Improved Method of Lathering for Shaving, and Improved Brushes for the same.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 14th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of Lathering for Shaving, and Improved Brushes
for the same.
I, ADAM BERTRAM, Manufacturer, of Sneftelberg, near Bonn on the Rhine, in
the Province of Rhineland and Kingdom of Prussia, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is intended to promots a hygienic and pleasant method of lathering,
Hitherto in shaving infectious diseases, skin and beard eruptions and similar
affections, were very easily conveyed, partly through the razors, partly through the
brushes.
It is true, razors are now, in accordance with police regulations, generally treated
with disinfectants and thus purified, but this is not done with brushes, and indeed
could not well be carried out.
But apart from the question of health, a shaving brush which has been much
used and saturated through and through with soap, looks very uninviting, and
indeed somewhat disgusting, so that many people would gladly welcome any in-
provement in this respect; and such an improvement will be effected by the use
of my new method and my new brushes.
The new method consists, firstly in using the brushes only once, that is, a fresh
one for each customer. This is rendered possible by manufacturing the brushes so
simply and cheaply that they may be thrown away after the barber has once used
them; or by having them prepared already saturated with soap; and after once
using, each brush must, after being thoroughly cleansed, and disinfected, be filled
afresh with soap.
Whether barbers really do carry out this method the public will easily be able
to judge, as it is not a matter in which it can be deceived and taken in moreover
barbers would have no interest in not following the new method, as on the one
hand it is simple and cheap and on the other, the better class of customers will
gladly pay a trifle more in order to be served by them in this way, from the
aesthetic and hygienic point of view, the only right way.
In order to make it possible for barbers, after once using a brush, to throw it
away, the latter should be made, on the one hand of the cheapest material and
simplest construction, on the other hand, with the greatest possible economy of
material, as the brushes need not be nearly so large and bulky as heretofore.
There will thus be no special need for durability in the brushes, and consequently
it will not be necessary to use bristles or hair, which are always comparatively
expensive materials, and the fastening in of which is difficult and increases the
price; but any fibrous material may be used, such as flax, hemp and the like,
more especially the hemp from aloes. These fibres need only be made up in little
short bundles, suitable for the purpose, and tied round with strong twine, or
thread or even wire, so as to form a sort of head or handle, or they may be dipped into

page_text: a stiffening mixture, such as glue, resin, or any other adhesive; thus, the handle,
hitherto specially made of wood, metal or similar material, will be done away with.
This head or handle of the brush might also have a simple and expensive cover-
ing of paper, or tin-foil, or any other similar material.
With the other plan, namely having the brushes saturated with soap before-
hand, the brushes may also be made of cheap material and of the simplest con-
struction, like those above described, so that they can be thrown away after once
using. They may however, be made, as formerly, of good material and of durable
construction, so that they can be used for a longer time; but in this case they
must each time be refilled with soap after having undergone, of course a thorough
cleansing and disinfecting.
The soap can be best applied to the brush by dipping the same into a solution of
soap which then hardens in the air and when dipped into water softens again in so
far that it lathers. When a barber has lathered a customer with one brush,
he must take another for the next person, and so on.
In order that when dipped into water the soap shall quickly dissolve, and yet a
sufficient quantity of water remains in the brush without further dipping in,
the following construction is recommended.
The brush consists of hair or fibres joined together at the top into a head or
handle, which is covered with paper or tin-foil. In the other construction there
is in a hollow space in the head of the brush a pad of wadding or small sponge
or something similar which, where the brush is dipped into water, gets saturated
and communicates this water to the soap, thus helping it to dissolve rapidly.
When the fibres of the brush are to be bound together at the head by tying
with twine, or pack-thread, or wire, it is necessary to insert into the interior of
the head a ring of some hard substance, which surrounds it rigidly, so as to pre-
vent the pad or sponge being squeezed together when the brush is being bound. If
the handle of such a brush is covered with a cap of paper or tin-foil, an opening
should be made in the centre of the head of the cap to allow of the water reaching
the pad or sponge.
Of course the above-described improvement of having the brush ready filled
with soap can be applied to brushes of expensive, durable material, such as are
now generally used, as well as to those cheap ones which should be thrown away
after once using.
Dated this 12th day of February 1898.
For ADAM BERTRAM,
Bernh. Brockhues.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of Lathering for Shaving, and Improved Brushes
for the same.
I, ADAM BERTRAM, Manufacturer, of Sneftelberg, near Bonn on the Rhine, in
the Province of Rhineland and Kingdom of Prussia, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention is intended to promote a hygienic and pleasant method of lathering.
Hitherto in shaving infectious diseases, skin and beard eruptions and similar
affections were easily conveyed, partly through the razors partly through the
brushes.
It is true, razors are now, in accordance with police regulations, generally treated

