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my vintage gillette obsession..

good morning gents.quick work shave with war tech #2
20221118_115727_edited.jpg
face pre as usual with pears soap.fine arko lather built with the custom badger.
smooth 2 passer in the usual way,minor pick ups.
cold water rinse and citrus musk to finish.awesome.
this tech is a military issue only. it has a unique baseplate-prewar shape but with post war type lather slots.the shave is smooth and efficient,more so than the bakelite plate version.this razor type was continued into the early 50s,but with post war design heads,nickel or gold plating. second use on the 7 oclock green ss.good blades but not nacet sharp.overall great shave and i'm happy to have some more history in the den.
have a great weekend everyone.:cool:
 
good day gents..a fabulous sunday shave..:).early shave,late post.
20221119_221108_edited.jpg
i was really looking forward to this shave as it's been years since i used (rarely) and passed along my new improved tuckaway set.i got the itch for a nice usable NI some time back but they are pricy when nice or just beat to death.this one is serial numbered to be 1921,slight crack in the handle but tight-or repaired-some minor plating wear on the cap,and a tweaked tooth or 3 on the ends,usual fare on a 100+ year old open comb.none of the damage effects the shave one bit.cap is straight,not over tightened and curved like some.repairable and a good candidate for replating.but..that's not why i got this razor.i just wanted to shave with it..and i am glad i did.
nice face wash with the imperial leather soap.fine stirling lather built with the custom made #002 of 20 handle.finest badger knot.
careful but smooth 2 passer in the usual manner,small nick on set down tidying up the goatee.don't get complacent with this bad boy.near nothing left for pick ups,what would take 3 passes with a tech,this baby did in 2..cold water rinse,liberal splash of matching gentleman a/s.
awesome.:love:

an absolutely fabulous shaver.would i use it daily?,probably not as i could get irritation quite easily with it.but one could in time.many original owners of these fine implements most certainly did.a few careful uses in a row would toughen the skin up.but for now it's a fine razor for times when a real BBS is wanted-night out,date night,or just to clear the stragglers left behind from daily tech/work shaves,a bit of luxurious art deco design and function.-if a nice british example fell in my lap i wouldn't complain,-they do exist- but not too nice of one,or i wouldn't use it..;)

thanks for reading along..and have a fine afternoon everyone.:cool:
 
Graybeard57 said:
I have one and love it. Excellent closeness and comfort. :)
Click to expand...
very cool.i agree.i had a mint set and passed it along.as well as a notch 49-51 model.too nice to use with the fragile plating.the 46-7 model has a different baseplate compared to the later aristocrat/president/diplomat models-no crease on the safety bars.makes for a smoother shave imo.thankfully this recent one is a good user grade with mild plating wear.i have no issues using this one.no case either.mint museum examples have no place for me,i can't sit and worship them behind glass.have to be used.all of my vintage stuff is flawed just enough.. ;)
 
good morning gents.old type shave.
20221120_141912_edited.jpg
face prep as usual with the pears soap.fine arlington lather built with the simpson commodore.
smooth 2 passer with the old type/7 oclock yellow combo.thayers and arlington cologne to finish.awesome.
i usually don't go out of my way to use my old type,just when the fancy arises.for me they are mostly unexplored,and i know the least about them.for the most part it's due to their finicky shave quality on my part and the most nicks and weepers out of any gillette i've used.
i 'll give an analogy..model t fords are cool and one of the most rugged cars ever built in their time,they enabled millions to have ownership and travel capabilities with the then new modern transportation technology,changing the way of life,work and adventure.would i own one? no,but i respect them and what their purpose was in their time.
the old type is a similar equation.mass produced,enabling millions to shave themselves instead of dependence on their local barber.there were other razors out there of course,but we know what gillette was famous for,his blade.my point to this rambling?
i enjoy the more modern advantages that came from both of these historical icons..
i like any gillette from the early 30s upwards made for modern thin blades.same as cool Fords of the era.both developed more well into the 1960's as technology was invented.after that they got more cheaply made and pedestrian.The Golden Age was over..at least for these 2 items.
this old type is a mid 20's canadian thick cap model,silver plated/possibly nickel as it doesn't really tarnish.i had a really nice undamaged 1911 canadian single ring that turned near black and required cleaning on a regular basis,it got passed along.my old type had the usual cracked/split handle which was in 3 pieces,so i mated it to an odd handle i had acquired from a swap meet.it was a Laurel handle,and it turned out to have a history of it's own.
unnamed.jpg

