Shaving patents & oddities

I started my blog back in 2012, and since then I have found many old and new shaving oddities, historic titbits, vintage advertisements and patents. I do enjoy sharing my finds with the wetshaving community, so therefore I have gathered this list of (almost) all of the things I’ve written about.

The head of an early adjustable razor, as described in US patent 1,599,793 - one of many patents discussed on my blog
From US patent 1,599,793

For offline reading I have also collected some of the patents in two books so far. You can learn all about those books at this link. A third book is likely to come out later.

Updated 2022-10-17

Soap-containing safety razor

Steamy Shaving Apparatus

Skin stretching and lather spreading attachment

The revolving razor of Leopold Morris

Sharpex patent and photos

The ideal razor

Razor and loading device therefor

Reciprocating single edge roller razor

Tut’ankhamūn’s razor-box

Fingerspitzengefühl razor

Pocket safety razor

Sanitary case for toilet articles and other uses

A neat folded sheet metal razor

Raymond V Acken and the tube mounted safety razor

Valet Wall Kit

Valet razor strops itself

John J Meehan and the razor blade stroppers

Adjustable shavette

Auto-Strop store display

Auto-Strop – like the leaf of a book

Razor strop hanger

A straight edge safety razor

How to take care of blade and razor, anno early 1940s

Safety razor blade receptacle

Container for shaving accessories

Brushless shaving cream spreader cap for collapsible tubes

Another shocking shave

Eugene G Mergenthaler and his band razors

Folding safety razor

A rather neat single edge razor

Styptic pencil in the handle of a razor

The safety razor of John R Gilda

Razor with cleaning brush

Electric safety razor

Clean Fighters

Shaving aid stored in the razor handle

Great British Patent 1902-28763

Letters to Gillette Blade from the Gillette Boys

A vintage Gillette from the Norwegian Digital Museum

All-flex pocket razor

An ad for the new slotted blade

John Joice’s automatic razor

Gotto’s hygiene implement

Abraham Zilbersher and the safety razor for worn down blades

Compact razor

Combination writing instrument and shaver’s kit

Old Personna blade commercial

Schick Auto-Band Razor

A rather honest Schick advertisement

Bowlin’s shaving kit patent

Pen style shavette

Army and Navy pillow kit

The Norwegian Bessegg, again…

An AutoStrop Khaki set

Soldiers shaving

Adjustable shaving brush

How to make a shaving brush handle – 1910 style

Thomas Claude Durham and the safety device for straight razors and an early shavette

Harry Clough and his improved holder for detachable blades

Is it safe?

It’s your face – let Schick love it!

Uranium Glass Hone for Safety Razor Blades

Yet another way to to make adjustable razors

Chuck Falzone’s “Wet Shaving is Easy”

Another way to make an adjustable safety razor

Staats-Oels’ two blade double edged slant

Bismarck razor – another museum wedge razor

A simple wedge razor

The ideal gift – anno 1941

Scimitar razor for wedge and non-wedge blades

Self Sharp Adjustable Safety Razor

If Santa looks different this year…

Larkin Buffalo Safety Razor and Instructions

For years of shaving pleasure…

Rapid Shave: Soaks whiskers soft, but not sandpaper

Adapter for a handle and a cartridge of different razor systems

Angelo’s other lathering device

Stationary shaving cup

A shaving cup for a neat freak

A more modern shaving cup

The Gentlemen’s Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness

Another revolving razor

A stroned blade for a penny a day

Eight shoot “revolver razor”

Disposable razor suitable for injector blades

Corrosion free shaving lather

The 1950’s American Barbershop

A Seabrook safety razor patent

Seabrook safety razor advertisement

Adjustable wedge razor

Shaving units and dispensers therefor

“Lather catcher” disposable safety razor

Razor cleaner

Sanitary package for shavers’ use

Barber’s aseptic shaving cup

Charles E Scott’s disposable shaving cup

Anthrax from shaving brushes

A slightly less old Gillette advertisement

Gillette Vacation Travel Kit

The question on every fly-fisher’s mind

Aero Shaving Cream

The most adaptable of all razors

Raymond H Wilhelm and the bright idea

A Khaki Kit, but not what you think

Within this vale

Personna blade – better than *bleep*

Legs, legs, legs – Lady Gillette Shaving Care, 1965

Fresh, clean, Gillette

Improved method of making flexible safety-razor blades with bright letters or signs

Brush Plus – an old idea, repackaged

Buddy Kit – a patented toilet kit

Larkin Idea – guide to correct shaving

Körzinger & Nettlich’s soap brush for shaving

“My razor and shaving tackle!” by John Teetgen

A 1917 Gillette advertisement

Kickstarter – or “Adding shit to razors”

Samuel Schereschewskij’s device for lathering the beard

The Barber of Seville – Woody style

Gillette compares razors and field glasses…

Good News from Gillette??

Paul Zammet and the Improved Razor Guard

The safety razor of James Hartness

The workmanlike razor of Joseph Turner

The improved blade of Georg Friedrich Hofmann

Rennie E Billingsley and the amazing rubber razor

John Rieger and the reciprocating razor

Gillette Techmatic advertisment

The 16.8 second shave

Dr Scott’s Magnetic Safety Razor

Let the Gillette prove itself

Up or down?

