Thread: Boker "Edelweiss" - In its Original Box

I had one that was round point with a MOP covered tang. It was an amazing shaver. You can date Bökers using the tree symbol. Somewhere around SRP there is a chart of the different tree variations and which is which years. You can probably find it in the Razor Clubs section in the Böker brotherhood. FWIW my Edelweiss was from around 1920 IIRC.

Here is the link from Doc's post on the first page of the Boker Brotherhood post in the Razor Club section:

The Link

Based on the trademark it is somewhere between 1924 and 1935.

Originally Posted by dnjrboy

Here is the link from Doc's post on the first page of the Boker Brotherhood post in the Razor Club section:

The Link

Based on the trademark it is somewhere between 1924 and 1935.

Thanks for the link.

Yeah, the 1924 - 1935 era seems to match what's on the razor and its box. A depression razor.

Don't be too depressed about it. I spent some quality time on the hone with mine last night. Took much longer to get the bevel than I was expecting. Mine has a little bit of a wave in it, so some parts of the bevel are thicker than others. I hardly remember using the 4k, but do remember putting in some time on the 8k. On to the Ch strop and then leather. Smoooth shave afterwards.

Thanks for posting the pics, now I have an extra razor in the rotation.

btw, a little braso and a paper towel did wonders for the look of the blade. Unfortunately, shaving made it look dirty again. I can live with it not being shiny tho.

Originally Posted by Blade Wielder

I typically polish my razors by hand, using Autosol (another fine German product) and some paper towels - to maximize waste.

I've used my Dremel on them before, but all that often. I don't go near decorative work with high RPM's whenever possible. Usually my razor purchases are in pretty good shape.

Thank goodness the etched side is in such nice shape!

Originally Posted by shuredgefan

Thank goodness the etched side is in such nice shape!

Yeah, it seems to have held up pretty well over the decades, hasn't it?

I asked a German friend what Edelweiss meant and she said that it was a European flower. I suppose I could have just googled it instead, but it seemed more authentic to ask a real live German, you know? Googling it was the second step, however, and wikipedia has the following legend in the Edelweiss article:

"The story goes that once, long, long ago, the Alps were far taller than they are these days. In those days, atop one of the snowcapped, precipice filled mountains lived an Ice Queen. She was said to be fair as snow and hauntingly beautiful. She was served by faithful gnomes, who lived with her on those slopes.

The Queen would sing melodiously and her sound would lure many a shepherd to lose his way in the mountains and come upon her abode. However beautiful she was, she had a flaw; her heart was frozen cold as if it were made of pure ice.

She would play with these hapless shepherds who sought her voice for a while. When she got tired of this play, the gnomes would toss the men off the cliffs to their death.

So she lived, through long ages alone except for poor companionship of her slaves.

It so happened that one of these shepherds, following her voice, entered into her abode. There was nothing different about him, this Man, nothing special, nothing noteworthy. But the Ice Queen steadily grew to love this man.

She would sing and he would sit awed beside her throne for hours and days to end. They had their love.

But the gnomes grew jealous, fearing that one day the Ice Queen may marry this mortal. Thus they conspired and threw him headlong into the valley below, where his heart burst asunder.

Seeing this, for the first and last time, the eyes of the Ice Queen warmed. Her heart melted a little and a single teardrop fell off her eternally beautiful sad cheeks.

It is this tear that has become the edelweiss , the most beautiful flower of the Alps."