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Post by mjclark on Jan 16, 2014 7:20:52 GMT -6
I'm sure this topic has been covered before, but perhaps someone can help me out with this. I have 3 "Made in England" 1912s. They all have a flat top cap. Today I also acquired a US version. Inside the head it says "Ever Ready Brooklyn, New York Made In U.S.A." The top plate is markedly curved and the whole to screw in the handle is smaller in diameter so my English handles won't fit. What is this different variety of US 1912? Is it earlier and does it have another name.
Because I haven't got any handles to fit it, I've popped off the curved top plate on the US model to put on the head of one of the English ones, which seems identical apart from the handle hole diameter. I hear that the models with the curved top plate are great shavers and would be very interested to know what I've got here.
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ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
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Post by ShadowsDad on Jan 16, 2014 22:01:12 GMT -6
Whoops! What I wrote referenced the GEM 1912, so I removed it.
I don't know anything about ER 1912.
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Post by mjclark on Jan 17, 2014 4:57:01 GMT -6
Whoops! What I wrote referenced the GEM 1912, so I removed it. I don't know anything about ER 1912. I'd be very interested to read the info about the GEMs as it may still shed light on this Brooklyn Ever Ready...
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Post by mjclark on Jan 17, 2014 14:23:36 GMT -6
Ok - I know this forum is full of 1912 pundits, so somebody help me out please. How many flavours of 1912 are there? I've seen the Damaskene (with curved top plate), this "Brooklyn, New York" (with curved top plate) and plain "Made In USA/British Made" (with ths flat top plate). I'm guessing the Damaskene came first and the ones with the flat cap came last. Is this correct? And I retapped the hole in the Brooklyn frame so that my British handles fit. The plating on the cap was very ropey so I stripped it down to the brass with some lemon juice and gave it a polish. So here's the Ever Ready 1912 Brooklyn looking good and set for tomorrow morning's shave.
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RocketMan
Gem Star
RazorAddict
Welcome To The Sharp Side!
Posts: 4,167
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Post by RocketMan on Jan 17, 2014 15:14:33 GMT -6
The 1912 patent style was used for a number of years up into the 1920's at least. They were manufactured in Britain and the US so there are likely numerous 'models' of this razor. It might be tricky to nail it all down but not entirely undo able. Perhaps folks would be willing to open up that topic here and contribute what they do know. I think the majority of the work would be using advertisements and digging around. It could be a fairly big task. Don't know for sure.
I like the 1912 style certainly, but have yet to put my thinking cap on a lot about it.
There is certainly knowledge around here though.
I gotta say I,m impressed with the retap. And lemon strips the plating right off or???
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Post by mjclark on Jan 17, 2014 16:49:57 GMT -6
Thanks! The cap on my Brooklyn has that concavely convex thing going on where it's curved and has a dimple in the middle - is that what Damaskeene caps are like? Will it shave like a Damaskeene? I hope so And you're right that it would be a great idea to have a catalogue of 1912s here on TOST. Getting a proper typology for them (as has been done with the Gillettes, Schicks, Valets and Durham Duplex) would be a fine achievement, and should be achievable with the combined collections and knowledge of the members here.
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Post by birdlives on Jan 17, 2014 17:31:07 GMT -6
I would think maybe 'Wait's" would list it? That top looks like the one on my GEM Brooklyn... which is much more aggressive than my Damaskeene...But I really have no idea about the ER....I can't wait to hear the details of your 'Maiden Voyage'...
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Post by sleddog on Jan 17, 2014 23:53:30 GMT -6
I'm a little confused whether you are looking for info on all of the 1912's (Gem, ER, Star) or just the Ever Ready models...(you mentioned the Gem Damaskeene) One of the differences between British and US ER's is that some of the British razors came with aluminum handles, I dont think I have seen a US made razor with an aluminum handle
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Post by mjclark on Jan 18, 2014 1:18:56 GMT -6
I'm a little confused whether you are looking for info on all of the 1912's (Gem, ER, Star) or just the Ever Ready models...(you mentioned the Gem Damaskeene) One of the differences between British and US ER's is that some of the British razors came with aluminum handles, I dont think I have seen a US made razor with an aluminum handle Well info on all the 1912s - GEM and ER etc. Also, since GEM and ER rapidly became the same company, why did they still run production under both brand names? Were GEMs and Ever Readys aimed at different parts of the market - was one high end and the other low end, or did their sets come with different features?
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norfolkdick
Master Shaver
Captain of the Razor Blades
Posts: 1,601
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Post by norfolkdick on Jan 18, 2014 2:45:27 GMT -6
Greetings
I have no idea at all how many different models of 1912's there are but if somebody told me over 50 I would not be in the slightest bit surprised. Apart from the all the different handles by all three of the different makers there are, as you mentioned several slightly different types of head (frame). In the UK ER makes up the bulk of the 1912's made but a very few GEM 1912's were also made and I believe even fewer Stars.
As the company in both countries was USA owned I suspect there were lots of interchanging of surplus parts from one factory to the other across the pond and the use of spare old handles left over from the previous model to the next model.
Good luck with your research!
Regards Dick.
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Post by mjclark on Jan 18, 2014 3:00:53 GMT -6
Yes this is another area where there's still a lot to know, and TOST must have a very rich knowledge base concerning it. Maybe when the companies merged, the original GEM factories still put out GEMs and the Yankee/ER factories put out Ever Readys. Shaved with the ER 1912 Brooklyn this morning and felt the magic at last! I really concentrated on angle and got a great, very noisy, very comfortable shave that's left my face feeling absolutely brilliant. Drumzalot has encouraged me to persevere with SEs, and I'm so glad he did. I hadn't realised that, unlike most DEs that I know, but just like my straights, SEs require very deliberate concentration on angle. This is the key so it's practice practice practice! With some work, this concentration on angle could even unlock the mysteries of the PAL adjustable. I might try the British 1912 tomorrow
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Post by PJGH on Jan 18, 2014 5:44:46 GMT -6
Very interesting! I had completely overlooked this subtle difference and had to check mine out ... On the left, the "Brooklyn New York Made in USA" and on the right, the simple "Made in USA". Differences between each other are: left has the curved head and the right is straight, like the (later?) Made in USA and British Made. In the last picture you can see a slight size difference between the two. Notice also, the lack of branding on the back of the one on the right. Differences against my British Made (and presumably later Made in USA?) are the shorter handle - 6cm, rather than 7cm; single slash at the end of the handle, versus two slashes in my other Ever Readies, including the 1914 and the 1924; smaller thread pitch in the handle thread, matching up with my 1914, but not with any of my other British Made or my "BKLYN.N.Y.U.S.A. PAT.APPD FOR" 1924 which accepts the same handles as my British Made. I also have a GEM Junior with "Brooklyn New York Made in USA" on the inside and it has a flat head, wider thread, long handle and two cuts at the end of the handle. I really must buy this Waits Compendium I keep reading about.
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Post by PJGH on Feb 9, 2014 5:18:10 GMT -6
More confusion ... Curved Head ... British Made Ever Ready.
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Post by mjclark on Feb 9, 2014 7:25:40 GMT -6
More confusion ... Curved Head ... British Made Ever Ready. Hard to fathom - I just got my son a US Ever Ready with a flat head! The science of 1912ology is still in its infancy... ...someone should do a full classification like with those Schicks!
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Post by PJGH on Feb 9, 2014 7:35:40 GMT -6
So, yes ... both flat and curved heads available in British Made and Made in USA.
I'm still leaning towards it being an age thing - curved heads being older, regardless of nationality; you know, like Gillette Techs got simply, thinner and lighter over the decades.
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