Many years ago my Dad bought one from an antique shop. Didn’t know how to use it; nor I until your video. I inherited it from him and will finally give it a try! Wish he could have seen it in action. Thanks so much! 👍👍
Thanks for this. I was born in 1945, and this is the sound of my childhood - living in hotels and boarding houses and hearing many razors being stropped at the same time. An eerie sound indeed.
Hi from England, nice to see the old Rolls razor, just so you know you don't have to worry about getting the stone or strop lids mixed up in regards the direction, it was designed so that each lid catch end is a different size and are handed so the lids will only fit one way onto the case and the direction of the push/pull is automatic. Other point is that when sharpening its best not to slap the blade over hard when honing, slow and steady rather than violent fast as flip flapping the blade edge against the stone aint that good for the blade or the stone.
Paul Adams Thanks for the comment, Paul. You are correct about the "slapping" on the stone. I actually recently picked up a Rolls with an instruction booklet. The reason that I point out the proper sides is because I've found Rolls Razors with the wrong sides jammed together and the stone cracked and the strop shredded. :)
Yes, also most of cases the handle is designed to fit into the side along the tooth rack rather than over the handle, have a look at yours, they also came in a alloy case version, ideal for travel as its about half the weight.
@@chirhomin That is correct. This is the Imperial model, and accommodates the handle in the gear track. The alloy version was called the Viscount. I am not sure that the Viscount has that feature. It is certainly OK to store the handle as you illustrated over night or between shaves flat on a shelf, but not if you intend to travel or store the kit, as doing so risks damage to the stone, or the strop, or both.
Great demo. My dad was an expert with one of these and had the same one all his life. The tips on conditioning the stone and leather were really useful. Just a comment on your honing/stropping action. The idea is to keep the handle low on the same side and push-pull it quickly without it swinging the arm over. This saves time and requires much less effort. My dad used to click-clack it at great speed which you could hear all over the house. This is a little masterpiece of engineering right down to the safety bar, which keeps the blade edge at a safe angle while in use.
Thanks for the informative video! I just bought myself a Rolls and didn't know how to care for the honing stone and strop. You had me worried there for a while about which plate was on which side of the case but the small indents at the end are reversed so that the honing stone and strop always go back on the right side for the mechanism. I'm hoping that with what I've learned here I'll have found my "new" favorite razor and will be keeping it in great condition for decades if not longer!
Great video ; thanks! I just receive an identical one as a gift and had no idea on how to use it... It’s in perfect condition too! It even came with the instructions and original casing with an extra blade. I’m very pleased with the gift... One complimentary information regarding the « honing » and the « stroping » side that might be helpful to people is, ; theres a little « H » & « S » engraved on the release buttons on each side of the housing. Cheers!
I got mine last week. I am excited! I got a great deal on a 1927 Rolls Razor. Thanks for the tutorial. It is in magnificent condition for an almost 100 year old razor. I look forward to using it for the rest of my life. These are incredible razors. Goodbye Disposables!!!
Probably the most useful video about rolls razor ! Thank you very much! I just got my rolls razor. I have reconditioned it and also flattened/polished the hone with silicon carbide powder on a glass. I sharpened the blade for the first time properly with wetstones up to 12k and then two strops with compounds. Afterwards i hope I can keep the edge with origial hone and leather. Thanks again for the vid!
Thank you for the upload and explanation! My mother handed down an earlier model Rolls Razor that was used by my great grandfather after she learned I had become interested in vintage shaving. I plan on buying a different one and using it so this helps a lot! Particularly the part about putting everything together properly as I see MANY of them for sale that have broken stones.
This is terrific! Thanks for all the info!:) I found one last year on Ebay in brand new condition. It still has the price tags! I've been meaning to use it. So glad I saw this video first!:)
Thanks man, that was nice to see! I just found one of these in what looks to be excellent condition on the market this week. So I'm going to follow your instructions for the leather and honing stone and will try my first shave with it sometime very soon!
Thanks so much for the video! I have owned my late great-uncle's Rolls for 25 years, had my first shave with it today. I've been real happy using the same DE razor for 20 years, but I reckon I might switch to the Rolls full time. Great shave, pretty fast, no cuts.
I knew I would find something on this product. Just found mine at an estate sale. Got it for 5 bucks. I knew it was some sort of razor and as soon as I saw England on it I knew it had to be good.
