Thread: The Marx brother without a terminal vowel: Zepp!

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

Looks like yours has the same mounting screw instead that Manah's does, instead of the rivet on mine.

I'd bet that suggests the one I got is from earlier in the production.

Have you honed it up yet?

I used shoe polish to restore the factory darkening of the letters, just like I'd use Renwax or ... shoe polish, on a shoe.

Sorry, I thought I would try to take better pics, Sahib! Yes, a little screw with a slotted nut. It looks like someone has peened the thing a bit anyway. Perhaps the screw-nut thing kept coming loose! Maybe someone just did away with it on yours?

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Sorry, I thought I would try to take better pics, Sahib! Yes, a little screw with a slotted nut. It looks like someone has peened the thing a bit anyway. Perhaps the screw-nut thing kept coming loose! Maybe someone just did away with it on yours?

The rivet mine has looks original. I've never seen one like it anywhere else, at least.

I know the Ern originally had a little screw and locking nut too, but I think I've only seen one of those in full factory-original shape. Most of the others have homemade fixes, which suggests those screws were a bit screwy, dunnit?

You know, Zak, it seems to me I have previously seen an Ern Junior with the same type of pivot screw! Probably did the same thing back then that they do now!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

You know, Zak, it seems to me I have previously seen an Ern Junior with the same type of pivot screw?

Yep. I've seen it too, and like that ad for this Zepp that says it's made from crucible steel, I can't find it now.

Particularly interesting is the ad which claims they were ground on 4 different size wheels. It seems a very likely shaver, indeed!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Particularly interesting is the ad which claims they were ground on 4 different size wheels. It seems a very likely shaver, indeed!

I'd bet good money the Zepps were manufactured by Ern, and Ern was a pioneer in fully automated grinding.

Maybe Martin can find the other pictures of the Ern Junior like he did the ad mentioning crucible steel.

Interestingly, I found the patent given to C. Friedrich Ern for a safety razor, and looking at it, it looks like the Zepp razor and not the Ern junior.



For the complete patent description follow this link: Patent US987453 - GAEL FRIEDRICH ERW - Google Patents

Originally Posted by Martin103

Interestingly, I found the patent given to C. Friedrich Ern for a safety razor, and looking at it, it looks like the Zepp razor and not the Ern junior.



For the complete patent description follow this link: Patent US987453 - GAEL FRIEDRICH ERW - Google Patents

That sure looks like an unequivocal proof that Ern made the Zepp razors, because that is absolutely the Zepp razor.

I very strongly suspect that the Ern Junior came about from the process of tooling up the machines to produce the fancier scales on the Zepp. There's really not any other reason for the Ern Junior to have the 'vent' at the bottom.

I'd guess that the machines were designed to press stamp the scales as a flat piece, then that was folded in half to be the Ern Junior, and for the Zepp it was cut and beveled at the 'vent', which then became the combs.

Yes, Martin! Good work! That is it! I have seen many of these Zepps and, of course, advertising exists for them. I have not seen an Ern of this design. Perhaps Zepp was a division of C.F. Ern, OR the design was sold to Zepp. Zepp is seen on regular straight razors as well. I wonder if any research into Zepp might yield more clues?