Mailcall! Fancy, mysterious and a bit creepy Friodur 50 (sub.wetshaving.social)

submitted 5 months ago by djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social to c/wetshaving@sub.wetshaving.social

13 comments fedilink hide all child comments

So, there is some contradictory information about Friodur razors floating around the interwebs. For instance, according to the text of German Wikipedia (English Wikipedia, the ice-hardening process for hardening stainless steel was invented in 1939 and patented in 1951, but according to the time table in the same article, it was patented in 1939 but the name Friodur was only introduced with the first ice-hardened blades in 1951.

But then I saw a mysterious 7/8 Friodur 50 on eBay with a patent stamp D. R. PAT 41-DL4678.

Now I can't find that patent document, but it seems to be a patent stamp from the patent office of the German Reich (presumably of the third kind given that the Friodur name appeared in at the earliest 1939 and the Reich Patent Office was dissolved after the allied victory). So it seems that this is a 1941 Friodur model.

It's also the only Friodur I've ever seen to have etchings on both sides of the blade. Here's the usually blank back side with a big sweeping Friodur logo:

It seems like the early Friodurs made a really big deal of being Friodurs. Must have been expensive razors.

The front side has the typical shank markings of earlier carbon steel Henckels straights (Later Friodurs have the swirly Friodur logo in addition to the Zwilling (twin) logo):

But the really interesting part is the decoration etched into the front face of the blade. First, there's what looks like the double-headed eagle of the Scottish rite of Freemasonry.

A big Eye of Providence:

A Freemason's Star (apparently not really a star of David, but a geometric regularization of the square-and-compass symbol of the Freemasons

And finally this image I couldn't find information on that doesn't make me want to put on a tinfoil hat. Supposedly a scythe and a winged hourglass symbolising time as the destroyer of humankind's institutions. I will not link to my fishy sources.

Here's the whole thing! I'm not sure yet whether I think it's pretty, but it's sure interesting!

I'm going to hone this puppy to get it ready for Austere August, $FriodomRiders, and $Honemeisterschaft

top 13 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] PorkButtsNTaters666@sub.wetshaving.social 5 points 5 months ago

Nice one! But if it were mine, just for extra safety, I would have a pentagram engraved on the scales.

[-] djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social 3 points 5 months ago

That is a smart precaution. I'm calling my engraver first thing on Monday morning

[-] PorkButtsNTaters666@sub.wetshaving.social 3 points 5 months ago

And I would recommend to rinse it in holy water. Just in case.

[-] djundjila@wetshaving.social 4 points 5 months ago

I'm pretty sure that would damage the pentagram 😈

[-] PorkButtsNTaters666@sub.wetshaving.social 3 points 5 months ago

🤣🤣🤣

[-] gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social 5 points 5 months ago

So, I'd guess that the show side was done by Henckels and the back side was etched by someone else. Stainless was invented in the very early 20th century (1913). My father (1912) told me what a big deal it was when stainless became available in items used by the general public. I think this was late '20s, early '30s. A Friodur razor made in that era would, in fact, be a very big deal. Very cool razor!!! I'll be riding to Friodom with my trusty 14. I still have no clue what soap I'll use.

[-] djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social 3 points 5 months ago

etched by someone else

Certainly a possibility, and I can't find any sources supporting or contradicting this. It looks certainly like an odd choice of symbols for Henckels. One thing sticks out to me, though: the Friodur logo is on what is typically the back side. All decorated blades I know (contemporary examples include Puma, Rolli, Böker, Filarmónica, earlier examples are Wade & Butcher, Frederick Reynolds, etc) are etched/inlaid on the other side, including later decorated Friodur blades.

So I think it likely that the Friodur logo wasn't meant to be the main decoration. This wouldn't necessarily mean that the masonic symbols were, though. I'm wondering whether this was a blade meant to be personalised.

My father (1912) told me what a big deal it was when stainless became available in items used by the general public.

Oh, I can imagine! I think it took a while before it became a true replacement for carbon steel, though. Stainless steel welding was a problem for a long time, and early stainless blades wouldn't hold an edge until cryogenic hardening (Friodur) was discovered.