Johnson’s Shaving Cream Soap

That is a very tiny barber…

Revolutionizes shaving!

Three EverReady marvels!

Home made roller sharpener for safety razor blades

NRA’s code of fair competition for the safety razor and safety razor blade manufacturing industry

Soaks rings around them all – Burma Shave

More Pal injector blade commercials

Pal Stainless commercial – shave through a cedar shingle

GEM commercials from the ’60s

A one hundred and twenty one year old Williams’ advertisement

Video on the King Oscillator

Walter J Smart and the spring loaded safety razor

Charles Ballreich and the very simple single edge razor

Colgate Shaving Cream – for the waterproof stubble

The safety razors of Benjamin Kiam

Louis Heckel’s safety-razor-blade holder

A more modern oddly shaped razor

Lawrence S Nordskog’s oddly shaped safety razor

The start of a perfect day

Another four edge razor

-+-

X3X Temper – a wartime discovery

007 Panama blades

A recent Gillette Patent

William J Moore’s simplified safety razor

A 1905 Gillette advertisement

Arthur McKee Rankin’s terrific electrical razor

Clyde H Seitz’s tilting head razor

Mr Blodgett’s simple single edge razor

Young Any-Angle Razor, patent and advertisement

Cabinet for holding shaving requisites

A 1940 Gem Clog-Pruf advertisement

Dave Shaves on the old European Vending Machine Razor

Gillette’s Army-Navy “E” Award

Gillette Meteor?

Rockwell Razor Patent

Pal Razor commercials

Curvfit advertisements

More photos of CURBO razors and boxes

Guy Osborn’s Shrp-Shavr patent

Razors and blades model – why Gillette did not implement it

Patent for the Clemak safety razor

CURBO razors and/or advertisers

The King Oscillator and the Rotary King razors

King Oscillator advertisement

Janos Oscar Plesch’s double double edged blade

Mr Dunn’s Single Edge Razor for Double Edge Blades

Christy’s new wrinkle free razor

Anton Hopfen’s improved shaving brush

Anestis Foltis’ folded safety razor

Cathodic protection of razor

1936 Micromatic advertisement – effortless shaving

Jeremiah Reichard’s 1906 Lather Catcher

John Monks’ shaving apparatus

The Kampfe-Star razor

Otto Spahr’s sort-of-slant razor

…a plurality of very flat brush elements…

The Man With the Hoe – Shaving

“Shave yourself”

The safety razors of James J Fetzer

Harrison H Boyce’s simplified safety razor

A new blade for a new razor – but not the blade we use today

Euxesis – a Victorian shaving cream

Really fancy shave gear

7 o’clock safety razor

What do shaving and golf have in common?

Good old days; Free razor with new brush

Warner Self-Soaping Brush

An interesting paper on shaving and razors

Walter H Nicholls’ two piece safety razor

A very early Gillette advertisement

Gillette’s vibratory Techmatic

More Williams’ Soap advertisements

The only ‘real’ shaving soap… real old, at least

GEM’s Micromatic – can’t nip, won’t skip

Safetee Shaving Soap

Little doors, always opens…

Gronbech’s shaving brush suitable for travel and home

Gronbech’s Travel Razor – patents and a tiny bit of history

Diamond Edge razor – patent and brief history

A collapsible lather brush

Combination Shaving Set

The Rally dry shaver

A simple and inexpensive sheet metal razor

Ralph E Thompson and the amazing tilting adjustable razor

New and useful Improvements in Safety-Razor-Blade Packages

Square blade ends

A 1953 GEM advertisement

A 1919 Ever-Ready advertisement

Shaving stick with cocoa butter core

The invention of the modern GEM blade, with two interesting variations

The double edged single edged blade

Gillette’s thin, rigid razor blade

A Double Edged Schick razor

Combined comb and hair cutter

So safe you can shave in the shower

Single edge razor of of simple and economical construction

Safety razor with covered blade tabs

Safety razor in which it is unnecessary to separate the parts to insert the blade

Another axilla razor – from 1920

A 1917 armpit razor patent

Shaving Apparatus

Shaving with Science!

Testi Nicholas’ “dispensing tube”

Schick makes Santa want to shave

A Gift with a Purpose

What did you get for Christmas almost eleven years ago?

Are You a Friend of His?

Old advertisement – four biggest nuisances?

GEM razor Khaki Service Outfit

Henry J Gaisman’s patent for a folding injector razor

GEM and EverReady advertisement clocks

Animated GEM razor advertisement from 1912

Morton G Bunnell and the patent for a Gillette Single Edge safety razor

Protector for safety-razor blades, patented in 1907

Ralph E Thompson’s one-hole razor blade patent

Ralph E Thompson’s 1924 safety blade patent

Meyer Eugen’s skin-stretching razor

Ralph E Thompson’s 1929 offset razor patent

Clifford E Dunn’s ratcheted one piece razor

Frank M Edmonds’ early twist to open double edge razor

Thomas E McDermott’s spring-loaded and adjustable “twist to open” razor

More razor infrastructure – the art of the sale

Sta-Neet – the home barber?

