GEM Blue Star Blade

DO NOT read this post if you are any kind of 'germ freak' you will LOSE IT!

For everybody else, I hope that you will find this post to be of interest. Some time ago I purchased a GEM 1912 on Ebay because the price was a joke and it had the handle that I was 'missing' and is my favorite, along with the 'ornate' handle:

Nice deal, right? Well yes ... but sometimes when you buy 'used', you get more than you bargained for. Have a look at what was inside when I lifted the lid:

Still with me? USE CAUTION when you receive a used razor! Plenty are shipped with blades inside, but this fucker is on an entirely more horrific level. Top was pretty nasty, right? try the BOTTOM:

HAHAHAHA!

Well, I swapped out that handle that I wanted, and gave the razor to a comrade (Jesus, YES I cleaned the HELL out of it first). The GEM Blue Star blade I kept... I knew it would be an incredible challenge to get it shave ready, but what an achievement! I do believe that I get to say that the EXTREMITY of my CHEAPNESS cannot be questioned, just based on the rehab of this blade.

I have a 'stropping handle' scavenged from a Damaskene boxed set. The razor, although very shiny and gorgeous was fucked because it had a SHA-VE-ZEE blade in it for 90+ years, and because those blades are longer, that spring never had a chance. Thing about the stropping handle though, if you protect the contact area with electrical tape, you can actually use it to HONE SE blades as well. Modern SE blades require 2 pieces of tape for a tight fit in the handle, blades like this Blue Star or the Shamrock one piece, and obviously ER Radio or GEM Damaskeene blades require no tape on the spine to fit tightly in the handle.

Once the blade is honed, it requires only stropping on leather before the shave to produce a couple dozen incredibly satisfying, top quality, off the grid shaves before you will need to touch up. There is very little love out on the boards for the GEM Blue Star, and I agree that out of the box, they, and basically ALL SE blades kind of suck. The good news is you can pretty much hone and strop ANY SE blade to a level of sharpness that makes for awesome shaves!

DE Blade Hack for Shovelhead

Some of you may recall the DE blade hack for the GEM 1912 - I made a few of the things and damned if the way the spring is set up in the 1912 makes wearing it out pretty inevitable. The good news is that the way the spring and head are set up on the ER 1924 will NOT wear out your holder, and the resulting shave is pretty sick! Even if you have the pre-snapped 'saloon blades', you will still need to snap off the little tabs at the ends - in the interest of safety: "if you would a DE blade be snapping, it is wise to leave on the wrapping."

SOTD - Reclaimed Shamrock

I've been enjoying using 'vintage' SE blades for a while now, but today I really wanted to push it. Today's blade reclaim was a rusty if unused American News Company "Shamrock - the lucky shave" blade from 1935. A basic carbon (unblued) blade with notches to fit the Micromatics. The whole process of getting this blade shave ready took about 20 minutes. Here is the process:

HONING:
25 laps 4k stone with slurry
25 laps 4k stone with water
25 laps C12k stone with slurry
50 laps C12k stone with water

STROPPING:
30 laps on shamwow
20 laps on Cr-Ox
20 laps on Fe-Ox
50 laps on newspaper
30 laps on leather.

In the GEM 1912, an incredibly smooth, comfortable, faceturbation shave in 2+ passes. This might seem a lot of trouble, but Hell I find it satisfying! FYI the only reason for the coarse/slurry honing in this case was the rust on the edge that needed removing. The good news is that once you get a blade like this shave ready, all you need to do to maintain it is strop on leather before the shave. You should be able to go a number of weeks before it will need refreshing on the pasted balsa. After that, all you need is 20 laps or so on a C12k followed by the full strop progression.

I have refreshed/reused the following brands of blades, with uniformly excellent and satisfying results:

Treet Carbon
Blue PAL
GEM Blue Star
GEM SS
Ever-Ready
Sha-ve-zee
Shamrock

Talk about stickin' it to the man! Anybody doesn't believe and has some vintage blades - send them to me, don't bin them! I'll send you one back and you can see for yourself!

SOTD x 3

So I ordered some shit from Amazon, but was $5 below the threshold for 'free shipping'. I thought long and hard and settled on the 'big' tube of PRORASO. That's some 'cool' shit right there. A little more money than I'd like to spend, but very high performance - very happy to have it in the rotation.

For the last 3 shaves, I have used the 1912 with one of the 'presnapped' Derby Profesyonel half DE blades. It's pretty crazy but I find I can get 4 great shaves from a whole Derby in a DE razor - and 4 per half Derby in the 1912. Do the math on that! It's a testament to the engineering of the 1912 and the ingenuity of "Tony" who created the blade holder. Haters take note that just about any half DE blade is going to perform better in the 1912 than any of the commercially available SE blades, for the simple reason that a DE blade is actually SHARP. Just try it!