I still have no clue what soap I’ll use.

Same! I am incapable of making a decision right now 😅

[-] gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social 3 points 5 months ago

Probably a group of Masonic wetshavers got together and commissioned Henckels to make them a razor that was personalized for the group!

[-] djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social 2 points 5 months ago

Sounds plausible

[-] HomeAwayFromHone@sub.wetshaving.social 5 points 5 months ago

Coooooool. Thanks for sharing.

[-] walden@sub.wetshaving.social 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

That's a serious looking razor.

[-] djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social 3 points 5 months ago

Maybe that's the origin story of Mr Why So Serious?

[-] DaveWave94@sub.wetshaving.social 2 points 5 months ago

A very interesting find! Judging by the looks of the etchings, I also think it's very likely that someone did the freemason symbols for themselves. Also, if this razor was indeed produced during the reign of the 3rd Reich, I highly doubt that you could freely buy a straight razor with freemason symbols - freemasonry was totally frowned upon in Nazi Germany, since their beliefs of everyone being equal are in stark contrast to the fascist NS ideology.

According to a freemasonry website that discussed various symbols, the winged hourglass with the scythe is somewhat of a "memento mori" symbol for freemasons. No matter where you stand in society you can't reverse the sand in the hourglass, so you better make good use of your time. To quote the website: > "Masons are taught that since we don’t know the exact time of death, it is essential to utilize the time God has given to mold ourselves into better people.
(Source: MasonicFind)

And yeah, some people have tons of misconceptions around the freemasons, thanks to Dan Brown and other popular authors. Yes they are a "secret" society, but nothing to do with the occult or even satanism, as sometimes portrayed in movies. In fact, they are very much rooted in christian beliefs. They aren't the Illuminati, or any occult magic society. (I guess that DJ knows all of this, but if someone here isn't familiar with the whole thing it might be interesting. Thanks for listening to my TED talk 😉 )

this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2024

20 points (91.7% liked)

WetShaving

728 readers

12 users here now

This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.

New subscribers welcome!

Please visit our wiki, which is always and forever a work in progress.

🪒 Check out these alternative front-ends for this server:

https://gem.wetshaving.social/ - a nice modern interface

https://old.wetshaving.social/ - designed to look like old.reddit.com

Our sister Mastodon instance is https://wetshaving.social/.

🪒 Track the uptime of our various services here:

https://uptime.splettnet.com/status/wetshaving

🪒 Community Rules

Rule 1 - Behaviour and Etiquette

Be Respectful. Do not bully, flame, or harass others.
Malicious comments are not allowed but heated discussion and salty banter is okay.
Low effort replies and complaints about content will be removed.

Rule 2 - Content Guidelines

Mail Calls, Simple Questions, and SOTD posts belong in the recurring weekly threads.
Posts must have sufficient content to generate a meaningful discussion.
Images, links, or videos must include additional text that summarizes the topic.

Rule 3 - Reviews and Disclosure

Use [First Impressions] in the title if your experience with the product is limited.
Use the [Review] in the title if you can provide comprehensive details with enough familiarity to answer follow-up questions.
Disclose how the product being reviewed was acquired (e.g., PIF, loan, or purchase). If the product was provided to you directly by the maker or vendor free of charge or at a discount, you must disclose this fact even if the item will later be returned to the maker or vendor.

Rule 4 - Advertising

Vendors are to keep marketing within the biweekly Deals/New Products threads.
Non-vendors may post topics about products if it will foster a compelling discussion.
Do not solicit donations or share fundraisers without mod approval.

Rule 5 - Inappropriate Content

All NSFW/L content must request mod approval and be flaired appropriately.
Non-shaving related NSFW/L content is not allowed.

Rule 10 - Moderator Discretion

The rules may not apply perfectly to every situation. The mods have final discretion.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

wetshavingadmin@sub.wetshaving.social

merikus@sub.wetshaving.social

walden@sub.wetshaving.social

djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social