Reminder: Black Friday Sale have started

This year, I offer discounts on digital copies of my two books on shaving and razor patents.

Prices for both books will be reduced to just 99 US cents. That is 1.98 US dollars for both. A massive 80% discount!

And I do start the sale slightly early, so those of you who are too stuffed with turkey to do much beyond vegetating on the coach can at least read while you’re digesting.

70 razor and shaving patents & Another 80 razor and shaving patents

Both books covers patents on both fondly remembered and thankfully forgotten razors and shaving accoutrements, these books are meandering journeys through shaving history.

The sale have now started, and will run until Monday 28th at 1600 UTC – so you have all weekend to pick up a Kinle copy of my books.

70 razor and shaving patents & Another 80 razor and shaving patents

If you don’t already own a digital copy of my books, now would be a good time to grab one!

Razor with lubricant dispenser

We’ve talked about razors that stretches the skin before. But I can do you one better today… It is a razor that stretches the skin and has a lubricant dispenser built in. And as a bonus it still looks like you can shave with it with it – unlike some patented razors I could mention. So what did William Miller get a patent for almost fifty years ago?

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Method and apparatus for storing cutting implements

Once you have a razor, it must be stored between shaves. And while I’ve looked at a number of cabinets and other solutions before, I think this is the first one made to keep your razor dry and corrosion free. Filed in ’71 by Jack Cobb, the apparatus for storing cutting implements looks sensible – and pointless.

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Confess to the crime skeleton!

After coming across a meme on the internet, I recently spend some time tracking down the patent for what I can only think of as the Crime Skeleton. It is a perfect example that the line between genius and insanity is blurry at best. I’m not quite sure which side of that line Helene Adalaide Shelby’s invention falls under, but I am inclined to go for “genius”. And a somewhat spooky and misguided genius at that.

So let’s take a short break from weird shaving patents and look at a plain weird patent.

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Wall mounted toilet kit

There are times that I see a patent and just know, deep in my soul, that the inventor was the kind of guy I could probably get along with. Charles H Dolan, the patentee of a wall mounted toilet kit, is one of those goys. The mind that came up with this idea is a mind similar to a mind that can spend hours browsing old patents to find the odd ones.

This isn’t the first toilet kit I’ve showecased.1 Not even the first to go on a wall. But this toilet kit is a product of a very tidy mind.

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Shave of the day 30th September 2022

Razor: Gillette Single Ring

Blade: Astra Green

Brush: Vie-Long #12705B

Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream

Lather: Sample – Geo F Trumper Rose Shaving Cream

Aftershave: B&M Reserve Classic

Additional Care: Alum Block

Last day pf my Sample September, and my stock of aamples have been severly reduced. Which is great, considering that was one of my goals with this exercise.

Sharpex patent

Over the years I’ve showcased quite a few razor blade sharpeners.1 One I have not showed yet is the Sharpex patent from 1930. I do actually own a surviving example, but it is in rough shape.

As for the why of sharpeners, I have touched upon it before. It boils down to the carbon steel blades of yesteryear not staying sharp as long as modern blades, and blades were relatively costly to replace. Keeping your blade sharp for longer meant saving money as well as getting a better shave.

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