Kenberry Blade Sharpener

I have never seen one of these (the two green marble thingy) before.

Interesting. I wonder if it's actually sharpening or just realigning the edges?

I've seen them in clear, and many other colors, even two different colors on the same sharpener, later ones had steel balls.

Back during the Great Depression years, when the Kenberry sharpenerwas introduced, razor blades were not readily available and were a luxury purchase for many. One way of prolonging the life of a razor blade was to hone it on the inside of a ceramic or glass mug. The glass hone was designed to replicate the same honing action as a glass mug. The curvature allows the edges of the blade to contact the glass at a suitable angle. The process was more similar to stropping a straight razor on cloth or leather than true honing.

Back in those days, blades were made of carbon steel and they were not coated. Thus, honing/stropping the blades was a way to remove rust on the edge and to prolong the life of the blade. The first coated blades were the Gilllette Super Blue blades with a silicone coating introduced in 1960.

Now that most blades are produced of stainless steel and are coated with various metallic and polymer coatings, honing/stropping the blades is far less effective as it cannot replace worn coatings. When purchased in bulk, something that was uncommon in the 20th century, razor blades are relatively inexpensive. Taking the time to hone/strop used blades today is not worth the time and effort.

That being said, the Kenberry Sharpener is a very interesting antique.