djundjila

Stag + forest hike sounds like a good mix. I was bicycling in the forest with Djunior today, but I wasn't as well integrated as you :)

GEM Days 1b/14: 1912/Star Cadet/Junior/Damaskeene – Sun 17 Nov 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Papa Eld with Declaration Grooming B3
• Razor: Ever Ready - 1912 (with iconic chain link handle)
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Lavanille
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux – Pure Lavender

Second shave with a patent 1912 razor, this time with a US-made Ever-Ready 1912 with the iconic art deco / chain link handle introduced in 1927. It's a very simple razor head made from just a few pieces of bent sheets of brass (and possibly steel for the spring), but this razor was produced for almost 50 years for a reason. This simple design gives great shaves and must have been very cost competitive to produce compared to later models, which all involve deep drawn, cast, or machined pieces.

It is telling that this first and simplest GEM razor also had the longest run. Over the next two weeks we'll visit its more and more complicated and technically brilliant cousins, but not successors. It will survive them all.

Lavanille and Pure Lavender are a fantastic combo.

This was shave two of my run through all 14 generations of GEM-style razors.

1. 1906-1953: GEM 1912/Star Cadet/Junior/Damaskeene ← We are here
   • FLS
2. 1914-1927: 1914
3. 1924-1933: Shovelhead †
4. 1930-1932: Micromatic Open Comb Gen 1 (Bumpless baseplate)
5. 1932-1941: Micromatic Open Comb Gen 2 (double-edge Micromatic GEM blades)
6. 1940-1943: Micromatic Clog-Pruf
7. 1945-1946: Micromatic Clog-Pruf Peerless
8. 1947-1950: Micromatic Flying Wing/Bullet Tip, with guiding eye until 1948, with plastic knob in the last year
9. 1949-1953: GEM Jewel/Streamline/Ambassador (The beginning of the end IMHO)
10. 1950: New GEM Feather Weight, renamed to "Slim-V Flat Top" in 1953, British version sold as "Natural Angle" by Ever-Ready
11. 1955: GEM V-Slim "Heavy Flat Top" (G-Bar, shiny chrome), New V Natural Angle Heavy Flat Top (E-Bar, less shiny nickel)
12. 1958-1965: Push Button
13. 1965-1973: Contour
14. 1973-1979: Countour II (The last GEM razor)

Oh, that's a pity! Pomona smells so nice

Perfect! I'm missing a Damaskeene in my DEM (GEN? It's difficult to make a GEM + den portmanteau.).

GEM Days 1/14: 1912/Junior/Cadet/Damaskeene – Sun 17 Nov 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Papa Eld with Declaration Grooming B3
• Razor: Star – Cadet
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: Abbate Y La Mantia – Verbena Toscana
• Post Shave: №4711 – Echt Kölnisch Wasser
• Fragrance: Farina – 1709

I'm doing a run through all 14 generations of GEM-style razors from 1906, when the 1912 started production to 1979 when the conveyor belt rolled out last Contour II. For the purposes of this run, I'm defining the 14 generations as follows:

1. 1906-1953: GEM 1912/Star Cadet/Junior/Damaskeene ← We are here
2. 1914-1927: 1914
3. 1924-1933: Shovelhead †
4. 1930-1932: Micromatic Open Comb Gen 1 (Bumpless baseplate)
5. 1932-1941: Micromatic Open Comb Gen 2 (double-edge Micromatic GEM blades)
6. 1940-1943: Micromatic Clog-Pruf
7. 1945-1946: Micromatic Clog-Pruf Peerless
8. 1947-1950: Micromatic Flying Wing/Bullet Tip, with guiding eye until 1948, with plastic knob in the last year
9. 1949-1953: GEM Jewel/Streamline/Ambassador (The beginning of the end IMHO)
10. 1950: New GEM Feather Weight, renamed to "Slim-V Flat Top" in 1953, British version sold as "Natural Angle" by Ever-Ready
11. 1955: GEM V-Slim "Heavy Flat Top" (G-Bar, shiny chrome), New V Natural Angle Heavy Flat Top (E-Bar, less shiny nickel)
12. 1958-1965: Push Button
13. 1965-1973: Contour
14. 1973-1979: Countour II (The last Gem Razor)

† Still in production by u/EldrormR Industries – GEM Division.

All dates in the list above come from the American Safety Razor Dating Chart here. I hope they are accurate, but haven't double-checked anything.

This is an opinionated list for at least four reasons: 1) The Damaskeene (open-comb 1912) is different enough from later tyical 1912s to deserve it's own day, but I don't have one. 2) The British 1909 isn't on the list because I have never seen one in the wild. 3) there are three generations of Jewels, but I only have the one, and finally 4) there are images floating around the interwebs of an adjustable GEM Pushbutton, but it's a kind of a phantom and I'm not sure it ever was more than a prototype.

