OK, I think I want to take a shot at SE, where to begin?

BZiel said:

It seems like you need to come to the dark side...straight shaving.

Just saying...

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+1

prairie-dad said:

Thanks to you all, and a special shout out to @Spidey9 for some advice on buying. Though both razors are in transit, and won't arrive before next Monday/Tuesday, I am now the proud owner of a Valet Auto-Strop and an Ever Ready...the one with the wonderfully patterned, hexagonal handle...I think it's a 1912, though the photos don't show the patent date, and I'm having a hard time finding definitive pics of a 1914, for example...and is there a 1924, too...or is that just a typo, substituting a "2" for the "1" in 1914? In any event, my next step is to trade some Big Bens or the like to Toothpick at the Great Blade Exchange, and get some single edge Feathers and Gems to try in my new tools. Pictures to follow, as soon as they arrive. Thanks also to AnthonyD for his kind offer to help with acquisitions, I may have a mild case of SEAD coming on...

Does all this make me a LOSER? And does PERDEDOR have a really great backstory, or is it just for LOSERs who hablan Español?

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Thanks! Here is a quick guide to the 3 most popular Gem/Ever Ready SE's. First, some pictures. On the left is a 1912, in the center is a1914, and on the right is a 1924:







The 1912 (left) is easily identified by the tab for opening in the center rear of the cap, and the way that the comb sort of flares out, rather than being straight like the other two. From the back, notice how the lower section is sort of triangular in shape. This one is an Ever Ready, Gems are probably more common, and you may find them with the Star or Treet brand as well.

The 1914 (center)is identified by the absence of a tab on the cap and the words "Lift Here" stamped on the left and right edges of the cap. From the back, the lower section is more square, resembling the older lather catchers. In fact, the 1914 is sometimes referred to as the "little lather catcher." Also on the back is "Patented March 24/14" hence the name. Some early models just say "Patent Pending."

The 1924, also known as the "shovelhead," is the easiest of all to identify because the cap is hinged at either end of the comb. There really isn't a lower section at all; the handle screws into a fitting right on the base plate. 1924 does not refer to a patent date, but rather when ads for the razor appeared in the big mail order catalogs of the day.

In terms of agressiveness, the 1912 is generally considered to be the least agressive of the three, the 1924 the most agressive, with the 1914 somewhere in the middle. As always, YMMV.

These are the main models, there are variations of each, and all may be found with a variety of handles and in a number of different cases.

Hopefully this clears things up.

--Bob

That's a great summary - and it's amazing yet true that the 1912s (which come in a lot of different flavours which all shave differently), 1914 and 1924 are all absolutely superb razors.

The other really enjoyable GEM SE for me is the Open Comb Micromatic, but hang on to your hat with that one!

Also with those Valets, if you can get some NOS Valet blades and condition the strop properly, the system works great in the 21st Century but we're starting to get into some very deep water now...

prairie-dad said:

One thing at a time...I am kinda looking forward to the Valet with those Feather blades. I used a Schick injector as a kid in the 60's, after mauling myself with a DE...too many pimples! So it hasn't got the thrill of a challenge, somehow, even if some earlier injectors with bakelite handles are handsome. Have you got interesting razors of the injector variety?

Also, I love "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." Sounds like something either an engineer or architect would say. And it reminds me of the old joke about the French philosopher (or mathematician, depending on who tells the joke) who dismissed ideas that "worked in practice, but not in theory!"

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I used injectors for a long time before I was seduced by the cartridge buzz..

Now that I understand the Types, I know that I was using a Type L for many years, and then a Type M. IIRC, they were both pretty mild, although the Type M (adjustable) when opened up could be a little aggressive.

I currently use a Type I2 (Hydro-magic) and I've become very quickly comfortable with using it (once my feeble brain and muscle memory realized that this is not a cart, and no pressure is the watchword!). Nice compact form, and highly recommended.

I am in the market for a Type G1, a "birth year" razor, and I'll be interested in its aggressiveness as compared to the I2. From what I've read here, it should be comparable.

There are older vintage Schicks out there but (for the moment!) my RAD will be satisfied by the G1.

My signature tag line comes from Yogi Berra. Yogi and Mark Twain provide sage advice on a wide range of topics that guide my life

1912 on ebay or etsy. Damaskeenes are neatest of this family, IMHO.

mjclark said:

Also with those Valets, if you can get some NOS Valet blades and condition the strop properly, the system works great in the 21st Century but we're starting to get into some very deep water now...

