Who's shaving with the oldest razor?

[southernlights]

I just got this a couple weeks back. Marked "H. Birks" with horn scales. I can't find much information on it, but the short tang shows maybe early 1800s? It is a hollow grind if that helps get the date range better.

The edge is extremely keen and shaves better than most modern razors I've tried.

If anyone has a firm date range for this maker or any more information about them, let me know.

 

[Solinger]

I just got this a couple weeks back. Marked "H. Birks" with horn scales. I can't find much information on it, but the short tang shows maybe early 1800s? It is a hollow grind if that helps get the date range better.

The edge is extremely keen and shaves better than most modern razors I've tried.

If anyone has a firm date range for this maker or any more information about them, let me know.

There were different BIRKS makers in Sheffield back then...
Your blade seems to have been machine reground in the 1890s, but should have been produced approx. 1820s-40s as a manual ground near wedge blade by H.Birks, possibly a decendant of Henry Birks who was a maker in the 1720s using the T & Arrow brand.

My own BIRKS was made by William Birks Jr. abt. 1795-1817 and shows his fathers PIPE ONLY brand.

 

[Tjh]

There were different BIRKS makers in Sheffield back then...
Your blade seems to have been machine reground in the 1890s, but should have been produced approx. 1820s-40s as a manual ground near wedge blade by H.Birks, possibly a decendant of Henry Birks who was a maker in the 1720s using the T & Arrow brand.

My own BIRKS was made by William Birks Jr. abt. 1795-1817 and shows his fathers PIPE ONLY brand.

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u know I think I may have forgotten to post this here. Speaking of Birks, any idea what this is (the bottom one)? Top "richard ash" razor for scale...this one is really tiny one, and going by the original scales i got I'm not sure if it was ever a full sized blade.

 

[sexy beast]

The razor up at the top is a marsh brothers straight razor that was made in Sheffield England in the years that Queen Victoria ruled The British Empire. I no longer have this razor because it couldn’t cut My beard no matter how much I tried to hone the razor. A Beautiful razor I must say on any account.

 

[MarkP]

My Paine & Simpson (London) is from 1815, made of cast steel and shaves really well. I would like something from the 1700's as well..

 

[camoloc]

I like this thread.

keep it going.

camo

 

[Jeffrey Greene]

Here's my oldest, an early 1800s Rhodes & Champion that I bought from a seller on eBay. I'm not sure of the exact date of its manufacture, but it's definitely pre-1817, as that is the year that David Champion died, and the partnership with Ebenezer Rhodes ended. At some point in its long history, someone must have cared for it enough to give it a new set of scales, skillfully and ingeniously made of a single piece of hardwood. I sent the blade out for professional restoration by Mr. Karl Johnson of Mainely Straight Razors, who did an amazing job restoring the blade and cutting edge. I reset the blade in its wooden scales that it had when I got it. I thought long and hard about making replica horn scales like would have originally come on it, but these wooden scales were created for it long, long ago, and I didn't want to rob the razor of its history. The only thing new on the razor are its pin and two brass collars, which are replicas of nineteenth century originals. The razor's pin was an old rusted nail when I received it; no collars at all. This razor will now literally shave circles around every other razor that I own. It is my prized razor.

 

[2bit_collie]

Question to all the Sheffield experts out there: Do any of you have accounts with the on-line Sheffield Archives? In theory one can search cutlers by name. I applied for access a little over a week ago, have not heard back.

I just purchased what I *think* is a 1810-1840 era Sheffield. But there is no marking on the razor other than “J. Chadwick”. Given the level of record-keeping by the Sheffield Cutler’s guild, my assumption is that I could search for that name in the archives to try to verify my guess.

 

[Old Traf]

Some of my old razors. I am 75 so I prefer a blade older than I am. These range from about 1790-1820. They all have most of the "old razor" characteristics: no heel, no shoulder, prominent toe and straight scales. I shaved last evening with one marked "Londre", made in Londre. The shave was comfortable off 0.125 CBN spray on 4/5 oz leather.

 

[Awells32]

My oldest is a Rogers & Sons. The blade is stamped GR, so it was made some time during the reign of King George IV, which dates it between 1820 and 1830. Doubt its the oldest straight on this thread, but by far the oldest in my collection.

