Thread: Unusual Ca. 1826-1850 Greaves 4/8 'Mustache' Razor

Here's an interesting 'little beauty' I've had in the To Do Pile for awhile...finally getting around to doing some of the many 'chores' I've got to do on my personal collection (Like 'Pinning Up' all the razors I've restored: This is for you Tom and Martin!!!)

It's a Greaves in Sons, but it's size ( 4/8 ) is atypical of most Greaves that I've seen. That's not to say there aren't more like it out there floating around...just that I guess I've never seen one? Anyway...original restored black horn scales with a replacement wedge of Ivory and domed brass washers with NiAg pins. The blade is a Hollow Ground 2.75 x .5 inch blade face, and it really shaves like the Dickens for such a small razor.

Sleek,,,, Beautiful,,,,

What a great small razor! I started out with a couple of 4/8s and had some of the best shaves yet. I still have a 9/16 Shunate Tunsteel (w/slight smile) in my rotation and just smile everytime it comes up in rotation. I still have a 3/8 Shumate Tungsteel (w/slight smile) and a 3/8 Edmond Roffler that I trot out now and then when I feel I want to treat myself to a long (lots of blade cleaning when that small), comfortable shave. They all are great when it comes to close trimming around my Van Dyke for special occasions.

Beautiful

Thank you Hirlau and Razorfeld...I really appreciate the kind feedback! And Thank You Glen...it's always special for me and a good feeling to get a compliment from a craftsman such as yourself. Appreciate it!

I just dig the pins! All I can see! Sweet pins!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I just dig the pins! All I can see! Sweet pins!

Somehow...I knew you would!

Oh! Yeah! A widdle Greaves! Pretty cool! I bet it does shave good! (shudder!) . Be careful with that!
Nice work!

Please note this was originally a much larger razor. If you look at the tang, there is a drastic change of angle on the top where the profile was actually changed - this is quite common actually in razors that were refreshed much later, I'm assuming more toward the 1900s. Below is a pic (using some sophisticated image processing software) showing what the profile would originally look like. Also if you look at the tang stamp, on a very small razor, this would have been centered on the tang as opposed to being skewed at an angle and cut off on the new tang here.

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

Please note this was originally a much larger razor. If you look at the tang, there is a drastic change of angle on the top where the profile was actually changed - this is quite common actually in razors that were refreshed much later, I'm assuming more toward the 1900s. Below is a pic (using some sophisticated image processing software) showing what the profile would originally look like. Also if you look at the tang stamp, on a very small razor, this would have been centered on the tang as opposed to being skewed at an angle and cut off on the new tang here.

Although you 'Could' be correct (that was my first assumption when I acquired this razor), and we will never know for sure, I believe the stamp was just misaligned when the razor was stamped. I don't believe this was as extensive a re-grind as you think. Certainly, the blade face was lightly re-ground at some point, and nicely done at that, But the tang and spine do NOT look to me as though they were re-structured as you believe...your 'sophisticated (?) software notwithstanding... I've seen a few and I don't believe this is a candidate for your conjecture.

It's a real shame we'll never know Science Guy, but such is the nature of the hobby...

It's a Great Shaver...regardless!