[e76549]

Over the years various wind-up, dry- shaving razors have come and gone.

Wilkinson Sword made a model that required no winding. It used a rocking motion to shave the face.

Some time ago online I also saw a completely wooden DE safety razor from World War ll, related to wartime metal shortages, but I was not able to save a picture or an address.


Mechanical razors

[smythe]

Very interesting, thanks for the post.

[thebigspendur]

Originally Posted by e76549

Over the years various wind-up, dry- shaving razors have come and gone.

Wilkinson Sword made a model that required no winding. It used a rocking motion to shave the face.

Some time ago online I also saw a completely wooden DE safety razor from World War ll, related to wartime metal shortages, but I was not able to save a picture or an address.


Mechanical razors

I suspect the rocking motion is the same mechanism as modern automatic mechanical watches have with a rotor that rocks back and forth with arm movement winding a mainspring that keeps the watch going.

[e76549]

It is fun to chat a bit about the many approaches to shaving that have been tried over the centuries.

[Blazed Monkey]

I posted a thread yesterday in the DE Shaving section about this:

Originally Posted by Blazed Monkey

I made a short little video tonight, so I thought I would share with those of you that had never seen one in action:

[TULIP]

In the '90s, I worked as an assoc. buyer for an outdoor retailer, and we received a sample for one that used a pull string and a fly wheel to keep it going. IIRC, it was made in France. The fly wheel made the shaver relatively heavy, and none of us could figure out why anyone would want to take one backpacking. Needless to say, we didn't carry it. At the time I thought it was a relatively new-fangled gadget. It's interesting to see the idea has been around for awhile.

[e76549]

Weight of course is an issue for camping razors, especially when going uphill.

I enjoyed the video from Blazed Monkey.

I have seen still photos of such razors but this is the first one I have seen in action.

Freedom Shaver - Athena Brands, Inc. features a modern windup dry shave razor for sale. The price is about $46 in the USA. Winding it with a crank gets it going.

[leicanthrope]

Originally Posted by e76549

Some time ago online I also saw a completely wooden DE safety razor from World War ll, related to wartime metal shortages, but I was not able to save a picture or an address.

There are also a number of examples in bakelite as well.

--Chris

[e76549]

Originally Posted by leicanthrope

There are also a number of examples in bakelite as well.

--Chris

Thanks for the tip about the bakelite razors. I guess when there is a need they can be made from a variety of materials.

[blueprinciple]

I bought (and sold on) a gyroscope-driven shaver - it was completely mad; the gyro effect was so strong that you could hardly turn the thing in your hand and it was obviously made from old armour plate - nothing else could have been so heavy. It was made by the Magic Co., Birmingham as I recall. Also had a clockwork one made by Thorens - a real piece of engineering. It was from either 1957 or 1959 and had the original receipt - it cost over £10 THEN (about $20) - a week's wage!

[e76549]

A gyro shaver is a fascinating concept. I have not heard of such a design until now.

There are quite a few posts and articles about the clockwork shaving designs and they seem to be very popular with collectors. A week's worth of wages for one is a considerable investment.

[PonderingTurtle]

Originally Posted by e76549

A gyro shaver is a fascinating concept. I have not heard of such a design until now.

There are quite a few posts and articles about the clockwork shaving designs and they seem to be very popular with collectors. A week's worth of wages for one is a considerable investment.

Probably just a heavy flywheel with out the complicated mounts that would remove the gyroscopic effects from the rotating flywheel.

[e76549]

I suppose it does not count as a blade, but fire shaving might be one of the oldest high tech shaving methods.