Souplex razor thread size identification ?

Jan Zoethout

Jan Zoethout

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1,427
Location
Veldhoven, the Netherlands
A couple of months ago I acquired a Souplex razor:

KI6EIEX.jpg


It is a mighty fine shaver - not aggressive, but a very effective and smooth shave.
I tried to put a modern custom handle with "standard" M5x0.8 thread on it - but that
doesn't work.
Just between 1 and 2 turns, and than it is stuck.

Could any af you gentlemen tell me what thread is used here ?
Whitworth maybe ? Or UNC ?

Would love to have a nice (aluminum or stainless) long handle made for it ... :)
 
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TBH, I can't say I know what handle/thread it used but my very first DE was one of these - for a while they were widely used in the NHS for *cough* willy barbering pre-operatively. I remember it being a very nice razor coupled with English WS blades.

They were all withdrawn from service in the early 1990's and the (then) modern blue disposable DE (this later replaced with the yellow Wilkinson disposable single blade) was introduced for sanitary reasons.

I revisited one a few years ago and oddly didnt really like it as much as I remembered, but then Ive tried a lot of different razors since the Souplex (made in Morecambe) OC ex NHS nadger razor.

NB, not all OC Souplexes you meet will be ex-intimate "bits" shavers, and it has its box, so its unlikely to be an NHS one.
 
Jan Zoethout said:
Former NHS shaver or not - I thoroughly cleaned it before use ... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
The NHS ones "lost" their boxes as they were all sent off after each use to the CSSD department to be cleaned and autoclaved - they returned to the department in little sealed paper bags. So any that still have their boxes (and the Souplex blades) are likely to be private ones rather than NHS ones.

I dont know if it was a national thing, or just in the North West as I have only ever worked in hospitals in the North West, interestingly blades were sourced from WS until sometime in the early 1990's when they became unbranded blades supplied in a large white box of 200, this was about the same time that the blue sealed DE razors came in so apart from uses in secure units where the "psycho" was still in use due to the plastic razors being easy to break open and get the blade out, I cant really think of any areas that continued to use non disposable razors. Sorry, utterly useless information really regarding the Souplex, its just a razor I have fond memories of and my intro into DE shaving.

I made sure mine was fresh back from CSSD before it was liberated:D
 
Don't get me wrong - I do appreciate the information and stories about the Souplex razor.
But ... there's still no information about the thread ... :rolleyes:

Therefore I have the following plan - hope someone is willing to help me with it:
I just guess the thread of the Souplex is Whitworth, BSW 3/16 " , to be precise.
I also assume Whitworth screws and nuts are still available in the UK.
So - if one of you gentlemen would be so kind to send me 1 screw and 1 nut BSW 3/16 " - I could
verify whether my guess is correct ... ;)

Of course I will pay the cost of the materials and postage ...

Thanks in advance !:)
 
I tried a Souplex for the first time on Sunday night. Really liked it: close and smooth but not too aggressive. The handle does look a bit fragile and potentially slippery, so I wiped my fingers on my alum block before using it and it was OK.

I got mine unboxed from ebay as part of a job lot, so I'm guessing it might be ex-NHS. Unfortunately I only gave it my usual disinfection, a 20 minute dunk in Dettol solution, maybe I should have used surgical spirit instead. :(

image.jpegimage.jpeg

Thanks Father Ted for that bit of NHS history I found it quite interesting. :)
 
When I started this thread, I meant to ask a question about the thread of the Souplex handle and head - not
a general discussion about the Souplex razor as such ...
Although I really enjoy the posts so far.
Maybe the title of this thread ("Souplex razor thread") is a bit misleading - but as a Dutchman I could not
find a better, more appropriate title .... :oops:

Can any of you "real English" gentlemen suggest a better title for this thread about thread ? :rolleyes:
 
Jan Zoethout said:
When I started this thread, I meant to ask a question about the thread of the Souplex handle and head - not
a general discussion about the Souplex razor as such ...
Although I really enjoy the posts so far.
Maybe the title of this thread ("Souplex razor thread") is a bit misleading - but as a Dutchman I could not
find a better, more appropriate title .... :oops:

Can any of you "real English" gentlemen suggest a better title for this thread about thread ? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Souplex razor thread size identification ?
 
Hishg said:
I tried a Souplex for the first time on Sunday night. Really liked it: close and smooth but not too aggressive. The handle does look a bit fragile and potentially slippery, so I wiped my fingers on my alum block before using it and it was OK.

I got mine unboxed from ebay as part of a job lot, so I'm guessing it might be ex-NHS. Unfortunately I only gave it my usual disinfection, a 20 minute dunk in Dettol solution, maybe I should have used surgical spirit instead. :(

View attachment 15842View attachment 15843

Thanks Father Ted for that bit of NHS history I found it quite interesting. :)
Click to expand...

Hishg, that Souplex is a great shaver - wouldn't you want a nice long&hefty handle for it as well ? :D
 
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