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(06-16-2016, 01:03 AM)LegalEagle1 Wrote: Another good dance with the straight today. Pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday. This time, tho, I really took my time and completed the neck. I also did a second pass (still N to S) on my cheeks and was rewarded with some good areas of smoothness. Finished off with a single ATG DE pass and was happy. Two small weepers appeared a few mins after the shave ended and I had already rinsed, applied AS. I just wiped them with my wet finger and they were gone. I am very pleased so far.
On a side note, I decided to google the name stamped on the tang of the Whipped Dog vintage flawed straight, as I have never had any vintage shave hardware of any kind before now. The name on the tang reads "Alexander Coppel Solingen, Germany." I found a B&B forum thread on this and therein was a history of this gentleman and his firm. It is interesting and quite tragic - here is an excerpt, as relevant, from that forum thread:
"In addition to the above, there is quite a bit of other history on Alexander Coppel, the company and the person.
In a nutshell, the company started as steel manufacturers by the original Alexander Coppel in 1821. They were very successful and opened a second manufacturing facility sometime in the 1850s. They manufactured pipes, rolled steel, wire, tableware, daggers, swords, knives and razors. They started manufacturing razors in the 1850s.
The company is most famous for their swords. Most of the police in Germany had a Coppel sword.
They exported sabres, bayonets and swords to England and the US for use by the military. This caused quite a scandal when it was found out that American and British military were using German manufactured weapons.
The Coppel family that Alexander (third generation, son of Gustav) headed were regarded just as highly as human beings as they were succesful entrepreneurs. They donated millions of marks to charity. Out of their own pockets built an orphanage, a school for the disadvantaged, and a recreation center. Their plants had recreational facilities for their workers. Some members of the family, including Alexander, became elected officials to fight for social issues. They headed various social rights groups. They were leading citizens of Solingen. In 2005 a street in Solingen was named after Alexander Coppel.
The family was Jewish and the company was Aryanized in 1936. Some of the family had already escaped to Switzerland in 1934.
Alexander Coppel and his family were sent to a concentration camp in 1941 along with the remaining Solingen Jews. He died there of starvation in 1942 at the age of 77."
That the name stamped on the tang of this straight is that of a gentleman and his family who literally lost everything and was starved to death in a Nazi concentration camp gives me something serious and sobering to reflect upon whenever I pick this razor up. Whatever troubles I may expect to face in my day will be in proper perspective.
That's a sad story. Thanks for sharing a piece of history on the razor.
I think you are on your way to becoming an every day straight razor shaver. Good job!
