body which exhibit a growth of hair, the hair must be removed prior to surgery. This is done to avoid interference with the execution of surgery and also for hygienic reasons. Electric shavers are not suitable for this purpose, for a variety of reasons known to those conversant with the art. Straight razors can be used, but require extraordinary care in use and are rather expensive to purchase as well as to maintain (they must be sharpened and sterilized between users).
From US patent 4,344,226
The patent text then goes on to point out that a suitable solution would be a safety razor, although the normal safety razors also needs sterilizing. Another solution, the patent text points out, would be a disposable razor – but disposables costs a lot of money.
As a side note, this isn’t the first disposable shaving implement we’ve looked at that mentions medial use. Not even the first disposable shavette for medical use. Or the first mention of a straight razor in a medical setting.
What makes this disposable shavette stand out is that it has a blade guard that can be easily removed if the user so desires.
The whole assembly is made out of three or four parts; the handle, a blade, a blade retainer (not used in the second embodiment of the invention), and the guard that is detachable. The blade is aligned by a pair of notches, which matches two protruding bosses.
The major difference between the two embodiments of the disposable shavette – apart from the use or non-use of a retainer – is how the guard is attached and removed.
In the first embodiment, the guard is cast along with the handle, attached by a couple of narrow pieces. Twisting the protruding horn on the end of the guard will snap the guard of the shavette.
In the second embodiment, the guard is held on by a small hook. This means that the guard could be removed and – in theory – reattached. The bigger benefit of this embodiment would be the lack of a separate retainer.
I am not sure how the handle would be to shave with. On one hand it isn’t too different from my small Pereira shavette. On the other hand I find that handle hard to use, especially when shaving on the non-dominant side. Perhaps it works better when shaving others.
The full patent can be read at Google Patents.