My Grandpa's Razor passed down to me!

[brucered]

i get home from work to find my dad in my house talking to my wife and picking up some stuff we bought for them and he says "i dropped off a razor for you, it was your grandpa's". he pulls out what appears to be a "gillette flare tip rocket with a wilkenson blade still in it" (based on a quick google search". :001_tt1:

so i am ecstatic at this point to get it, something passed down, found in my parents basement, unused for years. so dad leaves to go get my mom and i got to work.

out comes the simple green, scrubbing bubbles, q-tips and maas polish. a while later, and i have this.

not a scratch on it, no plate loss, no dings, mechanics are SUPER smooth and it's nice and shiny pretty now! :w00t:

if anyone can identify the exact model and mfg year, it would be greatly appreciated. inside it's marked "BRIT. PAT. 694093" underside is marked "Gillette II MADE IN ENGLAND".

needless to say, i will be cherishing this one for years to come. if it was good enough for Grandpa, it's good enough for me. :thumbup: and my dad also said, he thinks there is another one downstairs somewhere. i'm not getting my hopes up too high. if he finds another, bonus, if not, this one is SWEET.

i should have taken some before shots, but here are the after shots. :lol: pics are without flash, but it is shiny and polished in person.

can't wait to try it out.

[ackvil]

That is a beauty. I am glad to see you will carry out a tradition. :thumbup1:

[rockviper]

Pappy sure took good care of his kit! Congratulations :thumbup1:

[ZJ68]

That's awesome! :w00t:

[Mark1966]

Nice, very nice. Even more so because of the family link. My father just threw his out the best he can remember.

Certainly looks like a Flare Tip Rocket, no 13 here (http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9206). Can't help with the dating more than late 1950s looking at the ones on Mr-Razor's site here (http://mr-razor.com/Rasierer/One-Piece%20solid%20guard%20bar/solid%20guard%20bar.htm).

I'm sure somebody else will be along with more info soon.

[Mack]

Nice! Looks like a flair tip super speed. Not sure of year.

Maybe start here:

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Super_Speed#Flare_Tip_Super_Speed

[LukeDuke]

Congrats on a beautiful family heirloom!

[brianw]

Definitely a Flaretip Rocket... probably a regular not the fancy one....Great find... Enjoy, as shaving with this can only bring memories of your gramps. Straights I have from my Gramps always cause a flood of memories every time I use them....

[BigFoot]

Congrats on the Rocket.:thumbup: I hope it gives you many great shaves and many great memories.

[Obi Wan]

Congratulations!




Certainly looks like a Flare Tip Rocket



+1

I have the same model and use it regularly. It works really well with Gillette Bleue Extra NOS and Astra Superior Platinum blades.

[iphone529]

Wow, This is in great condition, congrats!

[mattymatt]

Man, that is great, I wish my family had some razors to pass on!

[rm71]

Nice:thumbup1:

[luvmysuper]

That's a beautiful piece of equipment, all the more precious because of the family link.

Congrats!

[brucered]

Congratulations!



+1

I have the same model and use it regularly. It works really well with Gillette Bleue Extra NOS and Astra Superior Platinum blades.

glad to hear that. i just got my order of 75 astras, i'll try it out this w/end.

thanks for all the great links and words guys. if i hadn't found B&B and DE shaving, my folks would have turfed this or given it to goodwill. now the folks have another item to look out for, for me (vinyl and razors). :lol:

[willyb]

not a SS, but a ROCKET.....excellent score friend. treasure it, but more importandly, shave with it.

[Dennard]

Nice! I have one like that, but it's not in as good condition as yours. Thanks for sharing!

[inspiringK]

Never thought of a razor I own making it's way into some future grand kid's hands! Congrats on the find - looks like it still has a few generations of use left in it. :w00t:

[mswait]

A real beauty. Enjoy the memories!

[dfollett_98]

Bruce:

That's a beautiful razor and to think it was used by your grandfather. You are now shaving with a part of your family's history. I'm sure it will be well loved and well used until you pass it down to your heirs. Great job and thanks for sharing. :thumbup1:

Don

[wilsonent]

From what I can tell, that beauty looks new. Glad to see tradition passed on like that. Thinks for posting the pictures. You made my night.


Jeff

[chop-chop]

Now that's a story with a happy ending! No doubt, you are going to enjoy some of the best shaves you've ever had!

Ciao!
Bruce

[rambus007]

Nice! My grandpa used to have a straight razor and black shell strop but my sister took it for her hairstyling career which she doesn't do anymore. She said I could have it after she dies! :blink:

[j19bill]

Congrats

[kg4ghn]

Awesome!