Hey this was great! Thanks bunch! I fell down the rabbit hole last year and collect vintage razors. The lady at the antique shop pointed it out but we both did not know how t use it. We took it apart and did an online search. We watched your video and with your help realized the one we had was in really great shape. I'm also glad we didn't do anything before watching your video because I could have cracked the stone without knowing. I now have it cleaned up based on you recommendations and plan to use it at some point. This video was real easy to understand because you explained everything slowly. Thanks again!
Excellent video A+++ , I just received one of these razors as a gift. Until now I had know idea how to pack it up or use it. I have many DE & SE razors, This Rolls Razor is a first. Now to see one of your how to shave with one videos . New subscriber ....Regards Robert
+Robert S. Thanks! I DO have a video of me shaving with one. They're great razors. I might have to make another video of one soon. :) thanks for subscribing!
Great condition I picked up a bargain e-bay lot that had 2 or 3 of these in medium to not great condition. I took the razors out & just tried to hone them on a Japanese whetstone. They came up very sharp
Useful video thanks. Is there a way to disinfect the hone and strop that won't ruin them please? I've sterilised the razor itself, but I'd like to make sure no traces of previous user on the stone or leather either...
Thanks for posting this. Went and oiled the stone, strop, gears and friction thing after watching. Might be worth mentioning that you should ensure the hole at the back of the blade is completely dry before reassembling after use. I've had mine for over thirty years and it's in good nick, but really only keep it in case of the zombie apocalypse. I think the computer must be mind reading to throw this video up since it was only a couple of days ago that I used it for the first time in years. So how do I find it? Slow and steady as she goes. Only use it in the direction of hair growth unless you want a nasty cut. Does the cheeks pretty well but my slightly scraggy 62 year old throat is much more of a challenge. Magnified examination of the edge shows that sharpening is uneven. A bit like a penny farthing if you ask me. Charming sure, but would you really want to ride one on a daily basis?
I bought a rolls razors and everything about is awesome except the handle It seems to be a solid piece instead of ones that turn or collapse😕just asking if know anything about the different handles they made for amazing razor thanx steve
Hi there from UK .l have 16 of these now. but its only on a No 3 imperial that has to have the handle in the centre. On all the others there is a haft moon cutaway in the one of the racks that enables the handle to be stowed away safely , Still cannot find ANY reference about dating . But recently found the Alloy cases that were used during WW2 ( plenty of Alloy then) were still used up to the early 50s till the Viscount came out. Good vid by the way.
Hi from the UK, l have 2 Viscount's and 2 imperial's, which are great .AND 2 new blades in the boxes! They are so cheap on ebay, its one hell of a shaving system for not much money.
i am having difficulity with reassembly does the honing plate go on the bottom serated edge of the casing, I have tried all ways and the roller just stops after a half turn thank you
Hey Adam how many hones and strops on my rolls razor on each side should i do I'm gonna shave with it for the first time you probably told me before but i forgot
Just found a rolls razor today at the swap meet for $5 bucks and it has the box, all of the instructions the blade packaging the only thing wrong with it was the extra honing stone was cracked on half but the original still in tact
Interesting friend, will you know if it is necessary to use oil on the stone and shoe grease on the skin of the settler? I do not have other references of the cleaning technique. regards
Oftentimes, the Stone is cracked because people don’t store them properly. You can sometimes find uncracked stones and replace that part of the lid. Depending on the model, they will simply swap out.
I hope you have learned more about the rolls razor since you posted this video. I like that everyone speaks from a point of authority to people that don’t have any idea. Those people take you for an authority and go out and do things that damage their equipment or don’t help in their journey to learn. Worse yet is incorrect practices get passed along and you end up with a whole group of people doing wrong practices. This is the problem with social media. Please be careful how you use your power.
Hi from Britain, I have a complete set of instructions for the Rolls Razor, that is a small strip with a quick introduction and a list of don'ts, and a large multi fold sheet which is the width of the set (i.e. End to end) and it's got 5 folds in it, if I can work out the best way to film it I will try to get a copy to you, also I would like to say that your instincts were spot on, because the largest letters in the instructions are BLADE MUST BE USED ALMOST FLAT TO THE FACE, but I should point out that the bar around the blade is to protect IT, not you, so if I can work out how to do it I will post a video of both sets of instructions. Jon.
Just bought one of these yesterday at an antique shop. I would love to see the instructions as I don't really understand how the safety guard works on the blade.
