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Post by PJGH on Apr 2, 2014 14:53:15 GMT -6
... just pulled the trigger on this little fellow: Yeah, bit tatty, but that's how I like 'em. Hopefully it's mechanically sound and will clean up okay. Now, will it shave? I can drop a GEM into it, right? Just pull the spine off and the cut outs will fit into the gate, clamp shut and crack on ... I think those two studs/buttons where the blade would appear to clamp in come out sideways, a little like the Valet VC4, blade goes in and then you clamp it shut. They appear to be in line with the cutouts at the back of a GEM. I hope ... EDIT: Finally found a picture of the back ... ... I've seen these before and I'm sure I've seen a GEM blade in 'em. Looks hopeful.
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Post by wchnu on Apr 2, 2014 19:12:59 GMT -6
I have no idea. I am looking forward to seeing how it works out for you!!
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norfolkdick
Master Shaver
Captain of the Razor Blades
Posts: 1,601
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Post by norfolkdick on Apr 3, 2014 0:30:19 GMT -6
Greetings
That's an interesting razor and one you rarely see, I have never read a report on how they shave, so I look forward to yours. I surmise they had a very limited production run as they hardly ever seem to 'surface'
A good find!
Regards Dick.
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Post by mjclark on Apr 3, 2014 1:39:04 GMT -6
Ooh! Does the bottom of the handle unscrew? Nice!!
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Post by PJGH on Apr 3, 2014 2:44:43 GMT -6
I believe the bottom of the handle is a screw and will tighten up the head, much akin to the Wilkinson Sword Empire. It does look to be a (potentially) good one, so long as some blades work - I think Feathers might be another idea since they have the same cutouts at the back corners. My concern is the clips on the razor and whether they seat neatly behind the blade to keep it in place.
Meanwhile, if anyone happens across pictures of a loaded blade, particularly the back, showing the blade itself I would be very grateful.
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Post by PJGH on Apr 3, 2014 3:17:24 GMT -6
Nothing to do with early (Gillette) 7 O'Clocks, apparently, this is an Autostrop Safety Razor Co. Ltd. razor and a different design to the US made (and later British made) ASRs which we know more readily as Valets.
So, now I know it's related to the Valet, I am every hopeful that modern Feathers will fit. Fingers crossed!
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papabear
Blade King
Looking for one that is just right
Posts: 465
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Post by papabear on Apr 3, 2014 6:32:32 GMT -6
I'm sitting on pins and needles. Keep us posted. That is a neat looking Autostrop cousin.
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Post by mjclark on Apr 3, 2014 7:14:19 GMT -6
7 O'Clock was a British manufacturer bought out by Gillette. Is this not a British model which predates the buy out?
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Post by PJGH on Apr 3, 2014 9:36:14 GMT -6
7 O'Clock was a British manufacturer bought out by Gillette. Is this not a British model which predates the buy out? This 7 O'Clock is a trademark owned by AutoStrop, not a brand name or company name: www.trademarkia.com/trademark-details.aspx?name=map/7-oclock&tid=71078296Granted, AutoStrop were ultimately bought by Gillette, along with companies like Probak and 7 O'Clock. I think it is co-incidence. In terms of typology, the distinction is between "7 o'clock" (ASR) and "7 O'Clock" (Gillette). More reading and research needed; Waits is pretty light on the matter, but this thread on Gillette has some snippets in there, some of which may be red-herrings: badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/294023-Gillette-Company-History-Geek-Out/page9From what I have read, 7 O'Clock was a small company in Sheffield, England, incorporated into Gillette during the '30s. 7 o'clock as a trademark was used by ASR and subsequently dropped, perhaps once Valet had established itself and commenced production in Britain.
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Post by mjclark on Apr 3, 2014 9:45:36 GMT -6
Like the man in the orthopaedic shoes said... I stand corrected Fascinating stuff...
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RocketMan
Gem Star
RazorAddict
Welcome To The Sharp Side!
