Wild Find - Valet Autostrop, Patent No 184808; November 19, 1923

This wild find is a great one, and adds to my collection of vintage safety razors, which are my favorite when it comes to collecting and / or acquiring safety razors. It's the aesthetic they give when you look at them, hold them and overall, shave with them.


They get me imagining the time in which they were made, what it was like living in that era, as well as who may have shaved with them in the past, and for what reason? Was the previous owner, at the time of their release, a banker, barber, law clerk, janitor? Who knows! All I can say is that these versions of safety razors make me appreciate the hobby itself, and overall how I can take care of and keep these razors going, hopefully to pass them on to the next generation.

One thing that attracted me to the Valet Autostrop safety razor, and in particular, this version, was the meaning behind it, being that it was a development of a 'cut throat razor', incorporating the safety of an internal Single Edge blade, with a leather strop being inserted into the razor head to sharpen the blade. It was why it was ultimately dubbed, the 'Straight Razor on a stick'.

What I also love is the unique handle design and razor blade recess it has. You have to slide in the SE Blade into the blade recess, and then using the lever behind the head, pull down to adjust the seating of the blade into the open comb housing. Quite unique, and very different to anything I have ever owned. It is one of the earlier versions of the "Autostop" safety razors, which were developed to be more sot effective, saving money on the amount of blades you would purchase after 5 shaves or so. Although to today's standards, SE Blades are quite cheap, and you can pick them up for about 50 cents a blade.

Cleaning, Sanitation and Sterilization

The initial condition of the safety razor was poor in that it needed a very good clean. Thankfully, there was no physical wear of the gold plating, as well as no physical damage to the razor. Whoever had it before didn't drop it, but did not clean it regularly. So I took the task of cleaning it, in which my process was:

1. To Boil it in Soapy water (dishwashing liquid) on the stove for about 10 minutes. I was amazed at how much surface gunk, as well as internal gunk came off. 
   
2. I scrubbed the razor with an old toothbrush, in soapy dishwashing liquid and hot water to take off any excess corrosion and gunk.
   
3. I sank the razor in 100% solution of isopropyl for 2 hours. This time round was not for sanitation purposes, but in order to clean out and withdraw any excess soap and water, as well as minor corrosion from the inner recesses of the strop mechanism and open comb, which worked a treat.
   
4. I then boiled the razor in plain water on the stove for another 10 minutes, and what I could tell this time was that no gunk withdrew from the safety razor (which is a great sign). This means its thoroughly clean.
   
5. I then gave the surface and inner crevasses of the razor head and handle a clean and polish with some Autosol metal polish (This stuff is great and cost around $10 bucks from my local automotive store). It really brought out the original color and tone of the safety razor, as well as removed any minor scratches from handling.
   
6. I then cleaned the razor again under soap, hot water and sank the razor again in isopropyl alcohol, this time for 24 hours to bring out it's sheen, but also do the final sanitation, sterilization and clean the little joints in the head and handle.

Afterwards, the final result was spectacular. See below images for the before and after results:

               

                       

Shaving Performance

I always like to review the performance of a razor, vintage or new, after 2 or so shaves, so that I get a true representation and indication of what the razor's intended purpose and or performance is.

Before starting both of my 2 shaves with this safety razor, I took to admiring the way in which the SE Blade actually within the blade recess on the razor head. I could truly see why they called this thing the 'Straight razor on a stick'. 

 

The blade used was a GEM SE PTFE blade, in which I took off the spine (with little effort). It is a thicker type of blade, very smooth to shave with and very efficient. These types of blades usually last me around 10 shaves, opposed to your traditional DE Blades which last half the time (depending on brand, facial hair, etc).

You can see on the top left image that the blade slid into the blade recess, and then with the push down of the lever behind the head, it slide the blade perfectly into the open comb recesses to sit nicely and firmly. 

Now I must say that during the first shave with this thing, I was petrified due to the visible blade exposure, although it was all in my head, seeing as what the true blade exposure was was between the top of the blade bevel and the open comb. I would say that it took me a few goes to find out what angle I needed the hold the razor at, but afterwards, it was a somewhat mild razor first time around. I did use light pressure the first time around, and I got a very BBS shave in 2 passes with no cuts (I took my time).

The second time around, I felt more confident and comfortable with the razor, and essentially, I flew through the shave, with the Autostrop giving me a fantastic shave that was also BBS with no cuts, in 2 passes, using light pressure as well. 

Conclusion

 

I have to say that this razor, being developed in 1923, must have been a huge step in the history of safety razors and safety razor development. Not only did it inherit how a traditional straight razor went about things, as well as with the ability to strop it, it also combed through the soap on the face nicely with its open comb function, something the straight razor did not. It is stylish, very niche, and personally gave me a very nice, comfortable shave both times. A welcome addition to my shaving den, and collection of vintage razors.