On ebay I see a thing called a Rolls razor. It looks like a neat piece of kit but for the life of me; I can't figure out what the damn thing does? :confused:
Any help?
Printable View
On ebay I see a thing called a Rolls razor. It looks like a neat piece of kit but for the life of me; I can't figure out what the damn thing does? :confused:
Any help?
I bought one that was NIB, just for the history of it. What it is is a single edge razor blade attached to a frame that slides in a track. On one side of the box is a stone, on the other is a piece of leather. The blade flips when the handle is moved in the track, so you strop one side, then the other. You then remove the blade and attach it to the included handle and shave away.
It's pretty ingenious. I believe it was originally developed before the disposable razor, but was made all the way until the 50's.
I haven't shaved with it, or stropped with it. The one I have is pretty pristine, and I would like to keep it that way. Maybe on day I'll get one that is used but in good shape.
yes it was probably the first self contained and integrated shaving system. Parts can be hard to come by these days but some guys use them and report they give a very good shave.
It works exactly how souschefdude explained. I have one and it really is an amazing little shaver!
They're usually inexpensive, fairly plentiful, and actually fun. If you get one that's sharp and well stropped it will shave you like a demon ---- except under the nose, where the design fails (or the design of my nose fails). An ingenious little machine.
One just sold for $40 on the Bay, looked in good shape. I got mine for less than that.
Thanks for the info. I might pick one up some time.
Here in the uk these are in almost every antique shop i visit, i have 2, a nos and a leather cased one which i do use now and again, the one thing i have found though is sharpening the blade, the only way i got my blades sharp was to use my honing stones, the supplied hone just did not get it sharp, to short, once i got the blade sharp via my stones, the supplied hone/strop will keep it touched up, but from my experiance they need a good honing first, once that is done they do give a very good shave, kinda like a straight on a stick:D
I have Rolls and i use it when traveling at work. It is an excellent shaver but little tricky to get sharp. I used my hones and it turned out ok. Could be very difficult to sharpen with the supplied hone.
Damn the RAD, I want one too now! Lucky for me and my low funds, they aren't that easy to find in Australia...Or I'm just not going (game enough) to look in the likely places to find one!
Mick
The photos I've found online focus on showing the condition of the pieces but not the process. I'd like to find a series of photos or a video showing the honing/stropping process. It would be fun to see someone actually doing a shave with the equipment. Can I convince one of you owners to do that for the rest of us?
They are a lovely piece of kit, worth owning for that and the history alone.
I agree that the enclosed hone is not the way to get these blades sharp. Instead, just hone as you would a straight.
Having said that, the two Rolls blades I've honed don't quite equal my straights. I'm still experimenting with various honing techniques and progessions, but the Rolls blades so far have not responded as well as I would like.
Shaved with one this morning. Alllllmost there!
Here's a YouTube post someone else did how the assembly works
YouTube - What is a Rolls razor?
and here he is shaving with the Rolls
YouTube - Shaving with a Rolls Razor
Call me dumb I guess.....but that seems like that should have stayed the next logical step.It's a straight with the maneuverability of a cartridge and yet is self sustaining. No throw away blades to buy. History baffles me sometimes..sigh.....:shrug::gaah:
Nah, I gotta say I disagree with you there NightBlade. That bloke took twice as long to shave with that, than I take with a cutthroat. And it looked like he didn't need to shave anyway... :D
Don't get me wrong....I love my straight.But damn that king Gillette.He knew that was the next step and trashed it with disposable blades.I don't know that as a fact,but I can just feel it.
I hear ya though Mick...I do brother.:rock:
I love my straights too and I nearly love my DE just as much. I would like to own a Rolls as well, just can't justify another razor.
Mick
I have several rolls razors and I use them in rotation with my straight razors. Considering the price you can get them for, I think they are a great addition to the arsenal. Look for a complete set that includes the razor handle and an unbroken hone. Incomplete sets can be used for parts down the road if something fails, but they are well engineered, so that isn't likely.
On another forum I found a sharpening method described which involved rubbing the detached blade in circles, one side then the other, on something like 1200 grit paper. I gave this a go the other day and things seemed to improve with my own blade after I later tried it. The guidance was that one had to persevere according to results and mine may need more work.
I also observe they are very common in the UK and often priced at less than a fiver; there is one set down the road at my local antique shop and any antique fair usually sees a couple of boxes emerging into the light of day.
All this talk makes me want to get mine out, wipe off the oil, and give mine a go.
LJ, 1200 grit sand paper seems a little rough unless you are trying to set the bevel and finish up of the RR hone. I use my norton 4k/8k to get good edge established by just pushing the blade across the hone, using the same pyramid technique commonly used on straights.
I use the RR to strop it up, flipping the blade on the spindle half way through the 50 or so strokes. When I use the RR hone for touchups, I do the same thing. I think the 180 degree flipping gives it a more even finish as it ends up contacting both sides of the strop or hone, rather than just going back and forth on the same side. It would be similar to stropping/honing a straight both right handed and left handed, if one was ambidextrous enough to manage it. As weird as it sounds, it seems to help.
I've lost three auctions on ebay, bidding nearly $50 for these. I'd like to get a better deal than that. Anyone interested in selling?
You should be able to get one there for $20 or so, unless you are looking for one with a fancy leather case or something. This one just ended today for $11 plus shipping: Rolls Razor self sharpening, silver case, D40 - eBay (item 120646291701 end time Nov-18-10 13:16:39 PST)
All this talk about Roll's... I acquired on from Scrapcan last weekend and I was in awe: (a feeling of amazement and respect mixed with fear that is often coupled with a feeling of personal insignificance or powerlessness) when he showed it to me...
