Seldom seen John Elliot tapered blade

[karlej]

Everyone is familiar with Joseph Elliot & Sons but John Elliot is not seen very often. There is speculation that he was related to Joseph Elliot but that has not been confirmed. According to Tweedale’s Directory he was in partnership with Joseph Elliot until 1850 but there is no start date of the partnership. The royal cipher is not clear. The first letter was ground off during manufacturing. It could be a ‘W’ or a ‘V’. I suspect it was a 'V'. John Elliot displayed his own razors at the 1851 Great Exhibition which could help date the razor. He died in 1858 at the age of 63.
Some work in progress and the first tapered blade I have attempted to restore. Pretty rusty to start with and plenty of hone wear. I was unable to tell what the original finish was like so I went with a glazed finish since the razor seemed like the no frills all business type. In the after pictures the bevel has been set on a 1K Chosera. A long gentle smile from 7/8 tapering to 11/16. I’m expecting a very comfortable shave. Duplicating the original scales in black horn is next.

 

[karlej]

Here is the completed razor with copies of the original scales. I have another tapered blade by Marshes & Shepherd but the taper of the of the quill spine from heel to toe is not near as pronounced. This blade tapers from 1/4" at the tang down to 1/8" at the end of the toe. Quite long too at 3 1/2' from shoulder to toe.That tapered spine seems to be a positive indication that the razor was originally ground like this at the factory. It behaved beautifully on the hones. Test shave tomorrow.

 

[ccpastork]

Very cool looking, I did not realize that a razor with such a taper could be salvageable or that they may have been manufactured that way.

 

[kcb5150]

They were made that way.... This was a thing for a very brief period in sheffield and then disappeared.

 

[Doc226]

I have nothing to base it on but I doubt they were made that way. That is more likely the result of heavy handed honing with excessive pressure on the toe.

Either way that's a great result.

 

[BSAGuy]

Awesome work.

 

[karlej]

I have nothing to base it on but I doubt they were made that way. That is more likely the result of heavy handed honing with excessive pressure on the toe.

Either way that's a great result.

I have a similar blade by Marshes & Shepherd with an etching that is untouched and not much hone wear. There are many examples of these tapered blades out there. They seem to only span a short time period say mid 1830's to mid 1850's.

 

[dmatcuk]

Do you have a picture of the Marshes and Shepherd blade you can post too? This one here is the first I have ever seen tapered like this. Well, the first that was made that way. I don't know if I like the look of the shape. Fantastic job on the restore though!

 

[karlej]

Here is the Marshes & Shepherd. Blades of this style by several different makers. Interesting that most all have a thumb notched tang.

 

[Doc226]

Again, not saying these were not done on purpose but that blade has significant hone wear

 

[alpster]

Again, not saying these were not done on purpose but that blade has significant hone wear

Considerably more at the toe than the heel. Creating a blade geometry that could change consistently end to end as the blade narrowed would be quite a trick. IMHO

 

[kcb5150]

..... They were made that way.... Some have etches even alluding to the fact they were.... Elliott and marshes are the most typically seen

 

[sskim3]

Regardless it is one cool looking blade. You get an interesting razor and a crazy smile to go with it.

So how did it shave??

 

[karlej]

Regardless it is one cool looking blade. You get an interesting razor and a crazy smile to go with it.

So how did it shave??

It shaved like you would expect from Sheffield steel. Smooth and comfortable. The blade only being 11/16 at the toe made it easy to maneuver in tight places. It was lighter in the hand than a normal near wedge because of the amount of metal that was removed by the tapering of the spine and blade. I was also very aware of the added blade length of 3 1/2 inches. Most blades are 3 inches.

 

[karlej]

Here is a picture looking down on top of the razor and you can see the amount of taper from the tang to the blade toe.

 

[kcb5150]

From the lummus article

 

[kcb5150]

They were just a style and not made for very long. That is also why the notch on those is so small relative to heel height-the toe was never nearly as tall. That's why if you see a regular wedge honed excessively toe heavy they sell for almost nothing and these can pull stupid money.. Not many around that are good. Sort of like lancet grinds

 

[sskim3]

It shaved like you would expect from Sheffield steel. Smooth and comfortable. The blade only being 11/16 at the toe made it easy to maneuver in tight places. It was lighter in the hand than a normal near wedge because of the amount of metal that was removed by the tapering of the spine and blade. I was also very aware of the added blade length of 3 1/2 inches. Most blades are 3 inches.

Awesome! I am enjoying my near wedge and wedges as well. Love the Sheffield steel. You are doing some great stuff and looking forward to your other restore projects.

 

[dmatcuk]

Thanks for sharing the additional pictures. I imagine those are odd to hone.

 

[Sando]

The first letter was ground off during manufacturing. It could be a ‘W’ or a ‘V’. I suspect it was a 'V'.

I've read that the V {crown} R = Victoria Regina.
Nice job on the restore.