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Post by PJGH on May 10, 2014 6:53:08 GMT -6
Ooh! What's this? Inside ... ... and finally, let's have a close-up of The Whetter. So, the questions ... Do you think the soap is worth using? I don't want to peel off the top (which is already very flakey and crumbling) if the soap is a dud. You can see from the close-up that it has a grainy texture. What advice can folks offer about bringing back an old soap. Is it safe? Does soap go off? It smells clean and soapy and not at all off - do the animal fats go rancid over time, or does the saponification (is that the word?) render that no longer possible? I suppose I could always pop the soap out and use the bowl with a nice, new soap. It's a rather special bowl ... what the oldest, most traditional soap out there on the market? I'm rather thinking a fresh puck of Mitchell's, but I already have a nice dish for their soap.
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Post by PJGH on May 10, 2014 7:18:45 GMT -6
Brainwave! Flip the soap over and have a go from the underside ... ... thick, very thick, white, creamy lather! It smells clean and fresh, very old-fashioned. After a tentative spread over my cheek, it doesn't feel odd and washed off, the smell lingers ... very old-fashioned. So, I guess if my face doesn't swell up that afternoon, I'll give it a go this evening ... with my Rolls Razor.
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SharpSpine
Master Shaver
My Flavor Sabre
Posts: 1,151
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Post by SharpSpine on May 10, 2014 7:54:58 GMT -6
Many people use vintage soaps regularly. It's old creams creams that can go bad. Soaps keep pretty well.
I say give it a go. It will most likely perform very well.
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Post by mjclark on May 10, 2014 9:52:57 GMT -6
Yeah go for it
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Post by PJGH on May 10, 2014 12:15:06 GMT -6
Right ... I'm going to pick the very degraded top cover off and give it a proper test lathering.
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Post by mjclark on May 10, 2014 12:28:46 GMT -6
Game on!
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Post by PJGH on May 10, 2014 12:58:58 GMT -6
Hmmm ... after several minutes picking and picking and picking, I lost my rag and dunked the soap under running hot water. Well, blow me down, the cover simply disappeared! I guess it was some sort of gelatine coating to permit the stamp without inking the soap. Test lathering went very well indeed! ... which turned into my daily shave.
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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 May 10, 2014 15:41:19 GMT -6
Excellent! I would have used it in a heartbeat!
Vey attractive tub also.
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Post by mjclark on May 10, 2014 16:01:45 GMT -6
Awesome shaving time travel! You have freed the Rolls genie Paul, so you will surely get three wishes What's the scent like?
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Post by HoosierTrooper on May 10, 2014 18:17:29 GMT -6
That is flat out awesome, I don't recall ever seeing Rolls soap before. Although I'm a huge fan of vintage soaps, it's what I use almost exclusively, I don't believe I would have used that one. I don't doubt it's an excellent product, but what are the chances of ever finding another one?
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Post by PJGH on May 11, 2014 2:18:01 GMT -6
Indeed, although that is the very reason I decided to use it. It's of no use to me otherwise. Marcus - it smells clean and fresh, old-fashioned. How old do we think this is? I'm going to guess 1950s ... Waits shows a picture from 1937 with the same bowl, but the packaging looks quite different. Here's a couple of leaflets showing the accessories: ... so, a stick to find, too. I've got some replacement blades in bakelite containers and a metal container. The mirror looks fairly generic.
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Post by mjclark on May 11, 2014 4:33:00 GMT -6
Wow! You could have a complete Rolls shaving kit Paul! I've just acquired one of those bakelite blade cases and another blade myself. All this stuff is just laying out there waiting to be reactivated
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Post by PJGH on May 11, 2014 10:03:02 GMT -6
I've just acquired one of those bakelite blade cases and another blade myself. So have I ... you didn't just buy the same one I did, did you? My latest ... ... just needs to arrive now. I have two bakelite blade cases, both blades with issues. I have two working blades, one in the Imperial and one in the Viscount. There are two colours of bakelite - one is almost red, one very dark near black. The metal blade case dates back to the early ones, I think. If I could find a brush, I'd be very happy. I reckon I could find a new mirror with that design. Stick, even just the case would be lovely.
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Post by mjclark on May 11, 2014 11:03:50 GMT -6
My bakelite case and blade came off the bay this morning. I already have 3 blades, two with perfect edges and one has a nick in it but this doesn't materially affect the shave. I have an Imperial with a leather strop, and a Viscount with a chipboard strop. Both sets are modded with lapping film and feox paste. One of my blades came in a cardboard box - I've not seen one of these elsewhere I have nothing but respect for the Whetter. He's honing that blade on the floor, naked and not actually looking at what he's doing but instead gazing at the sky enraptured. Perhaps that is the correct way to hone Rolls blades. I like to think that whenever anyone anywhere opens the case of a Rolls razor, the Whetter is there bringing aid and protection
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Post by PJGH on May 11, 2014 15:09:44 GMT -6
In other news, I just pulled an empty Erasmic bowl off t'Bay ... Great! Since a pal on another forum sent me a puck of Erasmic, gratis as an extra in a razor swap and ... the bowl cracked in the post. No drama! It's a new puck, new bowl and almost no monetary value. The puck will drop into this perfectly.
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