Ever Ready 1924 (Brass)

pjgh

pjgh

Joined
Thursday September 26, 2013
Location
Halifax, Republic of Yorkshire
Heavily tarnished, in fact so heavily tarnished that I struggled to see if it was gold plated and just very dirty. I swore I took a picture before I started cleaning it up, but I cannot for the life in me find it so you'll just have to imagine a heavily tarnished razor ... worse than this Clog Pruf, anyway:

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... and so I left it for a while since polishing gold is quite a specialist job, but today was the day and I tentatively started cleaning an area inside the cap as a test spot.

It's brass!

... out with the brass polish, elbow grease and a fresh cotton cloth to get this razor back to its former glory!

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You can just see the heavy tarnish and pitting on the cap, but after an hour of rubbing I'd had enough. I can re-visit it in due course. Perhaps with some wet and dry?

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Detail on the handle:

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... and in its final glory! It'll be a good shaver, I'm sure :D

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'twas a mere hour ... as an automotive detailer, I have been known to stand over a bonnet for four hours to achieve sublime oil deep perfection. This cap was a case of rubbing, rubbing, rubbing some more ... waiting until all the heat had come out and I could touch it again :D then some more rubbing. Face down was the easy bit, inside a little more taxing. I'm VERY pleased with this one, particularly as my heart sank when it arrived much worse than photographed and presented.
 
Awesome job Paul. :)

How easy are these to come by?

I've had a look on eBay and various BST's and have drawn a blank.

I don't know much of the history of the 1924 - were many of them produced?
 
Cheers Andy - the 1924, despite its name, can be found as far back as about 1916 (I think) certainly pre-1919 (the great GEM/ASR merger) and most definitely a LONG way before 1924. 1924 refers to the Sears & Roebuck catalogue of that date where the model was popularised. It would have been produced through to the late 1920s, perhaps just beyond ... but extinct with the introduction of the GEM Micromatic, GEM Junior (a revamped 1912) and Ever Ready New Improved (another revamped 1912 model). Looks like the 1912 won as a design, which we can read as "easy to produce", I guess; like Gillette with their Tech.

I digress, but you know I usually do ...

The 1924 (or 'Shovel Head') is relatively easy to find; in good condition, less so, which almost all nickel plated will have deep scratches and dings due to a design oversight where the cap flips straight over and smacks into the handle. Gold, almost all are in horrible condition - it was a cheap and light wash, so this one is likely a former gold tone which has now lost its regal charm and become a shining Pauper Prince. As you can see, for a nice razor, the gold is perhaps a good choice ... certainly for a good scrub and polish.

To find, one I think "shovel head" would glean more results than 1924.

As a shave, we tend to regard these as one of the more aggressive. Personally, I put it as more aggressive than the fabled GEM Micromatic Open Comb and would probably put this as my third favourite from the GEM/ASR stable: 1914 and 1912 being 1st and 2nd.

Collectable models are the Wall Cabinet, the Cigarette Case and the Deluxe. The latter must be in perfect gold and cased. For a shaver, there are two main working end versions: a squared comb and a curved comb; aesthetically, two versions also, one with a regular 1912-style handle and one with a shortened top and pillar base on the cap. All will say "Patent Pending" under the cap, pre-1919 "Co. Inc." and post-1919 "Corp.".

How's that?

Happy hunting ...
 
Interesting read, thanks.

pjgh said:
'twas a mere hour ... as an automotive detailer, I have been known to stand over a bonnet for four hours to achieve sublime oil deep perfection. This cap was a case of rubbing, rubbing, rubbing some more ...
Click to expand...

Could you not use your car polisher on it? ;)
 
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