Thread: I want some advice on this Landers, Frary & Clark razor

I just got this in the mail today from ebay. I wanted to find out if it is any good, or if it is an early example of the razor manufacturing trade in Pakistan.
I think it is a Landers, Frary and Clark. But all the other examples I have seen here have this name spelled out. This one just has the initials. Underneath L.F and C it has New Britain. Conn. USA. To the left of this I can make out what looks like a series of patent numbers. On the other side of the razor it just has Universal.
One thing I would really like to know is what are the scales made out of and would it be sacreligios to un-pin it and re-scale it. The scales themselves don't look to be anything special. I suspect they are just black plastic. One curious thing is that the scales don't have any spacer.
Another curious thing with this razor is that the jimps on the thumb notch end and then there is one last huge single jimp. What would be the reason for this?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
Cheers.

Yes, what you have is a Landers, Frary and Clark razor. This razor was made with a removable blade and came with a toothed attachment that slipped over the spine to make it a "safety razor". If you pull back on that little lever directly behind the heel, you can carefully pull the blade forward to remove it. These blades can be honed and stropped like an ordinary razor. The scales are probably made of celluloid. These razors were usually sold in boxed sets containing the razor, safety guard, and a spare blade.

Regards - Walt

I have been doing some research and I came across this.
SAFETY EAZOS - Google Patents

It seems that this was an early example of a disposable bladed straight. It also had an attachment that turned it into a safety razor. I scrubbed it with a tooth brush and deturgent, then added a little oil to the trigger mechanism. After that it was easy to remove the blade. I don't thing it would be possible to buy replacement blades for it anymore, but I also don't see any reason why this blade can't be re-honed.

Thanks Walt. You must have hit the post button just a second before me. Do you think it would look nicer in a shiny new set of scales?

Originally Posted by ndw76

Thanks Walt. You must have hit the post button just a second before me. Do you think it would look nicer in a shiny new set of scales?

It would probably look a lot better with new scales and with the metal all shined up. You can tell by the hone wear on the front of the spine and the toe of the blade that this razor has seen a lot of service. I think I would hone the blade first and see how well it shaves. Then if you are happy with that, make a new set of scales. But, it doesn't seem worth the effort if you are not satisfied with the shave you get. I have several of these razors and have been satisfied with them.

Regards - Walt