A recent gift my Parents gave me when I stopped by their house.
Straight Razor Acquisition Thread
- Thread starter wilbr11
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Very Cool! Two sought after items. That's a fine Torrey razor. You even got a box from one of my favorite across-the-pond makers.
@Luecke2326
Nice find! Haven't found any Barbers yet. Old toothbrushes are what I usually end up with. The shiny, unused looking razors are usually too rich for me. I like the history of the old makers anyway. Wish I could find some pre1800 razors, or even pre1700 (unlikely). Gonna clean and condition the scales?
@GAW9576
Nice gift! A little cleaning will probably go a long way. I wonder if that is a rescale? Looks like it was worked on at some point.
Nice find! Haven't found any Barbers yet. Old toothbrushes are what I usually end up with. The shiny, unused looking razors are usually too rich for me. I like the history of the old makers anyway. Wish I could find some pre1800 razors, or even pre1700 (unlikely). Gonna clean and condition the scales?
@GAW9576
Nice gift! A little cleaning will probably go a long way. I wonder if that is a rescale? Looks like it was worked on at some point.
Not sure, it must have belonged to a barber judging by the name freehand engraved on the blade. Not sure why there are so many hash marks in the scales.
I'm not sure if I should try to get the home wear corrected or just hone it myself and try it out. I am way out of practice.
@Twelvefret what do you think of this razor?
I just measured the John Barber and it measures just a hair under 8/8, so I’ll call it a 15/16. I’m gonna do cleanup on the blade first and I don’t think I’ll unpin it as there is basically no rust in the pivot and I’d prefer to keep the original pins and bullet washers intact. I will clean and light lightly polish the scales after I soak them in neetsfoot oil for a couple of days. The pivot end on the show side of the scales has some damage, but I think I’ll leave it as is. I thought about rounding the scale off, but that would remove a battle scar that adds provenance to the blade it protects.
This also appears to be a personal use barbershop razor which has the customers name and a cup number scrolled into the horn at the wedge end of the scales. Pretty cool, his cup/ slot number was 283. Imagine how many people that early 1800’s barbershop would have shaved if they had 283 cups/slots for customer razors? The history we discover when working on these oldies is incredible. I’m amazed at the condition of the metal for its age. It must have been stored away somewhere safe for it to have as little patina as it does, or it was well cared for by the descendants who cared for it long after its original owner had no earthly use for it. It’s incredible that they survive at all!
As for fresh shiny NIB razors in boxes. I’ve found only a handful in all my razor hunting. A $25 Morris Red Imp 133, a $50 S.R. Droescher Blue Diamond, a $40 Genco Easy Aces, and a really cool $50 Fredrick Reynolds’s Made for America 8/8(stupidly traded it for a brush right after I acquired it.... they are few and far between, but they are out there! Good luck!
Matt
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mhmmm, scared to touch them without white cotton gloves they are so nice haha.
Judging by the tang length, I'd say 1830-45. Nice bone scales. Really like finding the ancient ones.
Is the Torrey Razor Co. Somehow related to J.R. Torrey razors. I tried looking that up but I'm not that good at investigating these things.
Thank you. I saw this article, but didn't see any mention of the name Torrey razor co. Without the J.R. so I wasn't sure.
Red Imp 5/8 132 Wedge
Very nice! I passed on a Case Red Imp 132 today. Of course I would see one posted tonight. It looked NOS but it was a little more than I wanted to pay. I'll probably have to go back for it, I just wish it wasn't an hours drive away.
That is how it always goes.Very nice! I passed on a Case Red Imp 132 today. Of course I would see one posted tonight. It looked NOS but it was a little more than I wanted to pay. I'll probably have to go back for it, I just wish it wasn't an hours drive away.
Congrats on finding a fine razor!
That is the finest 132 I’ve seen in forever! Well done! Morris?
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Agreed!!
Woke up this morning, my wife said "looks like it's going to get hot today, do you want to go for a drive". I said sure, I know of a good place. We went back to the place I saw the Red Imp at yesterday. I made a fair offer and he took it.
Here's a picture with the other 2. Top to bottom, 133 Case, 133 E. Morris Mfg, 132 E. Morris Mfg.
Here's a picture with the other 2. Top to bottom, 133 Case, 133 E. Morris Mfg, 132 E. Morris Mfg.
Thanks. It is indeed.
Nice! I just picked up a Morris 5/8 133 and a 9/16 133. They are both in great shape. I will get them on here soon.
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