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Care to elaborate, or point me in the right direction? A couple of my Auto Strops came with strops that are in useable condition, and one included a fair number of NOS blades.

Not being a straight razor guy, I know nothing about conditioning a strop. So far, all I've done is apply some mink oil. I've toyed with the idea of trying the NOS blades, but haven't yet gotten up the courage to actually do it.

--Bob

Lap the strop with 600 grit w/d sandpaper, soak overnight in skin moisturiser or ASB, wipe off the excess with paper towels then paste the strop by painting on a thin dilution of ferric oxide powder (obtainable from ebay) in mineral oil. Let it all soak in for 24hrs and your good to go.

And if those NOS blades are still properly sealed and uncorroded, you will find them stroppable and far superior to Feathers

With it's OEM blades, the Valet gives absolutely amazing shaves...and it's the razor Winston Churchill used during WW2.

Great thread. I was about to start my own, because I've been having some SE curiosity myself, but I learned quite a bit right here. I think I'm falling in love with my NEW LC, and anything with a toothy grin is beginning to look appealing to me.

mjclark said:

Lap the strop with 600 grit w/d sandpaper, soak overnight in skin moisturiser or ASB, wipe off the excess with paper towels then paste the strop by painting on a thin dilution of ferric oxide powder (obtainable from ebay) in mineral oil. Let it all soak in for 24hrs and your good to go.

And if those NOS blades are still properly sealed and uncorroded, you will find them stroppable and far superior to Feathers

With it's OEM blades, the Valet gives absolutely amazing shaves...and it's the razor Winston Churchill used during WW2.

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Thanks - thats great info!

By "lap" you mean to rub lightly, correct? ASB?

The blades appear to be properly sealed - except for the one I opened, which shows no signs of corrosion. They seem to be coated with some sort of protective grease.

I have to admit that I was disappointed with the Feather blades. They're not as sharp as I was expecting (based on my experience with their DE blades), they only last about 3 shaves, and they're pricey.

I get better shaves with a modified Gem blade, but they can only be used in a VC1 or earlier model.

Interesting bit of trivia re Churchill.



--Bob

Yeah, just abrade the strop lightly with the 600 grit.

And those blades look good to go. I went through a phase of buying up as many NOS Valet blades as I could find - they really are superb.

And I agree about Feathers. You can also get Feather Seikan blades which are carbon steel and blued so they are stroppable but nowwhere near as sharp and smooth as the OEM Valet blades.

Another good bit of trivia is that Feather was founded in Japan by German ex-POWs after WW1. They made a Japanese Valet clone, which is why their SE blades are compatible.

In their advertising, Valet claim a longevity of 50+ shaves for one of their properly stropped blades.
I don't know anyone who's actually put this to the test, but again it puts the Feathers to shame eh?

I have around 40 of the Valet blades, so I guess that means I'm set for the next 5 years or so.

Thanks again for all the info.

--Bob

mjclark said:

Lap the strop with 600 grit w/d sandpaper, soak overnight in skin moisturiser or ASB, wipe off the excess with paper towels then paste the strop by painting on a thin dilution of ferric oxide powder (obtainable from ebay) in mineral oil. Let it all soak in for 24hrs and your good to go.

And if those NOS blades are still properly sealed and uncorroded, you will find them stroppable and far superior to Feathers

With it's OEM blades, the Valet gives absolutely amazing shaves...and it's the razor Winston Churchill used during WW2.

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Happy to announce that my new Valet is just a beauty, with original (and intact, if stiff) strop and cardboard box and carry case and even instruction booklet. I'll post good pics tomorrow or Tuesday, after my 1912 Ever Ready arrives. But I still have questions about the strop, so I am responding to this post of @mjclark to get more info.

Sorry...I know Google is my friend, and I figured out what w/d sandpaper was myself. But, I am at a loss about ASB...Google didn't help at all, offering only (for everyone's amusement and my chagrin):

Anti-social Behavior
American Saddlebred
Alien Space Bats
Ashgabat Airport in Turkmenistan
the Anti-social Behavior Act (UK)
Asymbescaline (a lesser known psychedelic drug...are we getting closer?)
AJAX Service Bus (a sofware construct)
Apostilb (an old unit of luminance)
Alt.sex.bondage (a Usenet group)
Asociación de Scouts de Bolivia
Advanced stop box
Aarhus School of Business (Denmark)
Ancell School of Business (CT)
Associated Student Body
Australian School of Business
Accouting Standards Board (UK)
ASB Bank (NZ)
Auditing Standards Board
American Savings Bank (HI)
Archives of Sexual Behavior (a peer-reviewed academic journal)
Alternative Service Book (Church of England)

...

and that's it.