George H. Lawrence Ltd.

www.sheffieldcutlerymap.org.uk www.sheffieldcutlerymap.org.uk

the laurel works made many razor types for men and women ,and they are still seen on ebay and other sites on occasion.
***
And there it is..a short rambling on a razor i rarely use,but it has some sentimental value to me,and is why i keep it around.it does earn it's keep and is a much smoother shaver than my single ring was.;),the thicker cap i suspect-thank goodness for technology..:D
thanks for reading along,..and have a fine rest of the day everyone.:cool:
 
I recently acquired an Old Type unexpectedly. It has the thin head, and the handle is correct for its time (19 -teens), but is a mismatch to the head, which is plated in nickel or something similar, while the handle is brass. I was advised it was a mild shaver, so I used my first Kai on the razor's maiden voyage. Great combo for me. Love the way it shaves, and its durability, but I prefer TTOs for their convenience.
 
Graybeard57 said:
I recently acquired an Old Type unexpectedly. It has the thin head, and the handle is correct for its time (19 -teens), but is a mismatch to the head, which is plated in nickel or something similar, while the handle is brass. I was advised it was a mild shaver, so I used my first Kai on the razor's maiden voyage. Great combo for me. Love the way it shaves, and its durability, but I prefer TTOs for their convenience.
Click to expand...
very cool,glad it worked out for you.my rocky results with my single ring could easily have been lack of experience,as i had it shortly after ditching carts in 2016.never gave it a real chance.my old type seems much smoother.:)
 
good morning gents.goodwill shave.
20221121_111127_edited.jpg
face prep as usual with pears blue soap.excellent felce lather built with the wcs lantern silvertip.this brush hogged lather when new but has seemed to level out over time and uses.very smooth 2 passer with minor pick ups,cold water rinse,thayers and acqua di selva cologne to finish.lovely scent but a little to piney.the soap will easily outlast this cologne so i'll find an alternative when it's done.awesome.
this lovely gem of a razor,nicknamed "the angel" by some owners is quite mild and quite efficient,fiddly to load as the blade is secured via diamond shaped protrusions on top of the baseplate.the cap corner tabs are swaged into the cap,not cast in place.this set up holds the blade firmly when assembled,but also depends on a blade as no alignment pins are present like on later new series razors.no blade installed and the baseplate floats around loosely.unimportant really but not seen before or again since the new débuted.this design allowed for the NEW gillette blades .of course this all stems from the Autostrop/Probac/Gaisman blade wars,which is well documented elsewhere.
1669137927221.png
i've had a few different design goodwill razors,this french market version the only one i kept.nickel plated? i believe as it doesn't tarnish and was sold as a regular set,not a "discounted /free razor with blades for" like in the u.s. Euro versions had round indents under the cap compared to the u.s versions having square ones.20221122_094602_edited.jpg
20221122_100220_edited.jpgfrench market models also had to have "imported angleterre" stamped on per requirement unlike other Euro markets.after ww2 french market razors stated made in england only until the early 1950s.
these sets are rare and the few i've seen don't have the dreaded cracked handle/split issues as seen on former old type handles.quite mild and loves a sharp blade.imho.
here is a very rare brit made new LC I passed along some time back.1669141290282.png
it was made for a very short time as the New RFB design came into play in the early 1930's to accommodate the permanently attached handles stemming from the Single Ring design razors.all the other early non RFB French market New LC's i have seen were U.S.A made imports to France.
the handle is from one of my later french market rfb razors.interestingly enough,this razor had a #148 cap .pic as per Waits Compendium.
20221122_104210_edited.jpg
***
anyhoo..i passed along many odd and cool gillette treasures as one needs real $$ to complete(if ever) a correctly historical Gillette England timeline collection,which caused me to curb my efforts and enjoy more commonly available examples.and to date ,no one has really documented british/euro market gillettes so far.Wait's Compendium is a great book and has some gold nuggets,but for mostly u.s gillettes only.

