Ran across some interesting historical tidbits today...

[Darth Scandalous]

I was Googling the origin of the Henckels "Zwilling" logo and I came across an interesting passage in a government report (not sure if the link will work, but it's the Special Consular Reports, Volumes 32-35 from 1904 in Google Books. Special Consular Reports - https://books.google.com/books?id=JZg6AQAAMAAJ&pg=PP11#v=onepage&q&f=false. I took a couple screenshots.

It sounds like Henckels had a sort of work from home program that was not unusual for the Solingen area.

Further, reference to the rivalry between Sheffield and Solingen and an implication that "inferior" product from Solingen was sometimes stamped "Sheffield." But perhaps the most interesting to me was the claim that both cities used Swedish steel for their products.

Anyway. Hope you find it interesting.

 

[Luecke2326]

Quite interesting indeed! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Gamma]

I have owned several razors that were obviously Solingen but stamped Sheffield. They were all top-flight blades.

Prior to the mid 1600s, steel in the UK did come from Sweden. Mid 1700s, Huntsman - in the UK - refined the process of making steel. Not sure where the ore came from but I pretty sure it was local. That early crucible steel was not 'Swedish steel' by design, and it was the steel that Sheffield makers were using for nearly everything.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I have owned several razors that were obviously Solingen but stamped Sheffield. They were all top-flight blades.

Prior to the mid 1600s, steel in the UK did come from Sweden. Mid 1700s, Huntsman - in the UK - refined the process of making steel. Not sure where the ore came from but I pretty sure it was local. That early crucible steel was not 'Swedish steel' by design, and it was the steel that Sheffield makers were using for nearly everything.

Yeah, I got the impression from his writing that much of his information was anecdotal. Where he has documentary evidence (say on rates of respiratory illness in workers) he cites it.

Somewhat related, I have seen a lot of razors, especially Japanese, with model stamps that correspond to Henckels models and some other makers. Now, not all of them look like identical but some have stamping that is identical to the Henckels stamp.
I have a "Rugby" branded 172 that is likely a Henckels blank and I have seen a photo of a Rugby 1072 that is similar. I've also seen Solingen stamped blades that also say "Swedish Steel."

I suspect the tempering and grinding account for quality and regional styles as much or more than the source of the raw material.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I wonder if the work from home thing applies to post WWII Henckels razors. I ask because the quality of my post WWII Henckels razors is very high with excellent geometry.

 

[Eastcoast30]

I have some of the older razors with those famous names. It seems they are notorious for poor grinds. One or two have little to no spine wear and I can't catch an edge on them. But just about every Japanese razor I have is an artistic marvel!

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I wonder if the work from home thing applies to post WWII Henckels razors. I ask because the quality of my post WWII Henckels razors is very high with excellent geometry.

There's a relatively recent thread on another board (not sure if it's cool to link it here or not) talking about Paul Drees and his various brands that mentions that he was a home-worker as late at the 30s, before he started his own brand. It's a pretty interesting thread. Follows the career of Werner Breidenbach who was a master grinder.

 

[thp001]

I have owned several razors that were obviously Solingen but stamped Sheffield. They were all top-flight blades.

Prior to the mid 1600s, steel in the UK did come from Sweden. Mid 1700s, Huntsman - in the UK - refined the process of making steel. Not sure where the ore came from but I pretty sure it was local. That early crucible steel was not 'Swedish steel' by design, and it was the steel that Sheffield makers were using for nearly everything.

Huntsmans' crucible steel ended up being used a lot more in France than in England initially due to stubbornness towards the new material from English cutlers. Later on it became more popular and is why you find a lot of early English razors stamped with the French words 'Acier Fondu', an attempt to ride on the back of French early adoption. Before then there was the cementation process of creating blister steel from pig iron, and consequently turning that into shear steel. Not sure how far back that process goes however. Named steel alloys exploded around the 19th century but they weren't rigid formulas as we know them today.

 

[Gamma]

Interestingly enough, some of the above was referenced HERE last week. The process for Blister steel was, I believe, pretty much fully evolved in the mid 1600s.

Yeah, I got the impression from his writing that much of his information was anecdotal. Where he has documentary evidence (say on rates of respiratory illness in workers) he cites it.

Somewhat related, I have seen a lot of razors, especially Japanese, with model stamps that correspond to Henckels models and some other makers. Now, not all of them look like identical but some have stamping that is identical to the Henckels stamp.
I have a "Rugby" branded 172 that is likely a Henckels blank and I have seen a photo of a Rugby 1072 that is similar. I've also seen Solingen stamped blades that also say "Swedish Steel."

I suspect the tempering and grinding account for quality and regional styles as much or more than the source of the raw material.

The materials matter but the smith has to know how to use them properly. So it might be better to have a razor made of slightly 'lower quality' steel by a master than one made from higher quality' steel by a knucklehead. For a long time, many Solingen razors were forged from 'English Bar Razor Steel', late 1800s/early 1900s Bokers for example.

Many razor companies all over the globe etched all sorts of things into blades; like 'Fine India Steel', "Silver Steel" etc, and quite often it's just advertising that doesn't mean anything.

There are a ton of Japanese blades with those 'borrowed' Henckles logos.. I have to assume they're post WWII when Germany lost their rights to some patents and there was a manufacturing 'free for all' happening.