An Improved Shaving Apparatus, Adapted either for Dressing Table or Travelling Bag.
Year: 1887

page_text: An Improved Shaving Apparatus, Adapted either for Dressing Table
or Travelling Bag.
ALBERT EDWARD GREEN 22 Birchfields Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Diesinker and Toolmaker do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
-
The invention consists of a cylindrical vessel made of Brass, German Silver, Tin,
or any other metal, about 4 in. diameter and 14 in. deep, with a flat cover, in which is
placed water to the depth of inch and which we term the water vessel. Fitted inside
the above at the top is a soap box or lather box in. deep, thus leaving a space of in.
between water and lather box.
The lather box is shaped in the form of a crescent thereby giving a space for the
lather brush to be dipped in the water underneath.
This space when not in use is filled by a metal bottle containing methylated
spirit.
About in. from top of water vessel is a slot or hole for the convenience of
passing razor blade into the hot water for purpose of heating same during process of
shaving.
Underneath the vessel is placed a stand consisting of a flat disc about 4 in. diameter
with the hole in centre (in which to place the spirit lamp) and three legs about two
inches high. The disc being secured to the legs about in. from bottom.
The spirit lamp is a small vessel about in. deep and 14 in. diameter. Half way
down the vessel is fitted a disc of metal (with round hole in centre) forming a
cavity at the bottom which is filled with cotton wool. Methylated spirit is then
poured into the lamp until the wool becomes saturated and fills the upper portion
of the lamp to an extent which would be indicated in each lamp.
The lamp when lit will heat the water contained in the water vessel to boiling point
in three minutes when the spirit in the upper portion of the lamp will be exhausted
and leave a small flame burning from the lower part, sufficient to keep the water at
the same temperature during the process of shaving.

page_text: For the convenience of travellers I further decrease the space occupied by the
article, by making the water vessel to slide down the legs of the stand, so that when
the apparatus is not in use the space occupied would be 4 in. diameter 2½ in. deep.
This I accomplish as follows.
The bottom of the water vessel has a projecting flange of an inch all round which
works in corresponding slots at the top of each of the three legs. In that flange are
three groovs corresponding to the shape of the legs so that by turning the vessel
round until the groovs in the flange reach the legs it slides down over the lamp. The
bottom of the water vessel being made concave to receive the lamp.
Dated this 29th day of September 1887.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Shaving Apparatus, Adapted either for Dressing Table
or Travelling Bag.
Mr. ALBERT EDWARD GREEN 58 Carolino Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Die Sinker and tool maker do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for shaving purposes which
shall be of a very compact nature and avoid the great objection which exists in all
other shaving apparatuses viz. That when the water is sufficiently heated you must either
extinguish the lamp (in which case the water very soon gets cold) or if allowed to
remain burning the water will boil over almost immediately.
In carrying this invention into practical effect the article may be made of Brass
Tin Copper German Silver or any other desirable material and of any suitable con-
formation depending upon the number of accessories I might wish it to contain.
The invention consists of a cylindrical vessell 1 about four inches diameter and two
inches deep in which is placed water to the depth of three quarters of an inch and
which I term the water vessell. Fitted inside the water vessell at the top is a soap or
lather box three quarters of an inch deep, (Fig. 1) thus leaving a space of half an inch
between water and soap box. The soap box is shaped in the form of a crescent,
thus giving a space for the lather brush to be dipped in the water underneath.
This space when not in use is filled by a metal spirit bottle (Fig. 2) containing
methylated spirit for use in the lamp.
About half an inch from top of water vessell is a slot or hole 2 for the con-
venience of passing the razor blade into the hot water for purpose of heating same
during the process of shaving.
Underneath the water vessel is placed a stand consisting of a flat disc about four
inches diameter with hole in centre (in which to place the spirit lamp) and three
legs about two inches high. The disc being secured to the legs about half inch
from bottom.
The spirit lamp 3 is a small vessel about three quarter inch deep and one and
half inch diameter. Half way down the vessel is fitted a disc of metal (with round
hole in centre) forming a cavity at the bottom which is filled with cotton wool.
Methylated spirit is then poured into the lamp until the wool becomes saturated and
fills the upper portion of the lamp, to an extent which would be indicated in each
lamp. The lamp when lit will heat the water contained in the water vessel to boiling
point in about three minutes when the spirit in the upper portion of lamp will be
exhausted and leave a small flame burning from the saturated cotton in the lower
part sufficient to keep the water at the same temperature during the process of
shaving.

page_text: For the convenience of travellers I further decrease the space occupied by the
article by making the stand which holds the water vessell in the form of a perforated
rim 4 with a ledge fitted inside at one end.
Upon either end of this rim when the article is closed (Fig. 3) fits the cover 5 and
bottom 6 to which is attached the lamp.
When in use (Fig. 4) the cover is removed--the water vessell taken out and the
rim reversed with the ledge uppermost upon which the water vessell is placed.
Another and cheaper form in which this article may be made is simply a metal rim
two and half inches wide perforated about three quarters of an inch at one end,
fitted with a cover at top and at the other end a bottom to which would be attached
the lamp.
About one inch from the top inside the rim is soldered a disc of metal thereby
forming a vessell for water.
This space when not in use would conveniently hold a circular spirit bottle, and the
space between the disc of metal and lamp at bottom would conveniently hold a circular
soap box about one inch deep.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be or may be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. The construction of a shaving apparatus which contains both spirit bottle and
soap-box in a compact form and fitted with a spirit lamp so constructed that the water
when sufficiently heated will be kept at the same temperature (without risk of boiling
over) during the process of shaving.