Ever-Ready Razor

 I received my vintage Ever-Ready safety razor today. The box is pretty worn and the razor shows that it has been used. However, the razor looks like it is in pretty good shape for its age. I plan to give it a spin today. This will be my first experience with this type of razor. I have read that the technique for this razor is different from others.  For one, the head is placed almost flat on the face. Some suggest about a 10 degree angle for the best shave. BOTOCs (Brotherhood Of The Open Comb) and LOSERs (Lover Of Single Edge Razors) swear by these razors. I am excited to try it. I am a loser already because of my Schick injector razor. That is one great razor.

OK, the verdict is in. This is one terrific little razor. I was cautious because I had read of shavers who ended up letting blood, but I kept the head down, around 10 degrees, and had no blood loss. I got a great shave and put this little guy in my rotation. I am looking forward to more shaves with my new SE Ever-Ready. I guess I am now a LOSER and BOTOC.

1962 Gillette Mini Tech

Today, I tried out my new Gillette tech razor. I loaded it with a Shark blade and had my first shave with it. What a nice razor! Aside from the short handle, this is an excellent little shaver. I intend to use this as my travel razor in the future.  This particular razor was manufactured in 1962. The Gillette logo on the face has the diamond with the name Gillette with the arrow through it. It was first registered in 1908.

eBay Shaving Treasures

Below are two Gem single edge razors. The black handled razor is a Gem Pushbutton (PTO) and the silver one is a Gem Micromatic twist to open (TTO).

Below is a travel Gillette razor in genuine leather. I had a similar razor when I first entered the Army in 1967. Its case was plastic and snapped shut. I wish that I still had it, so when I saw this, I jumped on it. The whole case is rather small and made in Austria. I like it.

Travel razor

The razor is a three piece Gillette with a short handle. The case has places for the head, the handle, and blades. The razor has a manufacturing date code of H2 which means it was manufactured in the second quarter of 1962.

Genuine leather, zipper closure.

Below is a an Ever-Ready razor. In 1919 Gem, Star, and Ever-Ready were united under the Ever-Ready banner, The American Safety Razor Company.

Ever-Ready

Gems for Jim

September 26, 2012
I just won an auction on E-Bay of two vintage Gem razors. Can hardly wait to take delivery.

Chinese Ivory Puzzle Ball Chess Set

Hong Kong - 1968

While I was in Vietnam in 1968, I had a buddy pick up this chess set for me while he was in Hong Kong. It is a product of the the Hang On Ivory Factory. This set predates the 1989 ivory ban. Each piece is individually carved and sits on a Chinese puzzle ball with dragons chasing each other.

Chinese Puzzle Ball

Kings and Queens

1941 Buick

Roe Family in Texas

Gerald, dog, and Dick

After my post on the Rocket Men, I remembered an old family photo of brother Dick and cousin Gerald from about 1951. It was a recollection fostered by all the old cars in the Commando Cody/Rocket Man serials. I searched the web and finally identified our family car. It was a 1941 Buick.

Advertising Art

Real life 1941 Buick

The next car I remember our family owning was the 1954 Pontiac Star Chief. We got that I believe in about 1955. Not really sure about the year, but I do remember going to Alabama on a family vacation in it. That was the summer of 1956.

Me, Dick, Mom and 1954 Pontiac Star Chief (Oct. 56)

Rocket Man

I rediscovered Commando Cody this week as a result of a rabbit trail I went down. I was watching an episode of American Pickers where they picked a movie poster for Zombies of the Stratosphere featuring Leonard Nemoy. I Googled it and read the article on Wikipedia. I remember seeing Commando Cody at the movies back in the 50s. Commando Cody, played by George Wallace, was the lead character in Radar Men from the Moon, a 12 part serial by Republic Pictures in 1952. It was followed 1953 by Zombies of the Stratosphere in which Leonard Nemoy played one of the "zombies". The rocket man suit was used in both serials and also in a made for TV series "Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe". These movie serials came on the scene at the beginning of the atomic age and before the space age. The technology was awesome. As a kid, I ate this stuff up.

You will notice that the actors always seem to be dressed in suits, ties, and fedoras. The rocket man takes off his suit coat and puts on a leather coat which has the rockets and controls attached. Then he puts on his helmet. Scroll down and take a look at the controls below. So simple, even a caveman could do it. Clayton Moore (best known for playing the Lone Ranger) is the bad guy in Radar Men from the Moon. His voice is unmistakable.

Clayton Moore, second from left.

You can find the 12 episodes of Radar Men from the Moon on YouTube here: Radar Men from the Moon (1952) Full

Commando Cody with lunar tank

The following images are from  Zombies of the Stratosphere. Commando Cody is replaced by Larry Martin (played by Judd Holdren). This version has been colorized. The link is to a Youtube version of the movie.

back view of the rocket man

awesome controls

rocket man in flight

I wished I could have a suit like this.

Leonard Nemoy's death scene in Episode 12.

This awesome rocket could take off and fly to the moon and back in record time. Amazing.