The Micromatic Clog-Pruf is a great razor. But even a great razor can be part of a revolutionary offer, if this old ad is to be believed.
Continue readingRevolutionizes shaving!
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Category Archives: Wetshaving
Three EverReady marvels!
Vintage razor advertisements can be almost as much fun as old shaving patents. And advertisements from American Safety Razor Company – the result of the 1906 merger between Gem Cutlery Company and Ever-Ready – tends to be good ones. The grinning, shaving, mad-eyed man they used as their logo / mascot makes sure of that.
Continue readingHome made roller sharpener for safety razor blades
The internet archive has a lot of odd stuff. One of the things I’ve found is a copy of Hobbies Weekly from 20th March 1934. And as I was idly flipping through, I spotted this:
The design is simple, as benefits a tool made from odds and ends. Some pieces of wood, some spare leather – as we all have laying around – and a fe hours of tinkering. No gears, the two rollers were close enough to drive eachother by friction.
I’m half tempted to make this at some point.. not for using, but for the tinkering.
NRA’s code of fair competition for the safety razor and safety razor blade manufacturing industry
No, not that NRA. The other NRA, the one more properly refered to as the National Recovery Administration. Tasked by the goverment to help the population and industry to recover after the Great Depresion, NRA set out to eliminate “cut throat competition” by bringing industry, labor, and government together to create codes of “fair practices” and set prices.
In 1934 the turn had come to the cut throat industry of, well, avoiding cut throats. and while the Code is somewhat dry to read, it does include gems such as this:
The term ” safety razor and safety razor blade manufacturing industry “, hereinaiter referred to as the ” industry “, means the manufacture of safety razor blade holders and/or safety razor blades for sale.
From the Code of fair competition for the safety razor and safety razor blade manufacturing industry
The code set quotas on how much each manufacturer could manufacture, as well as stating a minemum wage, forbidding children to work in the Industry, and setting penalites for unfair trading practices.
The full Code can be found at archive.org, and downloaded in several formats.
Shave of the day 18th October
Razor: Shick G4
Blade: Proraso Injector
Brush: Vie-Long #14033
Lather: GzD Shavestick
Aftershave: Body Shop Macau Root Energetic Face Protection
Additional Care: Alum Block, BullDog Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb
Are disposable razors bad for the environment?
A little while ago I stumbled over an article asking the question: “How bad are disposable razors for the environment?”
Turns out they are.. not good. Difficult or impossible to recycle, due to mixed construction. Definitely not bio-degradable, at least not on this planet. They pose a possible safety risk for recycling workers, due to the sharp blades. And to add insult to injury, the packaging is often hard to recycle as well.
Actually; instead of saying “not good”, I should have said “pretty bad”. And most of the same points still hold true for cartridge razors too; even if you hang on to the handle, the cartridges themselves have all the recycling issues a disposable razor has.
There is a better alternative, and since you’re on my blog you can probably guess it already: the traditional safety razors, or even a straight edged razors. These razors lasts forever if looked after with a minimum of due diligence, and the used blades can be easily recycled – although I would suggest using a sharps container or other blade bank to minimise risk of anyone cutting themselves. Most people who put the effort in to learn how to shave properly with them find a significant reduction in razor burn and related issues. And as I showed in a blog post earlier this year; traditional wetshaving can and will save you money down the line, as long as you avoid the worst Acquisition Disorders.
The short version: traditional safety razors and straight edges are better for your face, your wallet and the environment – so they represent a win-win-win situation.
Thoughts in an unfamiliar bathroom
Unfamiliar bed, restless sleep
Icy cold tiles against my feet
as I try to wake up
The sink is against the wrong wall
But the shave is as it should be
All is well with the world
For a few precious moments
The “Rotation”
Clockwise, from upper left:
- Omega 10048 boar – my first ‘real’ shave brush
- Artisania Romera Manchurian Badger – a gift from a fellow shaver
- Wilkinson Sword badger – found in a Spanish supermarked
- Vie-Long 13051M unbleached tan horse – 65% tail and good scritch
- Vie-Long 14033 mixed horse and badger – softer than my other horses
- Vie-Long 12705B unbleched pale horse – 55% tail as far as I recall
- Semogue “TSN 2012 Limited Edition” mixed boar-badger brush – my first LE brush
Wetshavers Digest – a free, online magazine
One of the things that attract me to wetshaving as a hobby – and not just a daily moment of Zen, and a wonderful way to get the stubble of my face – is the deep passion and mountains of knowledge on the subject you find among fellow wetshavers and the willingness and enjoyment they have to share.
That is the main reason I’m active on the Shave Nook, write five blog posts per week, read several other blogs, pay attention to my twitter feed, browse YouTube, bury myself in old patents, and in general have a great time thinking about shaving when not actively lathering up.
So, case in point: there is a new, free* online magazine that covers wetshaving now… it has reviews, interviews, editorials, and articles – everything you’ll expect from a print magazine except the price tag.
I would suggest you check it out, and if you like what you read you can even join their mailing list.
*) Free as beer, that is.
Shave of the day 20th February
Razor: Asylum Shave Works Evolution
Blade: Astra Green
Brush: Brush, Experimental, version Alpha
Pre-Shave: The Lavish Gentleman Natural Strength Oil Cleanser
Lather: Dalane d’men Energenic, and a touch of Oway softening shaving cream
Aftershave: Proraso Liquid Cream After Shave
Additional Care: Alum Block, Gentlemen of Sweden Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb
