Thread: I got my great grandfather's SR!

Looks to me like a super old Filarmonica, what a great find. It looks like it has a lot of very well cared for miles on it. I guess the question about if it came on the boat or later will depend on when he got to Argentina. The box is extremely close to the box my pre 50 Filli came in.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Looks to me like a super old Filarmonica, what a great find. It looks like it has a lot of very well cared for miles on it. I guess the question about if it came on the boat or later will depend on when he got to Argentina. The box is extremely close to the box my pre 50 Filli came in.

He arrived in 1951.

I personally doubt he brought it in the ship but my parents think he did.

My reasoning is:

- The blade looks almost unused. If that wasn't his main shaving tool, why would he bring it in the ship?
- Having a HUGE Spanish community (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Argentina) lead to have a lot of Spanish products. Searching today for SR in Mercado Libre (Argentinean's ebay) almost only matches Filarmonica's. If he tried to buy a SR in Buenos Aires years later after arrival, almost sure he could only find Filarmonicas. Perhaps it was purchased after being homesick?

I am not a great Filarmonica historian but the blade is certainly pre 1950.
He may have purchased it in early 1952, but the razor is earlier. It is also a time frame in which safety razors became popular.
He may have use it for a short while and them followed the safety razor trend.
It is a great piece.

I also have an heirloom razor. Guard it well, there is only one way to get them.

when did the safety razor trend started? Because in 1951, when my grandpa arrived to Argentina with my great grandfather, my grandpa was 20 and I am 100% sure he didn't use a SR. I heard that he was afraid of using his father's SR.

I am not a great one for dates, so take this with a grain of salt. The first safety razor was made by a French company, Rapide. It had what has become known as a wedge blade. It looks like a short piece of a straight razor blade. i think the patent date for those was around 1876. They started to become popular in the early 1900's, which is when the single edge razors showed up on the scene, by the 30's single edge razors were the craze and the DE razors started in the 40's. Again these are rough time lines. My grandfather would never shave with a straight razor either. He said his father did not make it sound attractive. Apparently he swore a lot while shaving and had trouble keeping an edge on his razor. It is his razor that I have, and it is a great razor. I guess he did not have shaving community to help him learn to hone and strop well. His razor is well used but not heavily worn. The pinnacle of my collection.

Congrats on your razor. I have my grandfather's '54 Gillette SS and it is one of my most treasured possessions. The family connection always makes it more special.

I would love to have such a treasure from a grandfather or great grandfather. My grandfathers on both sides of my family shaved with straight razors but after they past my aunts got rid of them.

I did acquire my one gragfathers hone, a Norton Queer Creek, from an uncle. He told me he could remember grandpa spitting on it whenever he honed his razor. My uncle gave it to me because he wasn't that good at honing and figured I would get better use from it.

That's really cool, and it's in wonderful condition too! I have my great grandpa's straight razor as well. Things like that really make the past come alive, using the same razor he used, feeling the same thing he felt, it's almost as if you could talk to him.

Update:

This story has a happy ending!

Some days ago I got a friendly PM from cudarunner offering me some help restoring the razor.
I am not confident on my honing techniques so I accepted.

After some days, the razor is back home and here is the end result:






Sharpest edge I have so far and with the story on it, the best in my collection

Thanks Roy!

Originally Posted by cmsessa

Update:

This story has a happy ending!

Some days ago I got a friendly PM from cudarunner offering me some help restoring the razor.
I am not confident on my honing techniques so I accepted.

After some days, the razor is back home and here is the end result:



Sharpest edge I have so far and with the story on it, the best in my collection

Thanks Roy!

Another Kudos for Roy! Enjoy your family heirloom.