Family heirloom stuff is great.

[joshgambit]

Awesome!

I too, just received my grandfather's razors. I've used the ball-end tech twice now, and it's great!!

Enjoy!!! :001_smile

[Metalman]

Very nice! My dad used to shave with a Gillette 1950s-80s, but switched to cartridges at some point. He died last year, and I looked for his old DE, but couldn't find it. Lost to history...

Be glad you have something passed down. You can think of your grandpa as you shave with it. It'll be a nice reminder.

[Greglam]

WOW, congratulations!! :w00t:

That is so great to have a physical connection with your good memories of your grandpa! :biggrin1: :thumbup:

Happy Shaving!

-Greg

[Foyle]

Beautiful! What a nice family heirloom. :thumbup:

[jkingrph]

Nothing that old, but last month I was at my deceased parents house over in La. ( my sister and I decided to keep it as weekend meeting place as we both live in different states) and was looking around and found an old Gem flip top of some kind. It looks like new but I know it dates to the early or mid 60's as he switched over to Shick injectors, then an electric.

[Sledgehammer39]

That is an awesome looking flare tip rocket :001_tt1:. I have one that looks exactly the same. Same patent number and all. However, my razor looks to be from the early sixties.

[Zarba]

i get home from work to find my dad in my house talking to my wife and picking up some stuff we bought for them and he says "i dropped off a razor for you, it was your grandpa's". he pulls out what appears to be a "gillette flare tip rocket with a wilkenson blade still in it" (based on a quick google search". :001_tt1:

so i am ecstatic at this point to get it, something passed down, found in my parents basement, unused for years. so dad leaves to go get my mom and i got to work.

out comes the simple green, scrubbing bubbles, q-tips and maas polish. a while later, and i have this.

not a scratch on it, no plate loss, no dings, mechanics are SUPER smooth and it's nice and shiny pretty now! :w00t:

if anyone can identify the exact model and mfg year, it would be greatly appreciated. inside it's marked "BRIT. PAT. 694093" underside is marked "Gillette II MADE IN ENGLAND".

needless to say, i will be cherishing this one for years to come. if it was good enough for Grandpa, it's good enough for me. :thumbup: and my dad also said, he thinks there is another one downstairs somewhere. i'm not getting my hopes up too high. if he finds another, bonus, if not, this one is SWEET.

i should have taken some before shots, but here are the after shots. :lol: pics are without flash, but it is shiny and polished in person.

can't wait to try it out.
Sweet! Made even better with the back story. You'll enjoy a lifetime of great shaves with it, and you can pass it down to the next generation.

[Hex]

A beautiful razor in all respects.

Are you sure your GF even used it ? It looks too clean.

[BroJohn]

Now that's a story with a happy ending! No doubt, you are going to enjoy some of the best shaves you've ever had!

Ciao!
Bruce


Bruce!! Welcome back, long time, no see.

To the OP, having a razor with a family history is wonderful. I have my dad's razor, and I feel a connection and fond rememberences whenever I use it.

-- John Gehman

[demaro]

Beautiful Rocket !! Awesome clean up job on it !! :thumbup1:

[Chevyguy]

Hey Bruce, Thats a nice English Rocket you have there. Did your Grandpa use a brush, and mug?. It would be so cool if you could find those also. My Dad used a flare tip when I was a boy but switched to the Trac-II when it came out. Mom Tossed the flare tip after Dad died. She didn't want me cutting myself with it. I sure wish that I had it.

Clayton

[rntdcarvalho]

WOW! That's a beautiful razor! I started out with a Nanjie (chinese piece of crap), so you don´t know how lucky you are!
Congrats!

[Sunburst]

Beautiful razor, awesome story. Enjoy every shave with your Grandpa.

[LuckyR]

That is a great looking piece. On that note, though, it would not suprise me if he typically used a different razor (the one your Dad referred to) and this one was one he either bought but never used (or just started to use).

Not that it matters, family connection-wise. If I were you, I would look hard for the other razor, clean it up, but actually use this one.

[mandoman]

VERY NICE :thumbup1:

[brucered]

That is a great looking piece. On that note, though, it would not suprise me if he typically used a different razor (the one your Dad referred to) and this one was one he either bought but never used (or just started to use).

Not that it matters, family connection-wise. If I were you, I would look hard for the other razor, clean it up, but actually use this one.

this one will definetely be put into use. i have a couple of his old STRAIGHT's, but won't be using those yet. my folks will look for the other one, if it's there, i'll get it.