The thing is amazing... I'm sure that it needs some more honing but I'M not the man to do it.
A few questions:
1. The hone on mine seems to just be a very fine grit sandpaper on a cardboard backer... Could a person change this?
2. Can the strop also be changed? Mine again is a VERY thin piece of leather with a cardboard backer... There also have been "paste" applied to the strop.
Any help?
The guys at the camp have become very curious about it too...
Guys I have 5 of them but my pictures were evidently too big so I can't make a thread on the ad board. I sent a couple of PM's out.
Once one gets the blade shave ready they are just little hoots-
Picked them up over past 5-7 years at large antique shows/weekends -
Not making a nickel but never saw one for $11 or even $30-
I would hone them on a stone first and maintain them with the kit-
More trouble than a str8 to sharpen because of size but they are pretty cool little devices and for the DE guys are pretty neat.
I will never understand their real niche from back in the day as they are not better than a str8, but for travel maybe back then it worked.
Mark
1. The hone on mine seems to just be a very fine grit sandpaper on a cardboard backer... Could a person change this?
You can change the hone, but finding a replacement is the difficult part. Manufacturing of these razors ceased in the early 60's, so there is no supplier of replacement parts per se. You might see a NOS replacement hone on the 'bay now and then, but the bidding often exceeds the price of an entire set with a decent hone. IMO the most effective way of resolving your hone issue is to buy another one and use the one you have for parts. be sure to ask the seller if the hone is cracked, as sometimes it is hard to tell from a photo. You might find one with no handle or a badly corroded blade, but a good hone and strop so you can piece together one solid kit. One good hone can tuneup you edges for all of your kits. Also, keep in mind that to establish the bevel and the edge, the hones used for straight razors are more effective, but the rolls hone works well to maintain that edge.
2. Can the strop also be changed? Mine again is a VERY thin piece of leather with a cardboard backer... There also have been "paste" applied to the strop.
As for the strop, a piece of latigo leather can be trimmed and inserted in the cover, if what is there isn't doing the job. You do need to strop it in the kit - you don't necessarily need to hone it in the kit.
Glen,
I have a couple of the whole sides(different patterns single and triple column)- and the alone hones appear fine but your right about anything can be cut and slipped into a side to use as leather strop- Imagine fitting a piece of horsehide in one of them??-If I find time I will measure how think the hone stone is- ain't much can't estimate grit
The 2 alone strops are just soft latigo. A couple of the cased units still have little instructions letters in them.
When I get a chance I will get a camera and set it at VGA and try it one more time on the ad board then quit.
The type with the single column of keys running down the center is the Viscount model, which is a sleeker, more oblong design. The Imperial model has three columns of keys and is the more common rectangular design. While the covers are not exactly interchangeable between the two models (close, but not exact), the strops and hones are.
As you pointed out falguy, for a DE user, this will be easy to use and IMO, it's also a great way to learn the effect of different angles from a nearly bare blade, which makes a transition to a straight a little easier if so inclined. It's a great value as you can keep it honed yourself with a little patience. Alot of great engineering in a rolls for very little money - and it could last a lifetime.
While mentioning cracked hones,it bears mentioning this may be the only weakness of this solidly engineered device.
When closing the unit be alert that when snapping the lid closed, make sure all the pieces are in the correct placement. If the handle is not sitting in the correct position, and the hone side lid contacts the handle, you will break the hone.
Every broken hone I've seen is that same potential contact spot.
After reading some of the new posts, it seem as if someone had ALREADY changed the strop and hone in my razor...
I'm guessing, correct me if I wrong, the original hone was actually a honing stone... Like I said, I have taken the hone out of mine and it is just a piece of something attached to a cardboard backer.
The strop is the same... I'll try and post pictures...
Yes, the correct hone would be a stone, so someone tried to rig up a fix with yours. Here is a photo of a functional, well used strop; a solid, but well used hone; and a cracked hone. The crack is about 2/3rds of the way down. Because the cracks are easy to hide, I recommend always asking about the hone before you buy your first one. As previously mentioned, if you are careful with storing your handle (I recommend placing it in the side slot, if your kit has the cutout for it), it will last as long as the kit does, maybe longer.
I checked out an antique shop over the weekend and found a very nice Rolls...But the price was AUS$78. I thought that was too much...Also saw a very nice Gotti Cutthroat for $24 but I valiantly fought down the RAD and left it there...Till next month when I intend to go back and purchase both the Rolls and the Gotti if they're still there...More than likely according to the owner of the business.
I learnt all about being careful with the Rolls in that respect. If you don't have the pieces in the right position it would take some force to put the lid back in place...I didn't break anything thankfully...Heavens forbid I may have had to buy faulty merchandise if that had have happened! :)
Mick
Here's a few pictures of my "strop" & "Hone" from my Rolls...
The first picture is what they look like...
Hone on the Right and Strop on the left:
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_0807.jpg
Showing the front and back... Notice the cardboard:
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_0806.jpg
The side and showing that there is some type of "abrasive" paper used as the hone:
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_0805.jpg
Last, two leather inserts, one for a new stropping surface and the second I was hoping I could put some CrOx for a hone....
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_0808.jpg
However, my mind was not working and discovered that the edge of the blade cuts into the leather.... Back to the drawing board...:rant: