Thread: John Pitts 7/8 and a little history

John Pitts (c. 1797 – 1859) was a razor manufacturer in Sims Croft (off Hawley St.) by 1828. A later address was Trafalgar St. Apparently he brought his two sons Charles (born c. 1829) and John (born c. 1834) into the business. By 1845 Charles had launched his own business. His trade mark was a cannon and the word “Defiance”. John Pits Sr. died 3 May 1859 at the age of 62. He had already handed over the business to Charles and John Jr. who formed Pitt Bros. The firm was bankrupt in 1861. Charles abandoned razor manufacturing but John Jr. continued to work as a razor manufacturer at Trafalgar St. and died in 1872 at the age of 38. Descendants continued to run the business which was listed until WW1. The cannon trademark was later used by Wilkin and Brooksbank.
I believe this blade is made by John Sr. between 1830 and 1859. The horn scales that came with the razor were not the original scales.The blade measures 7/8 with what I’ll call a variation of an ariss spine being quill shaped on the top vice flat. The wide flat area of the spine offered the opportunity to show the contrast between a glazed and crocus type finish. I found it difficult to capture in pictures the sharp contrast between the two finishes. The scales are polished black horn at .110 thickness with a lead wedge tapering from .085 to .030. and assembled using brass pins and collars. I used a 2 x 72 grinder to restore the blade and keep the blade profiles sharp and clean. A buffer would have washed out the blade profiles and I do not have the patience for a lot of hand sanding. To produce the glazed finish I used a light touch on a sisal wheel loaded with Jantz medium cut compound after taking the blade to 1200 grit on the grinder.

That is as nice a restoration as I have seen! I am happy to see other than name brands being renewed.
~Richard

That's beautiful! Very nicely done, the finish is terrific and the transformation is remarkable.

Great job! I've got one waiting for my skills to improve before I get to it.

Originally Posted by Geezer

That is as nice a restoration as I have seen! I am happy to see other than name brands being renewed.
~Richard

Thanks Richard. Sometimes I fear I post too often and do not wish to bore folks so I'm try to show some of the lesser seen Sheffield makers.

Originally Posted by karlej

...Sometimes I fear I post too often and do not wish to bore folks...

I for one, am never bored. I love looking at this stuff! Plus it's nice that you put a little info about the maker here and I get to learn more about restorations, get some ideas. Keep 'em coming

awesome restore. wish i was able to do what you do. bring any razor back to - or maybe even beyond - its original glory. nice to see old razors live again.

Nice work! Love seeing a good restore

Another fine one, Karl!

Indeed, don't hesitate to share. We love to see them!

The history is quite nice as well.

Awesome restoration Karl. It never ceases to amaze me how much of a master you are. I cannot imagine how much knowledge of metallurgy is needed for a restoration like this. True artistry at work.
Please post as often as you like, including the description of your process. Those who love straights are usually fascinated by this.

best,
jeff