Keepin' it real

One thing you can say about shaving with the marketed brands is that it keeps it real simple, there actually aren't a hell of a lot of choices if you're trying to 'be current'.

There are more dangers than just bleeding when you shave like a MAN. There are so many choices that you can easily spend a TON of money on the various ADs (Acquisition Disorders). Do you know how many kinds of cool/effective razors there are out there? Brushes? Soaps/Creams? Blades? After shaves?

How about the various combinations and permutations thereof?

The good news is that you can indeed keep it real, save money, AND have the closest/best/irritation-free DAILY shaves of your LIFE.

Take Razors: You can spend ridiculous coin on some stupid-assed vintage Gillette 'Fatboy', or just get a Yuma and learn how to drive it. Turn that fucking Fatboy up to 11 and it will not cut closer than a Yuma. Another good DE choice for beginners and experts alike if you can't handle a scabby used razor is the LORD L6, which features 'load-and-go' tolerances for about $10 delivered if you order directly from the vendor on B&B instead of his Ebay store - he will include a variety of blades to get you started. Another ridiculously cheap but wickedly effective razor that is an absolute pleasure to drive would be a 1912, which unlike a Yuma will easily outlast you and your children. Really, really nice minty ones can be easily found for under $15.

Blades: Again, you can spend stupid money and only use Feathers once in your Fatboy, but I have found that really ANY blade works in a Yuma or Lord, some just last longer than others - Any of the Egyptian stainless blades are a great choice, and they feature recyclable/compostable packaging. If you go the 1912 Gem route I think your best blade choice is one of the thick-spined 'vintage' blades - that REALLY takes care of the whole 'carbon footprint' thing. Of course you will need additional gear but you can indeed make your own effective strops...

Brushes: Someday when I strike it rich maybe I'll go for a badger of some kind, but until then I am more than satisfied with a $2.50 Turkish horsehair brush that holds 4+ passes of lather and feels great on the face.

Soaps: You can spend upwards of $60 for some stupid-assed soap in a bowl that isn't going to work any better than a stick of Arko. AND you need to find room to keep it. The 'footprint' of an Arko stick is as miniscule as the price. Besides, face-lathering obviates the need for any additional 'prep'. Better all the way around. At the risk of coming across as a shill for Arko, as a product it really is quasi perfect. Abundant, slick and nourishing lather - and I for one appreciate that there is practically no 'packaging' to end up in the bin. If you can't handle the smell, all I can say is that you have 'issues'. Can you handle the price? The performance?

After-Shave: Here again, you have an opportunity to drop major coin. All you really need is alum and/or witch hazel and maybe a tiny bit of some EV coconut oil from the kitchen if there is a 'dry skin' issue. I have oily skin - all I use is alum and almost never even rise it off. Shit works great and is practically free.

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.

SOTD - WIN!

WTG with this user-grade but pretty nice "The Cranford" 9/16 full hollow, $12.50 on Ebay. My advice on getting straight razors on Ebay is to avoid all popular brands and get the seller to tell you in writing that there are no cracks. If it's cracked, it's fucked - you'll not hone that out - same goes for large chips. Avoid any chips - common sense, right? There was some pitting on the edge of this razor that honed out just fine. "finished" on the Chinese 12k 100 laps with water. Newspaper stropped 100 laps then 30 on a leather belt. I'm really liking this one. Damned learning curve! I'm looking forward to the day when I am skilled enough to finish a shave with a straight. For now, one damage free pass is enough for me.

XTG and ATG with a half Derby DE blade in the GEM 1912 - I can hardly stop fondling my face! The glassy smoothness!

GEM 1912

It has been argued that safety razor design was all downhill from the GEM 1912. Quality? This thing is BUILT. That gorgeous handle is solid nickel plated brass - performance? I have tried it twice with the same great results. Very easy to use, and rather less dangerous than the Micromatic. The sound it makes when it cuts is pretty unique and badass as well. The guard works like an open comb, but is way safer - it would take a special kind of ineptitude to get cut with a 1912. Not only that, but it's very efficient - one pass WTG for an SAS! Sold under the brand names GEM, STAR, and EVER-READY the 1912 was produced until the 1940s. Shitloads were made over the years and examples can be found in great shape for $10-15 postage paid, or the same price as a scabby, shitty Gillette Tech, or a Fusion Proglide. So let's see, it's cheap, will outlast you, is beautiful, and it works really, really well. What more do you need? Here's something else:

DE Blade Holder DIY
DE Blade Holder pics

This is an incredible and effective way to increase the versatility of your 1912. Try it! Just hold one of these in your hand and see how far we have fallen as a race in the last century.