thanks for reading along.and have a fine day everyone.:cool:
 
good afternoon gents.i am writing this early as a have limited time before work starts in the mornings.i am joining in with an arko challenge,others are seeing how long 1 arko stick lasts,i am participation on work-day shaves only,so 3-4 shifts out of a 7 day week.tomorrows will be this set up.
20221122_115025_edited.jpg
i will alternate aftershaves,brushes,and use techs mostly, ;)on work days.others in the challenge shave 3 to 7 days a week.some less often.will be fun.
:)
as i've stated earlier in previous posts i passed along many razors,a good portion being near mint New LC and SC sets,u.s and british New Deluxe sets,and various other rarities,being too nice to use and just stare at through glass.well over 60 in total including duplicates and such.the proceeds completed gaps in my brit aristocrats,'crat jr's etc.the new goal is/was to experience the different shave qualities of each type,not same razor/different set collecting.other than big $$ exceptions like bottom dials,toggles,red dots,and early techmatics and such.ive achieved that,and kept my favorites.yes i passed a nice 1950 Executive also.nice shaver..but my friend likes it more..
of the handful of u.s gillettes i kept is this nickel plate new sc.it does get used occasionally but i have a back up razor from a mostly destroyed New Somerset set-it's cap and plate surviving unscathed..
20200612_152334_edited_edited.jpg
the handle was badly corroded and case pinholed from water/rust damage.s-l140.jpg
--and binned.i use this cap/plate with many different handles very often, without guilt or regret.;).my second favorite OC shaver.

back to the other one..
:D
i acquired the"Cambridge" some time back when i wanted a nickel plate New SC.not liking the gold ones because of fragile plating and no interest in replates,this fine set showed up at my door from a local friend.very rare set indeed,for the longest time i questioned it's legitimacy as there is no info on it whatsoever, old type razor versions of the set exists from an 1927 ad.but little else.a Well known U.S Gillette Collector/Razor Replater stated it was a mismatch also.i was disappointed but not defeated.through the collector grape vine i heard a story that goes on to say-that a box of these Cambridge sets was found and sold off individually some time ago.my interweb search found a few different pics from various places.NOT MIY PICS..

1669152263889.png
1669152342216.png1669152458502.pngdownload.jpegthree different ones,plus others with unsaved pics.so...


here is my set.notice how the razor is seated in the case compared to the others..head on the left,not the right like 95% of all other gillettes.ultra rare left hand version?:D.the lid liner shows the wear from the teeth..as original.20221122_115149_edited.jpg20221122_115102_edited.jpg
while nickel plate New lc and sc razors are quite scarce these days compared to gold plate ones,it is truly one of my head scratcher razor sets. others being my canadian flat bottom tech razor and early canadian rocket set with 430 030 flat baseplate.but that's a different story.
i am still researching this Cambridge set,maybe someone will verify their existence formally and include one on their razor site.but gillette was known for many oddball creations lost to time.
Thanks again for reading along.:cool:
 
brit said:
good afternoon gents.i am writing this early as a have limited time before work starts in the mornings.i am joining in with an arko challenge,others are seeing how long 1 arko stick lasts,i am participation on work-day shaves only,so 3-4 shifts out of a 7 day week.tomorrows will be this set up.
View attachment 98702
i will alternate aftershaves,brushes,and use techs mostly, ;)on work days.others in the challenge shave 3 to 7 days a week.some less often.will be fun.
:)
as i've stated earlier in previous posts i passed along many razors,a good portion being near mint New LC and SC sets,u.s and british New Deluxe sets,and various other rarities,being too nice to use and just stare at through glass.well over 60 in total including duplicates and such.the proceeds completed gaps in my brit aristocrats,'crat jr's etc.the new goal is/was to experience the different shave qualities of each type,not same razor/different set collecting.other than big $$ exceptions like bottom dials,toggles,red dots,and early techmatics and such.ive achieved that,and kept my favorites.yes i passed a nice 1950 Executive also.nice shaver..but my friend likes it more..
of the handful of u.s gillettes i kept is this nickel plate new sc.it does get used occasionally but i have a back up razor from a mostly destroyed New Somerset set-it's cap and plate surviving unscathed..
View attachment 98703
the handle was badly corroded and case pinholed from water/rust damage.View attachment 98704
--and binned.i use this cap/plate with many different handles very often, without guilt or regret.;).my second favorite OC shaver.

