Valet Auto-strop

I picked this up for some change at an antique mall in Ohio's Amish country. Can anyone tell me what I have found? The box is not in great shape, but the razor and the blade seem fantastic. The leather strop is not brittle, but I'm not sure if I should unroll it.
I also acquired a Gem OCMM in plastic yellow gem travel case with cloth and original warranty card, and a really really old Gillette 3 piece in a case. Will post that pic later.
Any info is appreciated.
thanks

Mate it's known as the VC4 recognisable by the safety bar...

http://www.stropper.com/home/stropp...select2=&select3=&select4=&select5=&select6=0

It'll take the original blades if ya want to strop them and also Feather SE blades...

http://connaughtshaving.com/fhs5.html

Dave-the-rave said:

Mate it's known as the VC4 recognisable by the safety bar...

http://www.stropper.com/home/stropp...select2=&select3=&select4=&select5=&select6=0

It'll take the original blades if ya want to strop them and also Feather SE blades...

http://connaughtshaving.com/fhs5.html

Click to expand...

Thank you! The blade that is in it looks like new condition. Is it safe to use that blade or does it need to be replaced

It'll be safe to use as long as it's not rusty or damaged. Have a look on You Tube for clips showing the strop being used. There's a fair few threads on this Forum about them and how to rejuvenate the strop. I haven't used the strop myself as I don't have one.

Nice find! Invest in some Feather blades for Valet and shave away!

Nice score. Congrats.

I have held it. The razor looks like some kind of medieval torture device. I am thankful that razors have evolved.

bkbrewer said:

I have held it. The razor looks like some kind of medieval torture device. I am thankful that razors have evolved.

Click to expand...

Yes it does!

I like to leave an Auto-Strop in my shaving stand when I have house guests. It invariably elicits a "What on earth is that thing?" and they are amazed to find that I actually shave with it.

--Bob

How does it rate on the mild/aggressive or smoothness scale?

I'm not sure about the VC4 but the Valets that I have are adjustable with a little lever at the top of the handle / underneath the head. My experience is that they range from very mild to medium aggressive. I like the original blades (can be found on eBay sometimes) and I strop mine. A word about stropping: if you try and go too quickly, you'll wind up chopping the strop in half..
The good news is that it's easy to make your own with a piece of scrqp leather and some iron oxide...

gdgeorge said:

I'm not sure about the VC4 but the Valets that I have are adjustable with a little lever at the top of the handle / underneath the head. My experience is that they range from very mild to medium aggressive. I like the original blades (can be found on eBay sometimes) and I strop mine. A word about stropping: if you try and go too quickly, you'll wind up chopping the strop in half..
The good news is that it's easy to make your own with a piece of scrqp leather and some iron oxide...

Click to expand...

Thank you. I'm sure I can find the info on making a strop on here somewhere. The Tandy Leather company corporate is down the road and I'm sure I can get some scrap leather there.

Larogers said:

Thank you. I'm sure I can find the info on making a strop on here somewhere. The Tandy Leather company corporate is down the road and I'm sure I can get some scrap leather there.

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That's what I did.

Went to the local leather shop talked to the lady and showed her one of the originals and she picked me out a few nice pieces from her scraps bin. I took them and cut them to size. Made some for my Rolls Razors too. I have different ones with various types and grades of polish and dressings I swap out with the Rolls

Work great!

The originals are usually pretty sad shape, even NOS ones are pretty stiff and dried out after all these years. A good fresh piece of leather works better than trying to revive a long dead one.

I shaved with one of mine this morning. The new razor blades (Feathers) work great in most Valets, but there are a few that won't accept the Feathers. Here's a thread I started a long time ago that will give you a lot of info on them( http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/327814-January-for-AutoStrops ). I think they're among the best razors around. That's why Gillette bought them out... to get rid of a viable competitor

Here is my VC2 that I got with two Valet blades.

Um, side hinged blade holders and safety bar indicate that your razor is a VC4. A VC2 has an open comb and a blade holder hinged across the top. Nice looking razor.

--Bob

Oops didn't mean to post in this thread.

Did my first pass of today's shave with this one today. WOW!!! It is more aggressive than it looks!!! Smooth but aggressive. I also can tell the blade needs a little touch up on a strop, but overall it was a really cool experience.
Not nearly as aggressive as my GEM Micromatic OC. that thing will shave the bark off a tree!!!

If you're using the original blades, try a little bit of Iron Oxide powder on the surface of your strop. I mix mine with a touch of Fromm's, but I'll bet Lubriderm woild work as well.