1/2 DE Blade Holder for GEM 1912

A member on B&B came up with this absolutely BRILLIANT trick in 2009 - he was poo-pooed. I 'bumped' the thread in May, and am reproducing the original post here in the hope of giving MEN another reason to love the GEM 1912. My 'research' already led me to believe that the 1912, whether GEM, GEM Junior, STAR, or Ever-Ready is the perfect marriage of style and function. It is more than arguable that all safety razor design has been downhill ever since. Using this simple 'trick', you can use your 1912 with the 1/2 DE Blade of your choice - the better news is that it is in no way a compromise in shave quality - it's as good as any shave from any razor IME. I have found that the cheap, ubiquitous DERBY is a fine match in the 1912 using this method. I have found that I can get 3 faceturbation quality shaves from half a DERBY - whereas 4 is my limit for a DERBY in a DE razor. In perhaps a unique case of YM not V-ing, the original inventor also likes DERBY in the 1912.To me it just means that the 1912 is a better design than most DE razors. I will make an exception for the YUMA, because I have been known to go the YUMA for touchups when nothing else will work, but a Yuma has nothing on a 1912 for looks or build quality. My flare tip Super Speed is built like a toy compared to the 1912. The bottom line: the 1912 SE variants are superb razors even a century later. Shitloads were produced and finding a 'nice' one for $10 is easy. A great thing gets even better when you realize that you have no reason to be limited in your blade choices. I really believe this is the ultimate cheapskate solution that works unbelievably well! It's just WIN WIN WIN - quality, looks, price - get busy, Spuds!

Making a DE blade holder for your GEM 1912 razor

Have you ever wished you could use your favorite DE blade in a SE razor?

Here is what I've come up with:

MATERIALS: 2 SE blades, epoxy and a little patience.

STEP 1: Carefully remove the spines from both blades. Do this by gently, by prying the spines away from the blades with a small screwdriver or knife. Try not to bend the blades or damage the spines. Pry them away only enough to get the blades out.

STEP 2: Carefully place the blades together face to face. This should be a tight fit without space between the faces of the blades. Flip the blades arround and try to get them to match perfectly. If the blades are bowed or bent start over.

STEP 3: Apply a THIN coat of epoxy from the sharp edge right up to (NOT BEYOND) the notch on the inside face of one of the blades. Lay a piece of paper on the area beyond the epoxy and stick the blades together face to face. The paper will keep the epoxy from moving toward the back of the blade.

Step 4: Keeping both blades together (and all edges even) slide the SHARP EDGE side into one of the spines. Make sure it goes all the way in and keep all edges lined up. Crimp it tight with pliers and remove the paper blotter from between the blades as the epoxy sets.

When the epoxy has set you're ready to go. Snap your favorite DE blade in half (ALWAYS leave the blade in the wrapper when snapping, to avoid embarrassing wounds to fingers and possible splinters in the eyes) and carefully slide it into your new holder. The epoxy acts as a stop. Put the whole thing into a GEM 1912 style razor and start shaving.

This won't work with early 1914s or the Micromatics, but if you snap the little tabs off the ends of your half DE blade it works incredibly well in the 1924 "Shovelhead."

What can I say... I really love my GEMS.