C.V. Heljestrand MK No.7 and unindentified DE

Hey guys,

So yesterday I bought two razors online on a Dutch EBay-esque site, and I was wondering if anybody could tell me a little bit about them. The straight is a C.V. Heljebrand MK No.7, while the DE is unmarked (apart from M.S.CO. Germany engraved on the bottom of the little case). I would also like some advice in cleaning them up; they appear to be in good condition, as far as I can see, but I am new at this and last time I missed the mark.

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Thanks in advance!

Cheers,

Blah

Nobody? :(

Hi, well the DE I can't help you much with, it's a travel dito though. Germany made a lot of good quality DEs, but Gillette bought the best ones and put them to rest :D

I wrote an article about Heljestrand recently, I'll post that one, but the MK prob stands for Master Quality (some factory charts I've got also says it shows which grind, hollow in this case, but they often changed the line up and I guess it could vary). I think they also took away the "M K" towards the end and replaced it with a "simple" no, like 7 in your case, so it's prob from before 1970 (my guess).

Article:
Heljestrand Knife Factory was founded in Eskilstuna in 1808 by Olof Heljestrandsgatan alderman (1781-1837) that took the previously unknown art of etching and brighten finer steel works to Sweden. Originally consisted manufacturing including steel pens, fickursfjädrar and saws of steel, but gradually shifted the focus and expertise of scissors, surgical instruments, and above all - straight razors.

After his father's death in 1837 the company was run by the eldest son, Nils Fredrik Heljestrand (1808-1868). Even then produced large amounts of razors was produced in the shop and the company had more than 32 employees.

The younger son Charles Victor (1816-1861), often abbreviated C.V. On the the razors, played in the factories nooks and crannies when he was a kid. Already at the age of 12 conducted Charles Victor easier work in the factory, and here he would also get to stay up until the age of 23. By this time, namely Royal Institute Board of Trade brought the proposal to promote whitesmithery industry development in Sweden, by sending selected employees to foreign countries to practically learn and be inspired.

C.V. Heljestrand therefore received an offer for this purpose amnd a trip to England, but he missed several of the required prerequisites, including proficiency in the English language, he grants to a few months to acquire these skills at the Technological Institute in Stockholm (current Royal Institute of Technology). In the autumn of 1843 C.V. Heljestrand whent to England, where he eventually obtained employment at Parker's & Lindby's knife factory in Sheffield.

Through his pleasant manner C.V. Heljestrand won appreciation and confidence among the English workers and he eventually acquired the knowledge that has been the purpose of the trip. At the end of 1845 he left England and traveled through Belgium and Germany back to Sweden. During the return journey he took the opportunity to visit Europe's most distinguished and renowned knife factories.

Once back in Eskilstuna and a few months later he managed to resume, after many obstacles, one of the city's honing houses to rent a small closet for four cubits wide and eight cubits (1 cubit = 0.59 meters). Here he furnished, as best they let themselves do, a grinder after the English model with multiple grinding and polishing standings. Within this modest field he taught and learned several workers in the art of scissors and table forks, which he went on to autumn 1849th. By this time, another of the city's honing houses become available to lease, and CV Heljestrandsgatan signed the lease for this for 25 years - with contemporary standards, an unlikely long-term in a lease.

Now could C.V. Heljestrands business take off for real. But at the same time with this little success started the seeds develop into the breast disease, which would eventually pave the industrious and talented mans life. Probably he had contracted this debilitating disease during the three year stay in the cramped, unhealthy premises.

But even at this time he was not solely concentrated on their own factory. Several times engaged his experience and insights of Sweden's other prominent Bruksman, who wanted his help to establish business relations with foreign investors, large players in the iron industry. For this purpose, he made three more trips to foreign countries: the first time (1851) with the ironmaster CA Rettig to England and Belgium, the second time (1854) to England at the expense of ironmaster CJ Olsson at Knight foundry, and finally in 1856, this time to England with Chamberlain Stock Power. Through all these trips achieved the desired result, which was largely Heljestrands merit.

C.V. Heljestrand could now calmly, with the greatest hope of success, continue their real jobs: whitesmithery and the production of the best razors that Sweden had ever seen. He also had the joy of seeing their brands achieve the best grades, both in Sweden and abroad. However, his bodily forces coming to an end, and though his soul into it last took full vigor, laid a debilitating tuberculosis him in the grave on the 29th July 1861 at the mere age of 45.

C.V. Heljestrands razors and whitesmithery products highlighted at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1855, Stockholm 1866, Bogotá 1875, Philadelphia 1876, Chicago 1883, Paris in 1900 and 1937. The company was operated on in Eskilstuna of Helje Strands descendants until 1980 when the company went bankrupt, mainly because of the lack of a market when Gillette and its multi-blade razor at this time conquered the world as the man leading shaving tool. The machines was then sold to Tanzania and the large stock of razors fell into oblivion (in my humble opinion, it was bought by several people though and some of them still has small parts of blanks and razors in their possession – I know of two dealers /Mikael).

Mikael, thank you for posting. I couldn't help but think of you when I first saw the post. I didn't post myself, 'cause my thoughts seemed a bit cranky & I didn't want to be discouraging. LB - you got a wonderful razor. Period. But being 'new at this' likely means you'll need help getting it to deliver its potential. At this stage, I would suggest staying with razors that are ready to use, made shave-ready by someone competent on the stones. I know the urge is strong to seize the razors at low cost, but when the cost of restoration & honing is added, the savings evaporate. At the NW Spring meet-up in Yakima, a young beginner produced a beautiful Heljestrand for honing. It looked perfect, looked completely new. 20 min. later, the edge began chipping, and needed more serious help to get back to good steel. So even New blades can have their issues.
I would, however, say that if a blade was worth spending the resto/honing fees on - a nice Swedish blade would certainly deserve it. Heljestrand has the popularity at the moment, but of 7 Swedish blades I've tried, they were all excellent, with no one brand clearly superior. 'Hope you enjoy that fine blade.

Thank you both for replying!

Pinklather, thank you for your thoughts. Don't worry, you aren't discouraging me; you make valid points, actually. The last thing I want is to ruin a nice razor. But at the same time, I do want to get into restoration; it seems like a whole lot of fun and I am not afraid of a challenge! This razor looks like it is in pretty good condition, so I figured it is as good a razor to start with as any. As far as the needing help to get to it's full potential, well, that's why I'm lurking this forum ;) If there is a place where I can get the info and tips I need, it's surely here, right?