Perche'questo bellissimo e interessante rasoio non lo fabbricano piu'?È magnifico,sarei interessato ad averne uno completo di astuccio.Se qualcuno mi fa'ha pere dove trovarlo,e acquistarlo.Grazie
Thanks for the video! This is an awesome tutorial. I actually just got my first rolls razor yesterday. Got a really good deal on it with the strop and leather in good shape! Question: The blade isn't very sharp. The hone in the rolls razor seems more of a finishing hone. Can I hone it as a progression like a straight razor? Any tips on that? Thanks!!
Mike Tobin you can definitely hone it like any straight razor. However, it will be difficult since it's short and doesn't have a handle. You can also purchase s NOS vintage blade for them that will be Factory honed.
chirhomin where do you get an NOS blade? I actually have two that came with it. One is shave ready, but it was a nick on the edge, so that has to be fixed. The other blade is in excellent shape, but it's not very sharp.
@@miketobin2674 Rolls Razor blades were sold in little bakelite or metal cases, and in larger hinged boxes with slots for, I believe 7 blades. I presume that some people would want to use a different blade for each day of the week, as was a common practice among wealthy straight razor users, and was the concept with the Wilkinson 7 day safety razor kit. Blades can be purchased at antique stores, and online auctions. I have now acquired a second Imperial kit, primarily because the second kit came with a couple of extra blades which were clean and free of rust. Sometimes, it is cheaper to buy an entire unit with an extra blade than to buy a single spare blade by itself.
+Destin Gardner Unfortunately, I don't have any links. You'll have to search ebay or etsy for a set with a stone. However, be careful, because there were a few different versions of the case with slightly different measurements/dimensions.
Hello I have returned to doubled edged safety shaving after practicing for a few years with a schick injector. I gave it up because I am so impressed with 10 cent blade option over $1.12-$1.90 schick blade option as silly as that may sound. I keep the double-edge blades in mineral oil between uses and have had amazing nick-free shaves which says a lot because I have super sensitive skin and always used to nick myself often, even with the injector. What I find is the shave gets progressively worse, little by little and takes longer each time to achieve same results. That said, the comfort is great and still no nickage. This is rather pointless as the blades are so cheap, more for experiment purposes, have you ever tried a lillicrap honing glass? I am very curious about these. I tried a twinplex stropper and can not insert blade comfortably every time. Finger slice, even with gloves. Sorry if this is a little off topic
+Dylan Hooper I've used some stone hones, both curved (for DE blades) and square (for knives and such). It takes a lot of time to hone such a small blade, and I find it's a lot easier to just get new blades. That said, the beautiful thing about the Rolls Razor is that you don't need to get a new blade. Since it's similar to a straight razor, just re-hone it when it gets dull.
Dylan, What kind of de blades are you using? I would not try to hone a stainless blade, but carbon steel is made for this. The challenges are two fold. First, de blades are thinner today than they were when carbon steel blades ruled the roost. This means that they will tend to flex more readily. It makes them a bit harder to hone and strop. Second, nearly all de blades today are coated with some sort of polymer and or thin metallic coating on the cutting edge. This is what makes them smooth. The only contemporary carbon steed de blade I know of that I believe to be without such a coating is the Treet Black blade. I understand that the Treet Classic blade is essentially identical, but without the black coating, and with added teflon (ptfe) coating on the edge. I understand that the glass honing devices, such as the lillicrap et al, helps to align the surface contour of the blade. These were, however, designed for the thicker vintage blades, which do not flex readily. I don't know of anyone who has tried to use one of these glass hones with a modern de blade, but I am tempted to try it out myself someday. The stropping appliances are purported to be quite effective. Twinplex was one, out of St. Louis and later Chicago. I am sorry that the twinplex is not working out for you. There was one out of Germany that Albert Einstein was a fan of, though the name escapes me. There was the Kris Kross. You can find a youtube demonstration of this ingenious machine on youtube. The slickest solution might be the "Shake Sharp Razor". This is a de razor with a built in diamond impregnated honing mechanism. This is an all in one solution, and is purported to be a great shaver in and of itself. It operates like a single edge shaver. Kind of a rare beast. I think they made them for only about a decade, up through 1941 or so.
Bob Sellers Thanks for the kudos! Unfortunately, neither the strop, nor the stone are reversible. They are glued onto their respective sides and then help in place by a metal tab at one end. Sometimes they can be replaced, but usually only if the glue has dried and cracked and the bond is loosened.