[LuckyR]

this one will definetely be put into use. i have a couple of his old STRAIGHT's, but won't be using those yet. my folks will look for the other one, if it's there, i'll get it.

I have my Dad's original Ranger Tech in a case I bought with some period blades. I use a practically unused RT I purchased on the WTB section.

[shrubble]

I'm waiting for two razors to arrive right now; one is EXACTLY like the one in this pic, only made in the usa, and the other looks like this razor, except that the handle looks like it's anodized dark blue or something (the TTO part is chrome though)

[EDIT: It might be black, I just looked at the pic again]

What do I have coming folks?

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Bruce:
That is certainly a beauty and a treasure...to be passed on your Sons. :w00t:

Maybe if you e-mail Gillette with your info "BRIT. PAT. 694093" underside is marked "Gillette II MADE IN ENGLAND", they can tell how old this baby is.

Christopherhttp://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh206/SerraTijn/smileys/smiley_shaving.gif

"Without tradition, [shaving is like], a flock of sheep without a shepherd...". Sir Winston Churchill

[Blooze]

Very cool!!!! Just a beauty of a razor and a great story as well.

I received some straights, brushes, and hair clippers that were my grandfathers and great grandfathers over Christmas. I don't know that I'll ever work up the courage to use a straight though.

[oc_in_fw]

Never thought of a razor I own making it's way into some future grand kid's hands! Congrats on the find - looks like it still has a few generations of use left in it. :w00t:

We have become a disposable society, and companies like Gillette helped to feed that. My grandsons will get my razors- plus it will be a good excuse to buy new one:001_smile

[mike72]

146003
That's an awesome razor. I had the privilege of having my grandfather's cup and brush givin to me.

[brucered]

well i finally, yes...finally, put my Grandpa's razor to use...

i'm guessing this is the time of year that others pull out their "Special Occasion Razors", so figured i might as well too.

i had some extra time today, Christmas Eve and thought no better time to pull out the nice shiny, Grandpa's razor and give it the time and respect it deserves.

opened up the velvet pouch, pulled out a new feather blade, QCS Tangerine, RR preshave, Simpson Rover...all my best stuff.

whipped up a nice lather and had a Wonderful 3 pass shave.

as much as i'd like to put it into daily rotation, it's too precious to me to do that, so i'll reserve it for special days like this and Christmas Day, NY Day, B-Day, Anniversary etc.

i couldn't believe how well it shaved.....it looks like it just came out of the package, as he must have rarely used it and/or kept very good care of it (i'll check with Grandma today or tomorrow when we call her and let he know i used it, she'll be very happy). but it shaved as well as my EJ's, Muhles and Slim etc.

a wonder razor and a great shaving experience this morning.

[celestino]

How did it go?

[TankCommander1554]

Great looking find! Congrats!

[The Kiwi]

Whoever gave me a particular brass Good Will razor wasn't certain whether my grandfather ever used it, but he definitely owned it. He shaved with a set of German-made straight razors while he was hale and hearty. When he was ailing, my Aunt used an electric to keep his beard under control. My uncle must have gotten the straight razor set.

My father never wet-shaved, not even with any variety of canned anything. He electric shaved as long as I knew him, and back into as long as Mother knew him.

You are lucky that your father was thoughtful enough to make the offer of sharing that razor with you. I've got a son and a daughter now; lost one of the boys in 2000. My son uses Edge Gel and disposable razors. At least once I gifted him with a shaving set, not a DE, but all the rest, mug, soap, brush, and razor; probably an early Atra model. He may have used the razor until the cartridges ran out . .

Be very happy!

[mdove47]

I have a razor from a great grandfather and grandfather on my dad's side of the family, but not my dad's. I would love to try them, but I do not have enough blood stored at the blood bank...they are both straights. I got back into this DE world about a month ago and so far am still alive. I have gotten better, not cutting myself every time, or even every other time. I do have my dad's old brush and Old Spice shave mug. also purchased a Gillette slim adjustable, Old Spice mug, and brush for each of the grandsons. Hopefully I will be around long enough to teach them how to shave. They are just 5 and 3 1/2. I think I have RAD, I purchased a couple of adjustable slims for me (one to keep at the YMCA and 2 for home), an Aristocrat from 1947, my birth year, and just tthe other day at a antique store picked up a fat boy and a flare tip. This is fun, but I am retired.

[rxonmymind]

Take off! Woot! Congrats.