 

[DrStrange]

I have a first generation Filarmonica which is over two thousand years old.
According to the name scratched into the handle,
this razor once belonged to Jesus!

 

[DrStrange]

The oldest razor in my regular rotation is about 200 years old.
I suspect it may have been reground and rescaled at some point.

I did a little research and found that Thomas Scargill didn't
put his first name on his earlier razors.
I found out that Scargill, advertised in the USA as being as
good as John Barber for a lower price.
So I had to get John Barber also but I haven't shaved with that yet.

The jumping style is similar to Torrey's.
The jimps are on top of the shank and the bottom of
the shank is beveled to be narrower.
There's also just a little bit of jumping under the hinge pin.

 

[Legion]

The oldest razor in my regular rotation is about 200 years old.
I suspect it may have been reground and rescaled at some point.

I did a little research and found that Thomas Scargill didn't
put his first name on his earlier razors.
I found out that Scargill, advertised in the USA as being as
good as John Barber for a lower price.
So I had to get John Barber also but I haven't shaved with that yet.

The jumping style is similar to Torrey's.
The jimps are on top of the shank and the bottom of
the shank is beveled to be narrower.
There's also just a little bit of jumping under the hinge pin.

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The tang would have been ground when they thinned the blade, that is why there is only a little jimping on the bottom side.

 

[Dominic]

It finally arrived!
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My SoTD this morning with it...shaved like a DREAM:
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Do you know its year of manufacture?

 

[rbscebu]

I have a pressure flaked flint tool that my great-grandfather found in a cotton field in North Carolina in the 1870's. I was told it was most likely a shaving implement, and made by a Cherokee native American. I never tried shaving with it until last week. I have now used it a few times and it works, but feels like shaving with a razor off of a 1K stone. Although I can not be sure of this tools age, it is safe to assume it was made at least 350 years ago.

@diverdoug any pics of this remarkable find?

 

[DrStrange]

The tang would have been ground when they thinned the blade, that is why there is only a little jimping on the bottom side.

Upon closer inspection, that's exactly what it looks like.
Have you seen anything like that before?

 

[Legion]

Upon closer inspection, that's exactly what it looks like.
Have you seen anything like that before?

Yep. People back in the olden days were a lot less inclined to just throw stuff away. When the technology improved, and they were able to grind more hollow razors, there were still lots of old wedges floating around made from good steel. It was easier, and probably cheaper to “refurbish” an old razor than make a new one from scratch.

The grinding of the tang is just to make it look and feel more balanced and finished. It blends with the thinner blade.

 

[DrStrange]

Yep. People back in the olden days were a lot less inclined to just throw stuff away. When the technology improved, and they were able to grind more hollow razors, there were still lots of old wedges floating around made from good steel. It was easier, and probably cheaper to “refurbish” an old razor than make a new one from scratch.

The grinding of the tang is just to make it look and feel more balanced and finished. It blends with the thinner blade.

I just recently acquired an old Heljestrand which looks to me
like it had the same treatment.
There's just a few lines of lower jimping near the heel.
I'm curious to know what you think of it.

?

 

[Legion]

I just recently acquired an old Heljestrand which looks to me
like it had the same treatment.
There's just a few lines of lower jimping near the heel.
I'm curious to know what you think of it.

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?

Id say, if that one was reground it was not to turn it grounded a wedge to a hollow. It was possibly a wider blade that had been chipped, so it was ground to a 5/8 to repair the damage.

Or they might have only had one stamp, and it just didn’t happen to fit on that style of tang…

If it is a regrind they did a good job.

 

[DrStrange]

Id say, if that one was reground it was not to turn it grounded a wedge to a hollow. It was possibly a wider blade that had been chipped, so it was ground to a 5/8 to repair the damage.

Or they might have only had one stamp, and it just didn’t happen to fit on that style of tang…

If it is a regrind they did a good job.

I finally got around to taking the picture that I should have posted 2 years ago.
This shows the residual jimping on the underside of the tang.
To me, it looks exactly like what was going on with the Scargill.
The regrind is high quality, so I'm guessing it was either done at the factory
or by someone with equivalent skills and resources.
The scales have flat sides and beveled edges, which I think is a less ancient style
than what I would expect for original scales.