French Straight Razors

[mike_66]

Here's my French straight, picked up on Ebay for only a few pounds. Scales were shot and had caused cell rot to the steel. Managed to clean it up mostly, but there is still some pitting, with a few pits that may interfere with future honing. But it took a good edge for now, and shaves very well. Knocked up some walnut scales (don't examine my rudimentary attempt at pinning!), and is in the shave rotation.

Tang is marked "A. Grissolange Thiers - France" with a logo consisting of a 5 point star and the word "RAYS" (at least I think it's an s...) From what little research I've done, the Grissolange family were cutlers in Thiers in the 1930's.

 

[Cl3anShav3]

I believe this razor is from France. Has anyone never seen one of these? I can't find much on it except it may be a high end Fontenille? Check out the spine and the jimping.

 

[Tanuki]

I really like the rasoir-sabre Moon Man razor i got recently. The workmanship was grate in my opinion. They are reasonably prices if you compare them to e.g. TI razors of the same size.
It did have some uneven honing issues i needed to correct. It is reportedly the same steel as the TI razors, but i am not sure if the hardening process is the same as TI. It does not feel as hard as my other TI razors.

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T-I has special governmental permission in France to use molten lead their traditional blade preparation. That is probably unique to T-I these days. RSF uses both Solingen and RSF proprietary blanks made France. If it is marked "100C6" it is an RSF blank, not T-I.

 

[Tanuki]

You people are a bad influence.

Just doing our job. I hope you bought something from Rasoir Sabre France by now. The website can be pretty wonky (persevere!), but the customer service is great (done by Ertan Suër himself) and PayPal makes the euros part easy.

I’m not to the point of honing. I figured that whenever I may need it done, I would send it to someone.

With all my new RSF razors (4), I have been able to maintain/improve the supplied edge using only a diamond pasted strop progression. No stones required. T-I factory grinds are too variable for me to say that for sure about any particular new T-I razor.

 

[JPO]

T-I has special governmental permission in France to use molten lead their traditional blade preparation. That is probably unique to T-I these days. RSF uses both Solingen and RSF proprietary blanks made France. If it is marked "100C6" it is an RSF blank, not T-I.

I think mine is a solingen blank. It is softer and feels different then my other TI razors. It needed allot of work because it came with a frown. It shaves good, but not like my TI’s. TI and CV Heljestrand razors are just something different in my opinion.

 

[Mastropiero]

I own mostly German and English razors, but I restored and honed recently a J. Aujardias "Le Devon" near-wedge that took a wicked edge and shaved superbly.

Sold it last week to a fellow forumite, and he is equally pleased with it.

I really liked this razor, took the scales apart, sanded and polished them and pinned them back. Turned out rather nice, I am happy she is in good hands.

 

[camoloc]

French straights suck........

that's why I have enough of them to shave every day without shaving with the same one !!!!!

camo

 

[camoloc]

French straights suck........

that's why I have enough of them to shave every day without shaving with the same one !!!!!

camo

with that said I plan on shaving with a crappy horned 7/8 Grelot tomorrow just because.

150 to 200 more Jnat laps this eve just for fun as a touch up.

camo

 

[thp001]

T-I has special governmental permission in France to use molten lead their traditional blade preparation. That is probably unique to T-I these days. RSF uses both Solingen and RSF proprietary blanks made France. If it is marked "100C6" it is an RSF blank, not T-I.

The lead hardening won't effect the hardening potential of the steel; what the lead is useful for is stopping oxygen from getting to the relatively thin blank and potentially decarburizing the steel, that and the heat conduction properties of molten lead are superior to air. Nothing that you wouldn't get from modern heat treating using a molten salt bath which is a less toxic version of the same technique.

TI steel has a very high amount of carbon (1.3%) for blade steel. Consider that you only need about .7% carbon to achieve complete transformation to martensite and get high hardness (65 HRc) from steel. Very high carbon can actually be detrimental, especially for a straight razor (formation of plate martensite, lower toughness, microcracking, etc).

TI have found a niche where their high carbon, high hardness steel is working well for them.

 

[John_Doe]

Cedric Christ is French (also goes by Ali’s Blade)

 

[alex1921]

Yes Cedric makes some nice razors.

Here 2 old ones.

 

[Steve56]

Le Jaguar was bought by Le Grelot which was bought by Thiers-Issard. The vintage ones of all these brands are very nice razors. Modern Thiers-Issard have really good steel but the grind quality can vary a good bit.

Here’s some French candy for the thread: Le Grelot Lotus Madaille D’Or Paris 1931 in ivory in dresser case, Touron-Parisot in tortoise in dresser case.

 

[Steve56]

Le Jaguar Systematique, image and scales by @Doc226 Le Jaguar pair, no case unfortunately.

 

[haggis]

I'm a terrier guy but if one of those cats turned up at the pound adoption would be the humane option

 

[Steve56]

Brad, ‘Life is merrier with a cairn terrier!’

 

[Steve56]

BTW, I know some of the history of that Syetematique, at least who for and when it was ordered from Champredon-Cognet. The black and white ‘paper’ that came with it is a silver gelatin photographic print I believe. The blacked out name is not too hard to see, this postcard was done with a typewriter.

The scales were ’shot’ from age, so warped and twisted nothing was usable, so off to Alfredo for black horn. I saw a worn out, rusty, narrow ‘coiffure’ Le Jaguar on eBay France for almost nothing, but it did have one thing that I was willing to pay for; the scale badges. I bet that the French seller is still wondering why the stoopid American paid that (mostly shipping) for a worthless (almost) razor.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Thank you for posting, @Steve56 - fun to see altogether!

 

[Steve56]

YW sir!

 

[Rich01]

Howdy. When it comes to French straight razors, is Thiers-Issard it, or are there others?

Check out

GUSTAVE LALUNE​

 

[Gamma]

Every vintage straight from France that I have had was very good. All had very hard steel that took and held a great edge.