back to the other one..
:D
i acquired the"Cambridge" some time back when i wanted a nickel plate New SC.not liking the gold ones because of fragile plating and no interest in replates,this fine set showed up at my door from a local friend.very rare set indeed,for the longest time i questioned it's legitimacy as there is no info on it whatsoever, old type razor versions of the set exists from an 1927 ad.but little else.a Well known U.S Gillette Collector/Razor Replater stated it was a mismatch also.i was disappointed but not defeated.through the collector grape vine i heard a story that goes on to say-that a box of these Cambridge sets was found and sold off individually some time ago.my interweb search found a few different pics from various places.NOT MIY PICS..

View attachment 98706
View attachment 98707View attachment 98708View attachment 98705three different ones,plus others with unsaved pics.so...


here is my set.notice how the razor is seated in the case compared to the others..head on the left,not the right like 95% of all other gillettes.ultra rare left hand version?:D.the lid liner shows the wear from the teeth..as original.View attachment 98709View attachment 98710
while nickel plate New lc and sc razors are quite scarce these days compared to gold plate ones,it is truly one of my head scratcher razor sets. others being my canadian flat bottom tech razor and early canadian rocket set with 430 030 flat baseplate.but that's a different story.
i am still researching this Cambridge set,maybe someone will verify their existence formally and include one on their razor site.but gillette was known for many oddball creations lost to time.
Thanks again for reading along.:cool:
Click to expand...
Love the handle on this one!
 
brit said:
good morning gents.old type shave.
View attachment 98601
face prep as usual with the pears soap.fine arlington lather built with the simpson commodore.
smooth 2 passer with the old type/7 oclock yellow combo.thayers and arlington cologne to finish.awesome.
i usually don't go out of my way to use my old type,just when the fancy arises.for me they are mostly unexplored,and i know the least about them.for the most part it's due to their finicky shave quality on my part and the most nicks and weepers out of any gillette i've used.
i 'll give an analogy..model t fords are cool and one of the most rugged cars ever built in their time,they enabled millions to have ownership and travel capabilities with the then new modern transportation technology,changing the way of life,work and adventure.would i own one? no,but i respect them and what their purpose was in their time.
the old type is a similar equation.mass produced,enabling millions to shave themselves instead of dependence on their local barber.there were other razors out there of course,but we know what gillette was famous for,his blade.my point to this rambling?
i enjoy the more modern advantages that came from both of these historical icons..
i like any gillette from the early 30s upwards made for modern thin blades.same as cool Fords of the era.both developed more well into the 1960's as technology was invented.after that they got more cheaply made and pedestrian.The Golden Age was over..at least for these 2 items.
this old type is a mid 20's canadian thick cap model,silver plated/possibly nickel as it doesn't really tarnish.i had a really nice undamaged 1911 canadian single ring that turned near black and required cleaning on a regular basis,it got passed along.my old type had the usual cracked/split handle which was in 3 pieces,so i mated it to an odd handle i had acquired from a swap meet.it was a Laurel handle,and it turned out to have a history of it's own.
View attachment 98603

George H. Lawrence Ltd.

www.sheffieldcutlerymap.org.uk www.sheffieldcutlerymap.org.uk

the laurel works made many razor types for men and women ,and they are still seen on ebay and other sites on occasion.
***
And there it is..a short rambling on a razor i rarely use,but it has some sentimental value to me,and is why i keep it around.it does earn it's keep and is a much smoother shaver than my single ring was.;),the thicker cap i suspect-thank goodness for technology..:D
thanks for reading along,..and have a fine rest of the day everyone.:cool:
Click to expand...
Fascinating history! Sad ending - but the fact that he could have stayed home and he rushed to his workers says a lot about the man!
 
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