Nimbus ‘Slant’, 1932

This is my second boxed Nimbus, this one with the cap raised/humped on one end, which presumably affects the angle of grip and the technique, much like the Mulcuto - not that I know, as I have never used one. 

A true slant? Unsure. Not in my hands yet, but on its way to me from Germany. 

It might be a very rare razor, but again, I don’t know. Comments would be very warmly received!

Or is it a true slant?

Am I imagining it, or does the head screw on to the handle off centre? As a slant? ‘“Schrägscnitt”, as the Germans would call it? 

I’ll confirm when I get it, but you decide for now: 

Here is a Nimbus blade, with the same font as the inner case lid:

Say, that’s quite the rare bird you’ve found, Shaun! What a fascinating design. As you point out, the cap appears torqued, and yet the plate appears not. Sort of a “half slant” it seems. And what about that handle! It’s curvy and appealing, if you ask me. Looking forward to your impressions when it arrives.

(02-09-2023, 02:30 PM)chazt Wrote: Say, that’s quite the rare bird you’ve found, Shaun! What a fascinating design. As you point out, the cap appears torqued, and yet the plate appears not. Sort of a “half slant” it seems. And what about that handle! It’s curvy and appealing, if you ask me. Looking forward to your impressions when it arrives.

I can find almost no reference at all to the Nimbus other than:

"Krauskopf & Kronenberg. Fritzlar in 1932. Brand name: 'Nimbus'."

I am hoping someone will chime in with some enlightening information. I can see there is an exact Sonnal handle on a slant owned by efsk, but marked "Sonnal" on the end. This might provide a clue. 

I have come across the distinctive handle now in other forums; seems generic, commonly under the title “Somefa” (SOlingen MEtalworking FActory, get it?) but with different heads, baseplates, top caps, depending on the brand (e.g. Sonnal). 

I have seen the handle paired with the same humped metal top cap, but never with this white, plastic, curved and unusual baseplate. Or maybe I’m not looking in the right places?

Nice razor.
As you've noticed yourself: the handle was at a time generic in Solingen. I would not use it to determine manufacturer of the razor.
As for the razor, the one thing that worries me a bit is the plastic baseplate. In a way, it feels anachronistic to the era this razor is supposed to come from. What I do find very interesting is the long "slit" as opposed to distinctive holes for the posts coming from the cap.
What I'm not sure about, and is not quite visible from the pics: is the baseplate in a different angle than 90° to the handle? Or differently put: is the center screw angled to the cap?
As for cap: compare to Saba HERE
A razor where the baseplate is at 90° to the handle (as with normal non slanted DE), yet with humpback cap: see Feather HERE

(02-11-2023, 07:04 AM)efsk Wrote: Nice razor.
As you've noticed yourself: the handle was at a time generic in Solingen. I would not use it to determine manufacturer of the razor.
As for the razor, the one thing that worries me a bit is the plastic baseplate. In a way, it feels anachronistic to the era this razor is supposed to come from. What I do find very interesting is the long "slit" as opposed to distinctive holes for the posts coming from the cap.
What I'm not sure about, and is not quite visible from the pics: is the baseplate in a different angle than 90° to the handle? Or differently put: is the center screw angled to the cap?
As for cap: compare to Saba HERE
A razor where the baseplate is at 90° to the handle (as with normal non slanted DE), yet with humpback cap: see Feather HERE

Yes, these are all interests and concerns I share. The plastic baseplate is interesting in its own right, for the reasons you give, although I have never seen one of these ‘slitted’ baseplates before. It seems odd that it should be available as a generic retro-fit, but who knows? Where would anyone have got one as a spare, etc. And who knows what angle? It does seem NOT at 90 degrees. Only when I hold the razor will I be able to assess.

A puzzler indeed. I spent some time searching, but found nothing of much substance. And as you said, Waits' isn't saying much at all. Top result on Google for me is, well, this thread. Not much to work from at all.

(02-11-2023, 09:07 AM)WegianWarrior Wrote: A puzzler indeed. I spent some time searching, but found nothing of much substance. And as you said, Waits' isn't saying much at all. Top result on Google for me is, well, this thread. Not much to work from at all.

I have searched everywhere for a plastic/bakelite baseplate like one this one (slots, not holes) but not found a single one. Who can claim with any certainty that it is original or not? I have doubts, naturally, but for me, it only adds to the intrigue, and so I took a punt and bought it. There are some oddities around, of course, but I'm sure that in time one of these "slotted" baseplates will turn up and we might be able to develop a theory. 

When I receive the razor, I'll even be able to look at the reverse side! If it turns out to not be original, I'm sure I'll be able to find one that matches, but for now, it is what it is!