Posts: 4,167
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Post by RocketMan on Apr 4, 2014 23:32:45 GMT -6
Great thread. Im looking forward to hearing how this works out regarding which blade will fit. I havent been close to one so I know very little about this razor.
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Post by PJGH on Apr 5, 2014 7:10:46 GMT -6
Good afternoon, friends ... well, it arrived this morning, so I'm going to walk you through the razor and have a little play with blades in the sequence I did upon its arrival. Enjoy Upon arrival, it looks good! It's just going to want a good clean-up and it'll be a sound razor. ... the blade slides in between two plates which will only accept the blade once the arms are swung open. My guess is that there is a semi-circular lobe on the arm between the plates which clamps the Feather (Valet copy ... remember, this is an AutoStrop, so modern Feathers should work) in place perfectly. Clamped shut and snapped back into shaving position, we have a little problem ... ... but with the arms open and the blade pushed all the way to the back, it's usable: Hmmm ... back to the drawing board. Let's pull out an old de-spined GEM. ... you can see that there is quite a difference in the depth of these two blades. Again, disappointed! I simply could not get the arms closed. Here's why ... ... and so, the GEM snapped in the relevant places to create a similar gap to the Feather. Loaded up, it's not perfect ... ... but it works! So, GEM it is. My usual routine for cleaning is to give the razor a damn good clean with Fairy and a toothbrush. If it is excessively tarnished, it will go into a pan of hot water, tin foil, salt and soda bicarbonate on a gentle boil for a few minutes. This razor seemed good after a wash, so I gave it a scrub with some all purpose metal cleaner and then a deeper scrub with some Peek Polish. Not too shabby, eh? What else do we get? ... a very gentle scrub brought that up reasonably well. But it's the razor I'm most interested in and so, on with a damn good buffing with Peek and a yellow duster ... Blade loaded ... ... the stropping mechanism is curious! ... it's simply a length of leather on the inside of the lid. Glamour shot! ... can't wait to shave with it.
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norfolkdick
Master Shaver
Captain of the Razor Blades
Posts: 1,601
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Post by norfolkdick on Apr 5, 2014 7:43:59 GMT -6
Greetings
How fascinating, so they obviously did take a proprietary blade, that's a damn shame, but at least you will get a shave out of it. I wonder how deep the original blades were because this seems to me what would give the razor it's aggressiveness or lack of it, the distance from the blades edge to the safety bar/comb, I would surmise it was between these two as the feather blade protrudes too far and I suspect will be as fierce as hell whilst the GEM is a trifle short and may be super mild, what do you think Paul?
Interesting that there are no blade stops, I take it with the screw at the base of the handle screwed up the blade cannot lift up and slice your nose half off!!
A great find and lovely little snapshot of shaving history even if it turns out to be an awful shave with the blades available today. It would be wonderful to see just one original blade even if it was unusable, perhaps you might eventually find one.
Regards Dick.
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Post by PJGH on Apr 5, 2014 11:16:18 GMT -6
Yes, the nut at the end of the handle clamps the top down solid. Upon release it can then be snapped open. It's not flappy, like the Wilkinson Sword Empires, more like the GEM/ER 1912 cap.
Regarding the blades, the GEM sits about right, certainly in comparison to, say, the 1912. I'll know when I shave with it. I can push the Feather back a little further if I leave the arms open - it's do-able, but not pretty. Likewise, I could make a little gain with the GEM by fashioning a shim to sit into the side slots that just protrude beyond the blade plates if the blade is pulled as far forward as it can be, or into the central hole of the blade. Pulled as far forward as it can be, it's about the same as the Feather pushed as far back. Alternatively, the cut-out on the Feather could be extended towards the blade which would permit the blade to be pushed all the way to the back.
I'll kick off with the GEM and see how it goes ... trying with another dead blade, a smaller amount can be cracked off and the blade held in place by the arms with more exposure.
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Post by mjclark on Apr 5, 2014 13:21:56 GMT -6
Looks gorgeous now you've worked your magic Paul! Hope you can get a nice shave out of it
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