The back end of safety razors: Grinding machine and machine for printing and for other purposes

A quick look at the Segal Twist To Open

An early patent for adjustable razors

Self-sharpening safety razor

Everything old is new again, again

Brushless razor?

Shermac round razor for under-arm shaving

Ladies’ underarm razor – a patent filed in ’31

Types of safety razors; a pictorial guide

A “improved” shaving mug and a stray idea for a modern application

A 1937 safety razor sharpener

A 1849 self feeding shaving brush!

A 1906 Gillette advertisement

A 1884 pamphlet: “The art of honing a razor. The art of shaving”

…simple and non-expensive safety razor

Self-feeding shaving-brush

A 1908 machine for sharpening razor-blades

A bit of history; the barber-surgeon

Combination razor and shaving brush

The cost of shaving over a quarter century

…certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors – what might have been

The most adorable DE: Laurel Ladies Boudoir Razor, with known provenance

Besegg razor – made in Norway during the War

Norway’s oldest soap factory – another bit of history

Another trio of old Norwegian razor blades

Nordkapp – yet another vintage Norwegian blade

Høvding – another Norwegian razor blade brand

Wooden disposables; the Welch’s Saratoga and the E-KON-I-ME

“Besegg blade” – a piece of Norwegian history

Another improvement in shaving mugs

A 1964 disposable plastic double edged razor

Improvements in shaving-mugs

Bifurcated yoke razor

Weird patents: “Toilet-brush”

Trav-a-long razor

The Carbo-Magnetic Razor

A trio of magnetic razors, revisited

Gillette Toggle – patent, parts and revival?

Razor on a spring?

An early multiblade razor

The patent for the Goodwill – or rather; the Probak

European vending machine safety razor

Clemak safety razor

A trio of magnetic razors

A little too disposable – yet another old patent

“Handle-less” safety razor patent

Lit face and burnt hands

Curvefit for the ladies

Match book razor – another novelty

A novelty safety razor; the Yawnmower

A 1945 disposable razor

Vintage travel razor advertisment

More Twin injector information

Twinjector?

A crank magnet for the cart crowd

What is it about magnets and razors?

More magnetic magic – razor blade edge reconditioner

Pseudo-scientific razor-conditioning device

Multiple-edge safety-razor – old and bizarre patent

Nothing new under the sun – razors with rollers

Old patent – a Swedish safety razor

Tiny safety razor

Stahly Live Blade Wind-up Vibrating Safety Razor

Lovely old blade bank

Neat folding razor

Multiple blade safety razor with aligning means

Intentionally broken brush

Disposable SE razor with shaving cream in the handle

Home made hair trimmer

Design concept – roll up razor

Device for cleaning and drying safety-razor blades

Razor blade injector and disposal device

Glass Monoblock Razor

An 00’s folding matchbook razor

A “matchbox” folding razor

Compact cassette sanitary kit – an 80’s patent

Disposable shaving brush made from paper

Wear indicator for a disposable razor

A cartridge straight

Gillette’s 1950’s magazine razor

Appliance for vibrating a safety razor

A possible shocking shave

Three-piece, two-piece… one-piece?

Bronze age razors

A different Single Edge razor

Tiny little travel razor

Shaving lather moistening and heating device

Shaving cream applicator

Device for razor and toothbrush containing shaving cream dispensers therein

Shaving cream can with mirror

Disposable razor with shaving cream in handle

Hand cranked shaving brush

Soap dispensing shaving brush

Dispoable sanitary shaving brush

Easy clean shaving brush

Fountain shaving brush

Shaving brushes for canned foam

Shaving brush for fumble fingers

Cart? DE? SE? Straight? Shavette?

Trouble honing your SE blade?

Shaving in the dark…

Warm razor for cold days

Semi-disposable injector razor

Quad Edge razor – when Double Edge isn’t enough

Pseudo-scientific razor

Shake it sharp!

Glass hone for razors

Another early safely razor

The first safety razor

Old, interesting razor

Imperial Japanese WW2 razors

Wehrmacht razor

Razor blade sharperners

How did the old razors shave back then?

1933 oscillating razor

Emergency razor?

DIY barebone DE razor

Paper cut disposable razors

How about a bronze age razor?

More band razors

Wind up razors

Some old razor patents

Someone else made a 3D printed razor

The original Gillette safety razor

Interesting razor

3D printed razor

If you enjoyed all that, you can do a lot worse than looking up safety razors at Google Patent Search, or check out razors.click website for even more patents. Or check out my books on shaving patents and other oddities if you want to do some off line reading.

2 thoughts on “Shaving patents & oddities

  1. Hans, you remain a patent sleuth of great renown. Your efforts in this area are much appreciated. I look forward to each new discovery with anticipation. Some of the patent applications are rather obtuse to my non-engineer brain. Your comments and explanations complement the inventors’ original text and help me to parse what the patents actually mean. Thank you for the education =)

    • Thank you Charlie – I just hope people enjoy reading about them half as much as I like digging them up and making snarky comments 😉

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