I've got my Dad's Rolls Razor that he had in the Navy during World War 2 in the South Pacific..... It still has the box and instruction manual both in perfect condition.
hmm. Interesting the way you reinsert the handle into the case. there is actually a small area along the inner wall where you can see a small notch carved out. this is where it is supposed to fit, according to the directions.
@Gonjir My step mother actually inherited one of these from her father, and it's sitting in one of our bathrooms now. From a cursory glance on eBay it seems they usually go only for a couple of bucks plus shipping. The problem with the one we have is that the sharpening stone is cracked, making it useless.
I sucked up my courage and hand honed it on a 1k/4k/8k set of waterstones and then re-ran it through the Rolls stone/strop. Better, but not what I'd call a world beater.
theshockwav Go to badgerandblade.com and search Rolls Razor, you will find many instructions and technique there. I suspect that you are honing too much and not stropping enough, or not using strop dressing. Hope this helps,
I have a question, mine had an engraved sentence on it I could only make out part of the sentence though " best steel " on the top (best) and bottom(steel) of the blade. but, in the middle there was an other couple words does any one know what those words are?!
How durable is the stone panel? Looking around eBay I see a lot of cracked ones, but then again it has been over 50 years since they stopped getting made. If I bought one with a stone in good shape, how long would it last - and could it withstand getting dropped?
dropping the hone is assuring breakage, they are very thin and fragile if abused. also, hone slowly, the blade must contact the stone lightly, the "slap" of the stone hitting quickly, will hammer the edge and actually dull it....gently, gently, gently. 5 strokes back and forth once a month of regular shaving, but strop the hell out of it 10 strokes before and after each shave and be sure to use strop dressing.
Rolls Razors are actually a wonderful razor, like straight razors though, the technique is different than using a modern plastic piece-of-junk razor with 5 blades. Rolls is basically a straight-razor with a handle. When you learn to shave with brush and soap and learn how to properly use a Rolls, You will get a closer shave without razor-burn, than you can get with all the modern gimmick-razors out there today. Also, there is a special place to store the handle within the case, beside the mechanism, a groove is provided on either side of the frame to hold the handle. Placing the handle into the carriage arm to store it puts your honing stone in grave danger of being cracked and rendered totally useless. Additionally, to anybody who wants to use one, you do not hone the blade on the stone until it needs it, usually about once a month or less of everyday use. Unnecessary honing wears out the stone and the blade. The strop needs to be treated regularly with strop dressing which is still produced and may be obtained from barber shops or barber supply stores. Strop dressing is what makes the blade glide over the skin by slicking the blade edge to it's most microscopic keenness. There are several forums at badgerandblade.com dedicated to the Rolls Razor and how to use it properly. I love mine, bought originally by my father in 1952 and passed to me in 1990, truly a joy to use but plan on a 30 minute shaving session the first couple of times until you learn just how to use it.
The real lesson of this clever gadget: If a company creates a quality product, and they build it to last forever... that company will eventually go out of business.
I've got my Dad's Rolls Razor that he had in the Navy during World War 2 in the South Pacific..... It still has the box and instruction manual both in perfect condition.
hmm. Interesting the way you reinsert the handle into the case. there is actually a small area along the inner wall where you can see a small notch carved out. this is where it is supposed to fit, according to the directions.
@Gonjir My step mother actually inherited one of these from her father, and it's sitting in one of our bathrooms now. From a cursory glance on eBay it seems they usually go only for a couple of bucks plus shipping. The problem with the one we have is that the sharpening stone is cracked, making it useless.
The razor handle sits on the inside of case on the right hand side, not inside the push/pull handle.
@Gonjir I think I picked this one up for about $25.
My dad had a Rolls which he liked. He preferred one of his Gillettes . According to him, the system is ingenious but the stone was fragile.
fuck thats ingenious, how much do these run ??
I bought one that was pretty good condition at a yard sale for under $5 and it came with the instructions!
How did you hone/ stop it? I just got one and was wondering if you used what it came with or updated equipment? Enjoy your videos thanks!
I sucked up my courage and hand honed it on a 1k/4k/8k set of waterstones and then re-ran it through the Rolls stone/strop. Better, but not what I'd call a world beater.
theshockwav Go to badgerandblade.com and search Rolls Razor, you will find many instructions and technique there. I suspect that you are honing too much and not stropping enough, or not using strop dressing. Hope this helps,
I have a question, mine had an engraved sentence on it I could only make out part of the sentence though " best steel " on the top (best) and bottom(steel) of the blade. but, in the middle there was an other couple words does any one know what those words are?!
How durable is the stone panel? Looking around eBay I see a lot of cracked ones, but then again it has been over 50 years since they stopped getting made.
If I bought one with a stone in good shape, how long would it last - and could it withstand getting dropped?
dropping the hone is assuring breakage, they are very thin and fragile if abused. also, hone slowly, the blade must contact the stone lightly, the "slap" of the stone hitting quickly, will hammer the edge and actually dull it....gently, gently, gently. 5 strokes back and forth once a month of regular shaving, but strop the hell out of it 10 strokes before and after each shave and be sure to use strop dressing.
Rolls Razors are actually a wonderful razor, like straight razors though, the technique is different than using a modern plastic piece-of-junk razor with 5 blades. Rolls is basically a straight-razor with a handle. When you learn to shave with brush and soap and learn how to properly use a Rolls, You will get a closer shave without razor-burn, than you can get with all the modern gimmick-razors out there today. Also, there is a special place to store the handle within the case, beside the mechanism, a groove is provided on either side of the frame to hold the handle. Placing the handle into the carriage arm to store it puts your honing stone in grave danger of being cracked and rendered totally useless. Additionally, to anybody who wants to use one, you do not hone the blade on the stone until it needs it, usually about once a month or less of everyday use. Unnecessary honing wears out the stone and the blade. The strop needs to be treated regularly with strop dressing which is still produced and may be obtained from barber shops or barber supply stores. Strop dressing is what makes the blade glide over the skin by slicking the blade edge to it's most microscopic keenness. There are several forums at badgerandblade.com dedicated to the Rolls Razor and how to use it properly. I love mine, bought originally by my father in 1952 and passed to me in 1990, truly a joy to use but plan on a 30 minute shaving session the first couple of times until you learn just how to use it.
If i hone the blade with external stone (ex Belgian) than i strop it with the red paste,does it effect in a negative way the sharpeness of the blade?
The real lesson of this clever gadget: If a company creates a quality product, and they build it to last forever... that company will eventually go out of business.