I gather we are talking about an emollient, since you mention it as an alternative to skin moisturiser, but just what is it, exactly? Also, I am a little curious about the use of the sandpaper and the ferric oxide powder solution. My instruction booklet mentions that the strop has distinct smooth and rough sides, and that the smooth side only is to be used for stropping...so:

what is the rough side for, if anything?
why would I want to roughen _either_ side (except to allow the various solutions to seep in)
what is the iron solution for, and in particular will I make the strop less good a strop if the (only?) working side is roughened/toughened up?

Thanks and best regards to all,

a smitten stropper...

Ha ha:
After Shave Balm

The rough side of the strop is simply the untreated rough side.

Lapping the smooth side creates much finer abrasions which flatten and smooth the leather more.

The ferric oxide intended for strop pastes has a particle size of approx 0.3 microns, giving a light smoothing and sharpening effect on the blade's edge.

And thanks guys - this thread has inspired me to break out my VC2 for tomorrow morning's shave

It's so difficult to apply Auditing Standards Board evenly across the strop. And the conditioning effect almost seems like a placebo.

mjclark said:

Ha ha:

The ferric oxide intended for strop pastes has a particle size of approx 0.3 microns, giving a light smoothing and sharpening effect on the blade's edge.

And thanks guys - this thread has inspired me to break out my VC2 for tomorrow morning's shave

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I figured out ASB, although I'm not sure what scent to use. English Leather?

I ordered "Red Iron Oxide 1oz .1 Micron Strop Powder" which I found on Amazon. Would I be correct in assuming that this may require a few more laps on the strop than the .3 micron size, but should ultimately result in an even finer edge?

Finally, roughly what sort of ratio is used when mixing the iron oxide and mineral oil?

TIA for all your help.

--Bob

The 0.1u ferric oxide will be absolutely perfect. The particle size is usually quoted as 0.1~0.3u so it's the same grade.

Use a tiny amount to mix in with mineral oil to form a thin brick red paste. Although it seems counterintuitive, the thinner the coating on the strop, the more effective it is.

And watch out, that stuff gets everywhere. You'll be cleaning ferric oxide off the light switches and cup handles for weeks to come

Per your preference to OC DE’s I would suggest like others have said a Gem MMOC. Also, a basic Gem 1912 or for a few dollars more a Gem Demaskeene…
If you really find SE shaving to your liking and have more money to throw at it, an Every Ready IMHO is the best SE around.

American Strop Company (amazing that there is such a thing, somehow!) would appear to be located in Idaho, and is here online:

http://www.americanstrop.com/

They suggest their Green Chromium Strop Powder for leather strops, and their (finer) Red Iron Oxide for balsa (!?) strops. Each is $9.99, or you can get both for $16.99...live and learn.

I see some of this stuff in my immediate future...

and yeah, a Micromatic is on my list, as is a Damakeene...the Ever Ready arrives tomorrow...

And finally, for the erudite (which obviously didn't include me before!)

Wordnik https://www.wordnik.com/words/lap tells us:

• transitive v. To polish (a surface) until smooth.
• transitive v. To hone (two mating parts) against each other until closely fitted.

1912 Ever Ready arrived today, looks fine, soaking in the dish soap now. Pictures tomorrow. Strop has had its first taste of pure neatsfoot oil and thirsts for more.

OK, here are pics. The droplets you see on the blade cover are from my just having shaved with her. I realize there is nothing in the least unusual about the razor...just a garden variety 1912, right?

I shaved using a vintage, Gem Blue Star I found in one of my father's many, many little hiding places. I thought they were just paint scrapers, but the same blade showed up on Toothpick's stock list for the Blade Exchange, so I chanced it.

First impressions...a religious experience, almost. It feels different from using a DE blade, that's for sure. My shave was very, very close, two little weepers but no big deal...interesting to feel the blade cut through the whiskers...a very agreeable sound. Is it for me? Too early to tell, but I will keep working away at it, especially once I get some newer Gems (does anyone know if Toothpick's are PTFE coated, or just stainless?)