The 1912

The first GEM razor, and also my gateway into the SE Cult. In 2021, u/Semaj3000 recommended me to try a 1912 at first, because they are good shavers and cheap. Specifically, he recommended me to trawl French eBay for the Star version called "Cadet", because the Bakelite cases of the day had blade banks with the French inscription "lames", which amused him. As you can see in the SOTD picture, I followed his advice and indeed found a razor and case in great condition. Since I never fall halfway into a rabbit hole, I also ended up getting a British-made 1912 which came with NOS contemporary Corrux blades with the fun Ever-Ready maskot, and a pretty US-made one with the iconic art deco "chain-link" handle. Back then u/Semaj3000 and u/VisceralWatch were at peak vintage razor thrill, and I learned a lot about GEM razors in a hurry from them.

This first GEM razor has already half of what I consider the genius of this line of razors: Unlike DE razors with a single degree of freedom in their clamping mechanism, the 1912 has two springs, one clamping the blade down, and one pushing on the spine, firmly locking the edge in place against the blade stops. This is why GEM razors always have an absolutely reproducible exposure and gap, regardless of the geometric tolerances of GEM blades, unlike DE razors and all modern GEM razors.

The shave

Once you get the hang of GEM razors (which is easy), the 1912 gives great shaves to the sound of buttering toast. Verbena Toscana is a lovely summery scent, and I really like the AYLM hard soap base. 4711 and Farina are lovely, but they don't last very long.

the Flying Wing is another example of a design that never needed changing.

Speaking of designs that didn't need changing, I'm doing a run through the 14 generations of GEMs over the next 14 days, starting tomorrow, and will compare and contrast their designs. You're more than welcome to join, tomorrow is the 1912/Cadet/Junior/Damaskeene's turn

Still warm and comfy Sat 16 Nov 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving exclusive MOAR BADGER (Silvertip)
• Razor: Thiers Issard 14 Médaille d'Or 1921 Exposition d'Algier Acier Spécial (7/8", extra hollow, square point, carbon steel)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Nocturne
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Pomona

I enjoyed this morning's Nocturne shave so much I had to partially repeat it. As predicted (and entirely unsurprisingly), Pomona is a great pairing for Nocturne.

I love the zing version, and I was always a bit sceptical when I read Will's comments complaining about it being too smokey. What does he mean, this smells great!

Now I get it what he was going for, because the sweet warmth of the apples comes through so well here. It's really lovely, the kind of fall fragrance that smells delicious without being cloying. It's a corner of the equilateral Pomona-Autumn Ash-Nocturne triangle, and right down my alley. I love gourmand scents in cold weather, so no surprise there.

For Warmth and Comfort Sat 16 Nov 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving exclusive MOAR BADGER (Silvertip)
• Razor: Thiers Issard 14 Médaille d'Or 1921 Exposition d'Algier Acier Spécial (7/8", extra hollow, square point, carbon steel)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Nocturne
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Nocturne
• Fragrance: Tom Ford – Tobacco Vanille

Nocturne ♥

I've bought and enjoyed the zing/BaM collaboration version early in my wetshaving journey before I stopped using zing products (with a few exceptions), and when Will brought Nocturne back as a full BaM I happily jumped on the opportunity. The difference between the two fragrances is pretty clear, with less smoke in the BaM version. I really dig it. The warm apple scent is much more front and centre, not entirely unlike Pomona. With international shipping prices being what they are, getting samples of things doesn't often make financial sense, so I'm delighted when a blind buy like this turns out exactly like I hoped.

After discussing TI steels with u/FireDragonMonkey I wanted to use my TI 14 today, and it's such a pleasant razor, despite all its battle scars. All the pitting is cosmetic and the edge is soft-feeling and smooth. It reminds me of the Wade and Butcher blade feel. Less loud than many other 14s, I suspect the grind it a bit thicker. I can't tell whether I prefer the newer high carbon C135 TI steel or the vintage steel they used to use. but both can clearly take a great edge (Although it takes me longer to sharpen the newer ones. I'm not sure if it holds the edge longer, but it would stand to reason)

I smell delicious.

Valedictorian ++;

I'm considering a run through all GEM razors. I've been planning one for a while, but it's a 14 shave commitment

Nice work!

I've done the same to two Rubberset 400s and a Moar Boar with a bad knot. I used approximately the same process as you for the Rubbersets, and also marred the ferrule, but upgraded my setup for the Moar Boar and I have worked out two recommendations for anyone trying to do this (or you if you do this again)

1. Use a vise or something to position the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner next to the handle. It catches the dust, and lets you see mutch better what you're doing (and clean-up is easier, too, but doing it outside is still smart). Seeing better makes it easier not to hit the ferrule and gives more confidence while milling.
2. If you wrap the handle (especially the ferrule) in thick layers of cardboard and masking tape, you can hold the handle in a vise (still be careful not to crush it), and you won't mar the ferrule if you accidentally touch it with the mill bit.

Pictures of my process are here

Next up for me is going to be extracting the shitknot of my Mühle Purist.