page_text: with disinfectants and thus purified, but this is not done with brushes and indeed
could not well be carried out.
But apart from the question of health, a shaving-brush which has been much
used and saturated through and through with soap, looks very uninviting and
indeed somewhat disgusting, so that many people would gladly welcome any im-
provement in this respect; and such an improvement will be effected by the use
of my new method and my new brushes.
The new method consists, firstly in using the brushes only once, that is, a fresh
one for each customer. This is rendered possible by manufacturing the brushes so
simply and cheaply that they may be thrown away after the barber has once used
them; or by having them prepared already saturated with soap; and after once
using, each brush must, after being thoroughly cleansed and disinfected be filled
afresh with soap.
That the barbers really use this method the public will easily be state, as it is
not a matter in which it can be deceived and taken in. Moreover barbers would
have no interest in not following the new method, as on the one hand it is simple
and cheap, and on the other, the better class of customers will gladly pay a trifle
more in order to be served by them in this way, from the aesthetic and hygienic
point of view, the only right way.
In the accompanying drawing the new brushes are shown in two different forms.
Fig. 1 shows a very simple brush in outer-view. Fig. 2 shows the other form,
appropriate for the reception of soap in a cross section.
In order to make it possible for barbers, after once using a brush to throw it
away, the latter should be made, on the one hand of the cheapest material and
simplest construction, on the other hand, with the greatest possible economy of
material as the brushes need not be nearly so large and bulky as heretofore.
There will thus be no special need for durability in the brushes, and consequently
it will not be necessary to use bristles or hair, which are always comparatively
expensive materials, and the fastening in of which is difficult and increases the
price; but any fibrous material may be used such as flax, hemp and the like,
more especially the hemp from aloes.
These fibres need only be made up in little short bundles, suitable for the pur-
pose, and tied round with strong twine or thread or even wire, so as to form a sort
of head or handle, or they may be dipped into a stiffening mixture, such as glue,
resin or any other adhesive; thus the handle hitherto specially made of wood,
metal or similar material will be done away with.
This head or handle of the brush might also have a simple and inexpensive
covering of paper, tin-foil or any other suitable material.
With the other plan, namely having the brushes saturated with soap before
hand, the brushes may also be made of cheap material and of the simplest con-
struction like those above described, so that they can be thrown away after once
using.
They may however, be made, as formerly, of good material and of durable
construction so that they can be used for a larger time; but in this case they
must each time be refilled with soap after having undergone of course a thorough
cleansing and disinfecting.
The soap can be best applied to the brush by dipping the same into a solution of
soap which then hardens in the air and when dipped into water softens again in so
far that it lathers. When a barber has lathered a customer with one brush,
he must take another for the next person, and so on.
In order that when dipped into water the soap shall quickly dissolve, and yet a
sufficient quantity of water remains in the brush without further dipping in,
the following construction is recommended.
The brush consists of hairs or fibres joined together at the top into a head or
handle which is covered with paper or tin-foil.
In the other construction (Fig. 2) there is in a hollow space in the head a of
the brush a part of wadding, or small sponge c or something similar which,

page_text: when the brush is dipped into water, gets saturated and communicates this water
to the soap, thus helping it to dissolve rapidly.
When the fibres of the brush are to be bound together at the head by tying
with twine, or pack-thread d, or wire it is necessary to insert into the interior of
-the head a ring e of some hard substance, which surrounds it rigidly, so as to pre-
vent the pad or sponge being squeezed together when the brush is being bound.
If the handle of such a brush is covered with a cap of paper or tin-foil f, an
opening should be made in the centre of the head of the cap to allow of the water
reaching the pad or sponge.
Of course the above-described improvement of having the brush ready filled
with soap can be applied to brushes of expensive, durable material, such as are
now generally used, as well as to those cheap ones which should be thrown away
after once using.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
Improved method of lathering for shaving, and improved brushes for the same
characterized by;
1.) The practice of either using the brushes only once and then throwing it
away, or else having it prepared afresh for each occasion.
2.) The simple brushes made of the cheapest possible fibrous material, instead
of hairs, further with the greatest possible economy of material and of the simplest
construction, the fibres composing the brush being tied together at the top to form
a head or handle which may be covered with a cap of tin-foil or any other suitable
material.
3.) The arrangement by which a sufficient supply of soap for a single lathering
is contained in the brush, and by which there is also left in the head of the brush
a hollow space containing an absorbent substance, and consequently an opening in
the top of the cap through which the water can flow.
Dated this 10th day of November 1898.
For ADAM BERTRAM,
Bernh. Brockhues.