Bob Sellers I just got my first set and I was able to take out the leather strop with no issue. The leather was in great condition, I just took it out to condition it and then I was able to put it back in without any problem, with it staying in place. I would probably avoid trying to take the stone out because one mistake and you could crack that in half
Thanks! Been pretty terrified of this little guy since I cut off a decent chunk of my finger playing with it when I was young... time to chop off this 6 month beard!
If you check out ''Instructions for the Rolls Razor'', I have tried to video the instructions, but I am not sure that they are readable, so if you have any suggestions on how I could do it better, then I will try it again. Jon.
+gabez8 While you CAN use cooking oils, theyre not the best. The will eventually solidify and gunk stuff up, because theyre more for eating than lubrication. Something like mineral oil or honing oil is a lubricant that is also intended to clean away debris (like the small metal shavings that result from honing).
No. It won't fit. there's a "spike" that goes into the spine of the Rolls blade that holds it in place. A standard DE blade won't attach to the stropping mechanism at all.
I was actually showing my father in law a 4th quarter 1965 slim adjustable that i picked up on ebay for like $25 and he was like “I have my dads old razor. Its some kind of funny contraption you can have it if you want” and handed me one of these with a 1940 date etched into the spine of the blade
so the blade is stropped with the blade digging into the leather? odd, but I guess it would be a faster strop, though you would wear the leather a lot faster nvm it's just on the wrong side. it's still supposed to be stropped pulling away on the leather
Nice video but the title is a little misleading. You showed everything except how to use it. For instance you didn't even show how to assemble the handle on the razor. I guess using a razor would mean shaving with it right!? Other than that, thanks for the demo. PS: you have a really nice voice BTW.
Thanks for the compliment, Johnny! However, this was a video on how to use the honing/stropping mechanism. Literally, how to use it from a mechanical standpoint. I do have a video showing how to shave with it, as well. :) Here's a link to it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CODRHqRklEY.html
chrisjee18 I'm doing well! I'm actually working on uploading a new video soon. I'm thinking about a quick tutorial on vintage blades might be in order. :)
Mink oil will darken and damage leather over time. On leather , especially antique leather, but any leather you don't use motor oil. There are much better products out there. Even coconut oil, wich I've used.
The hone was designed to be used dry. You can clean the hone with baking powder mixed with washing up liquid then scrub with a toothbrush. If the hone has worn it can be very gently prised out and turned over. The strop needs dressing with paste. When honing the blade do not slap it on the hone but go slowly resting the case on a flat surface. Provided the blade has not dulled too much the hone and strop can make the blade pass the "hanging hair test".
Darren, Thanks for this. What kind of dressing do you recommend for the Rolls Razor Strop? AFAIK, Rolls never revealed the grit of their dressing. Luckily, I have some that came with my razor, but this dressing is not easy to find having been out of production for 60 plus years.
@@ivermec-tin666 A little late, I know. For the leather strop you can use red iron oxide paste by Windrose. Apply it with a finger wrapped in a cotton rag. This works better than the original Rolls paste.
+Destin Gardner You will need different stones for them. You can't remove a stone from the metal backing without destroying the stone or the backing plate.
I love this razor especially for my wrists it goes right though the skin I took the metal protector bar off the razor and it works perfectly for Slitting my wrists wonderful tool would recommend
Well I've always put mine in the side and then I heard this gentleman saying put it in the middle and now I'm a massive confusion but I think I'll sleep with putting it in the side
@@roderickfernandez5382 Well I think you should use it once in a while like I do just to get the feel of it no need to use it everyday they were built to last not like today garbage which ends up in the landfill and besides it's something you can pass on to your kids
Not a bad video but you left out arguably the most important part which is actually shaving with it. Not that you should have shaved but remove the blade and mount it to the handle for shaving.
I never used straight razor. But using this feels more complicated than straight razor. The gear powered mechanism very bulky and uncomfortable, the working area of the stone and leather so small in comparison to real hone and strop. The whole box is heavy, handle itself is super heavy. Buying real straight razor would be a better decision than using this straight on the stick.
Be careful and don’t throw it around like this guy. The stone is thin and will snap if you apply too much pressure when oiling; lay it flat! Also, The two sides won’t actually go on if you put it the wrong way. The teeth are different widths apart and won’t fit into the case on the wrong side.