Today, the Nimbus arrived. I have cleaned and polished it. Came up very good. Some notes: 

Despite even my own misgivings about the hard white plastic baseplate (not bakelite; possibly urea formaldehyde?) I am convinced it is original. This is because of the snug fit over the lugs, and because its domed curve exactly matches the curve of the whole length of the underside of the chunky, solid ‘hump’ head. This also means there is no gap left where they sit against each other and so the baseplate won’t snap when attaching the handle.

I also tried swapping the baseplate out with six domed-shaped metal baseplates from different razors including from the same era… and none fitted. Not even passably. 

The baseplate would normally be 90° to the vertical handle, but the screw thread under the head is angled, and a slant effect is produced when it’s all assembled. See below. 

I have not seen a razor like it, as an assembled whole. 

Richard (efsk): If you were nearby, I’d hand it to you so you could form your own view, and just delight in seeing it!

Pictures:

Wow, it’s really a beautiful razor, Shaun. The handle knocks me out

(03-02-2023, 07:29 PM)chazt Wrote: Wow, it’s really a beautiful razor, Shaun. The handle knocks me out

efsk knows more about the different types of  slant.

There are incline slants and there are twisted types: torsionshobel (twisted) and schrägschnitt (inclined). This ‘Nimbus’ is inclined; the Fasan, for example, is twisted.

(03-02-2023, 07:38 PM)Shaun Wrote:

(03-02-2023, 07:29 PM)chazt Wrote: Wow, it’s really a beautiful razor, Shaun. The handle knocks me out

efsk knows more about the different types of  slant.

There are incline slants and there are twisted types: torsionshobel (twisted) and schrägschnitt (inclined). This ‘Nimbus’ is inclined; the Fasan, for example, is twisted.

I’m familiar with the torqued style of slant, but haven’t tried an inclined version. They don’t seem to be widely available.

That looks absolutely gorgeous Shaun. Very much like my Saba, except for the baseplate. Nice catcvh. I have to look out for one now :-)

@chazt the inclined versions are actually older than the torqued ones. Torqued only came around after the invention of the DE, whereas the inclined version was widely available when there were only SE around. Modern examples: iKon 102, PAA Alpha Ecliptic. Vintage: Walbusch, Mulcuto.

(03-03-2023, 10:28 AM)efsk Wrote: That looks absolutely gorgeous Shaun. Very much like my Saba, except for the baseplate. Nice catcvh. I have to look out for one now :-)

@chazt the inclined versions are actually older than the torqued ones. Torqued only came around after the invention of the DE, whereas the inclined version was widely available when there were only SE around. Modern examples: iKon 102, PAA Alpha Ecliptic. Vintage: Walbusch, Mulcuto.

I will remain open minded about the 'slotted' baseplate, but so far I can't come up with any good reasons to give outright denial of its authenticity as an original component. The plastic is not of the type you might usually see (say, in a Fasan, which may be melamine) but is sort of harder and purer white. You can see what look like two die-cast marks. I mentioned urea formaldehyde, a kind of thermoset resin, which just preceded melamine, and came into broader use from around 1929-30. I am no plastics expert by any means, so this is pure speculation. I'll keep researching, however, there is a "Pyrota" razor worth looking at, with a head made of a cream-coloured urea formaldehyde, made in about 1935. I am not sure it is the same material, though.

(03-03-2023, 10:28 AM)efsk Wrote: @chazt the inclined versions are actually older than the torqued ones. Torqued only came around after the invention of the DE, whereas the inclined version was widely available when there were only SE around. Modern examples: iKon 102, PAA Alpha Ecliptic. Vintage: Walbusch, Mulcuto.

Thank you

(03-03-2023, 02:25 PM)Shaun Wrote: I will remain open minded about the 'slotted' baseplate, but so far I can't come up with any good reasons to give outright denial of its authenticity as an original component. The plastic is not of the type you might usually see (say, in a Fasan, which may be melamine) but is sort of harder and purer white. You can see what look like two die-cast marks. I mentioned urea formaldehyde, a kind of thermoset resin, which just preceded melamine, and came into broader use from around 1929-30. I am no plastics expert by any means, so this is pure speculation. I'll keep researching, however, there is a "Pyrota" razor worth looking at, with a head made of a cream-coloured urea formaldehyde, made in about 1935. I am not sure it is the same material, though.

Urea-Formaldehyde is what the Germans call Pollopas. A thermoplast similar to bakelite, yet different. Merkur produced several models, including a type of Progress, the plastic Mulcuto were Pollopas, seemed to be very prevalent in Germany during the '30s-50's.