Thread: What IS this thing?

I don't get it... Early straight/safety hybrid? How does it work?
shopgoodwill.com - #3767021 - Vintage Straight Edge Razor - 7/1/2008 7:12:02 AM

It looks like an autostrap

I agree that it is an autostrop.

It's a Rolls Razor. The covers on both sides come off, one side is a strop the other a hone if I remember correctly. I have a few of them, but they are packed away at the moment. Here is a link to the Rolls Razor wikapedia page

Its a Rolls razor, a very early resharpenable safety razor

Yep, it's a rolls!

Strop inside lid should be red and in perfect condition and the hone in the inside of the other lid should not be cracked! (Easily done). I think many were bought (in the 40s?) but few were used very long! Useful for curiosity - little else, I think.

Oh how it works! The handle of the razor is the pencil-slim metal rod in the centre. The blade is the wedge of Sheffield steel at the bottom. You hone or strop by lifting the large handle up and dragging the steel wedge to the other end of the box. The wedge fits onto a spike on the base of the handle. When you have dragged it one way you swing the handle over and drag the blade back to its original end. You then proceed to continue to drag backwards and forwards until you get fed up. It makes a very satisfying noise as the razor wedge flips over as you begin to drag it back to its original postion. With speed you will be deafened by the click-clack as the razor flips over! Good fun really but I had one (my father's ) and I never used it. He said he did but I never saw it!

This is a "Rolls" razor .... they are pretty cool. My dad gave me one that has been in the family for ??? years ... I was always scared to try it. Maybe I will, now, since I took the leap from a Mach 3 to straight razor shaving.

The one I have is pretty cool ... it has a map of the (I hope I spell this right!!?!) Khyber Pass on one of the back plates. If I remember I'll post some pic of it.


Steve

Originally Posted by antioch510

This is a "Rolls" razor .... they are pretty cool. My dad gave me one that has been in the family for ??? years ... I was always scared to try it. Maybe I will, now, since I took the leap from a Mach 3 to straight razor shaving.

The one I have is pretty cool ... it has a map of the (I hope I spell this right!!?!) Khyber Pass on one of the back plates. If I remember I'll post some pic of it.


Steve

I would love to see a picture of your rolls. I own several, one rolls in near perfect condition and the rest for parts.

I also enjoy shaving with them and have gone to just using rolls or straights in lieu of a DE.

BTW they make fantastic travel razors - completely self contained.

Now if I can only get my hands on that extremely rare rolls... The one that makes its own hot lather.

Check YouTube, there's footage by a guy sharpening it and shaving with it. I gotta go now (doning night shift, new patient just arrived).

If you buy check the hone is not broken, that seems to be the case often as they are very thin. There's lots of them on ebay all the time. Hone and strop are on the inside of both lids. If you have watched the Youtube film you'll know exactly what should be present in the box. I have been looking into them myself, have found that one part of the handle or the blade is missing on quite a few ebay specials.