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.
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 2022-08-17
Auto-Strop – like the leaf of a book
How to take care of blade and razor, anno early 1940s
Container for shaving accessories
Brushless shaving cream spreader cap for collapsible tubes
Eugene G Mergenthaler and his band razors
A rather neat single edge razor
Styptic pencil in the handle of a razor
The safety razor of John R Gilda
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
An ad for the new slotted blade
Abraham Zilbersher and the safety razor for worn down blades
Combination writing instrument and shaver’s kit
A rather honest Schick advertisement
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
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
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
A shaving cup for a neat freak
The Gentlemen’s Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness
A stroned blade for a penny a day
Disposable razor suitable for injector blades
The 1950’s American Barbershop
A Seabrook safety razor patent
Seabrook safety razor advertisement
Shaving units and dispensers therefor
“Lather catcher” disposable safety razor
Sanitary package for shavers’ use
Charles E Scott’s disposable shaving cup
A slightly less old Gillette advertisement
The question on every fly-fisher’s mind
The most adaptable of all razors
Raymond H Wilhelm and the bright idea
A Khaki Kit, but not what you think
Personna blade – better than *bleep*
Legs, legs, legs – Lady Gillette Shaving Care, 1965
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
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…
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
Dr Scott’s Magnetic Safety Razor
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
A one hundred and twenty one year old Williams’ advertisement
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
-+-
X3X Temper – a wartime discovery
William J Moore’s simplified safety razor
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
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
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
1936 Micromatic advertisement – effortless shaving
Jeremiah Reichard’s 1906 Lather Catcher
Otto Spahr’s sort-of-slant razor
…a plurality of very flat brush elements…
The Man With the Hoe – Shaving
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
What do shaving and golf have in common?
Good old days; Free razor with new 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
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 simple and inexpensive sheet metal razor
Ralph E Thompson and the amazing tilting adjustable razor
New and useful Improvements in Safety-Razor-Blade Packages
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
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
Testi Nicholas’ “dispensing tube”
Schick makes Santa want to shave
What did you get for Christmas almost eleven years ago?
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
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
Everything old is new again, again
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 1849 self feeding shaving brush!
A 1884 pamphlet: “The art of honing a razor. The art of shaving”
…simple and non-expensive safety razor
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
A trio of magnetic razors, revisited
Gillette Toggle – patent, parts and revival?
The patent for the Goodwill – or rather; the Probak
European vending machine safety razor
A little too disposable – yet another old patent
“Handle-less” safety razor patent
Match book razor – another novelty
A novelty safety razor; the Yawnmower
Vintage travel razor advertisment
More Twin injector information
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
Stahly Live Blade Wind-up Vibrating Safety Razor
Multiple blade safety razor with aligning means
Disposable SE razor with shaving cream in the handle
Design concept – roll up razor
Device for cleaning and drying safety-razor blades
Razor blade injector and disposal device
An 00’s folding matchbook razor
Compact cassette sanitary kit – an 80’s patent
Disposable shaving brush made from paper
Wear indicator for a disposable razor
Gillette’s 1950’s magazine razor
Appliance for vibrating a safety razor
Three-piece, two-piece… one-piece?
Shaving lather moistening and heating device
Device for razor and toothbrush containing shaving cream dispensers therein
Disposable razor with shaving cream in handle
Dispoable sanitary shaving brush
Shaving brushes for canned foam
Shaving brush for fumble fingers
Cart? DE? SE? Straight? Shavette?
Semi-disposable injector razor
Quad Edge razor – when Double Edge isn’t enough
How did the old razors shave back then?
Someone else made a 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.
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 😉