AC Penn "Lever" Adjustable Safety Razor
According to Waits, this dates to around 1920.
Its a one piece Singe Edge razor that has a lever that you switch that adjusts the blade gap. There are really only two settings although I guess that you could move it half way.
There are two types, this one with a lever in the neck and the other has a twist knob. Both have separate patents.
It takes a proprietary blade, but guys use the non-adjustable ones with normal Injector blades. That doesn't work in the adjustable because the adjuster mechanism just pushes the blade against the top cap, which in turn pushes the top cap upwards and increases the blade gap. The width of the injector blades are too thin for this to happen and don't engage with the adjuster.
The patent was granted to J. Kunz and F. Goertz on December 17, 1918. The number is US1288049 (Click to see)
How does it shave? I don't know as I haven't figured out a blade solution yet. Firstly, I'm not too comfortable with just the tension of the top cap holding the blade in place. I've made two spacers, the first out of thin plastic and the second from thin stainless steel but neither will hold the blade in place when its on its open setting. WATCH THIS SPACE. |
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