Joseph Elliot stub tail restoration

I recently restored this Joseph Elliot stub tail. I was able to save the original scales, there was some peeling and separating happening on the inside surfaces that I was able to stabilize. It was missing one of its washers and others were split so I made brass washers to replicate the ones that it had and used brass pins as well. I added very thin thrust washers to protect the inside surfaces of the scales from further wear and stress. It has the original lead wedge, upper and lower jimps, a nice spine stamp and a cool tang stamp. It took a great edge and didn't fight me at all on the hones, a nice even bevel. Looking forward to having this one in the rotation. It was a fun project, thanks for looking!

That is a nice looking razor! It's cool you were able to save as much of the original hardware as you could.

Just sweet

Bob

I am more than a little envious.

wow. when youre ready to give it up, please let me know. =]

Very nice work!

Terrific save and a really fine looking addition to the rotation.
Congratulations.
:tu

Interesting shape to it.
Good job... I like it ;)

Nice job. I like the arris type spine because it really shows off contrasting finishes of the blade. Great you could save the scales.

That is a wondrous bit of hard work! Another couple centuries added. Thank you for giving us all a quality level to achieve.
~Richard

Now that is one sweet looking razor, all original, nothing else to say, fantastic work, Enjoy!

Amazing job Tuzi :tu

You really gave it life for a long time to come my friend

That's about as nice as it gets for an original.
Beautiful job!

Pete <:-}

........

Attachment 257461

Hey, thanks for the positive feedback guys, it's great to hear it, means a lot to me! The first shave was fantastic and it always gets me how something so old can still shave so perfectly. Such a joy to use.

Now thats a very nice Elliot! If it ever needs a new home...

Now that is gorgeous, Garrison-What is that, 200 years old or so?!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

........

Attachment 257461

---

hehehehehe, best response ever!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Now that is gorgeous, Garrison-What is that, 200 years old or so?!

---

Thanks! Yeah, I was guessing about 200 years but I don't know for sure. Pretty cool the scales have made it so long.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xiaotuzi

Thanks! Yeah, I was guessing about 200 years but I don't know for sure. Pretty cool the scales have made it so long.

---

mid 1830's I believe when Joseph was granted freedom and I assume was able to register and use his famous mark after that time, so not quite 200 years. I'm no expert on dates but this blade style was also seen on many examples in that mid 1830s range

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by silverloaf

mid 1830's I believe when Joseph was granted freedom and I assume was able to register and use his famous mark after that time, so not quite 200 years. I'm no expert on dates but this blade style was also seen on many examples in that mid 1830s range

---

Very cool, thanks for the info, much appreciated! One thing I really like about this razor is the famous Joseph Elliot mark really stands out on that wide tang.

So, that might make this one of Joseph Elliot's very early razors after being granted freedom?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xiaotuzi

Very cool, thanks for the info, much appreciated! One thing I really like about this razor is the famous Joseph Elliot mark really stands out on that wide tang.

So, that might make this one of Joseph Elliot's very early razors after being granted freedom?

---

My seat of the pants, gut feeling is that the blade fits in the mid 1830's based on style but who knows how late Joseph would have made razors in this style? knowing the dates he used certain stylizing of the logo would help narrow a date range but I don't Know if there is any source to draw a conclusion from regarding that. It's a dangerous thing to make definitive statements regarding razors when there are so many unknowns. How long a maker used a certain stamp or logo after acquiring a new one is something that can be misleading at times and the date range for any given style of blade to remain in vogue and a date range that a maker may have used that style would be near impossible to define absolutely. Just my thoughts and assumptions, not stating facts :)

Looking at this from the library here at SRP, it seems that it is in the 1775-1810 style. Now I am NO professional this, just going by the info provided.
I also have a Joseph Elliot & Sons that the tail is like the third example

http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/y...psdknehbkw.jpg

Just trying to help ID the time period for you Tuzi

Just for the fun of it, I'm throwing my 2 cents in dating this razor. Look at the Greaves pictured below.
Attachment 257793
Somewhat similar I would say. Notice no Sheaf Works. Started by William Greaves in Sheffield in 1780. His sons joined the company in 1816 to make it William Greaves & Sons. The Sheaf Works building (factory) was started in 1823 and finished in 1826. I am absolutely positive that if this razor was manufactured in the famous Sheaf works, that it would be stamped as such.
That said I believed this razor dates range from 1815-1825.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Martin103

Just for the fun of it, I'm throwing my 2 cents in dating this razor. Look at the Greaves pictured below.
Attachment 257793
Somewhat similar I would say. Notice no Sheaf Works. Started by William Greaves in Sheffield in 1780. His sons joined the company in 1816 to make it William Greaves & Sons. The Sheaf Works building (factory) was started in 1823 and finished in 1826. I am absolutely positive that if this razor was manufactured in the famous Sheaf works, that it would be stamped as such.
That said I believed this razor dates range from 1815-1825.

---

for the Greaves yes, for the Elliot it would not be that early despite the similar style. Looks like the style was around for a couple decades at least, the Elliot could range from his start in (1833???) when granted freedom to who knows when right? He could have made the blade marked with his Mark from any point after his being granted freedom til he stopped producing in this particular style which we just don't have a definite when THAT would have been. Style can be an indicator, like in Dieselds' post above, but it can not be taken as an absolute without other knowns. I have several blades in this style including the Greaves from same era as the greaves, 1810s-1820s but majority of blades I've seen in this style date to the 1830s. When considering the dates for Joseph Elliot I would never use the Greaves as an example for dating the Elliot based on similar style. With Josephs dates, and my personal experience (which again can be a flawed area to extrapolate details from) seeing this style in vogue up thru at least the early part of Josephs date range, the 1830's thats where my seat of the pants, gut feeling will stay as to tentatively dating this blade, never absolute. Again, when did he produce the last blade in this style? Not a one of us could know that.

Totally off topic here, but this really really makes me want to create a custom razor that looks just like this, but says "I am BAD and Will Cut You!"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by silverloaf

for the Greaves yes, for the Elliot it would not be that early despite the similar style. Looks like the style was around for a couple decades at least, the Elliot could range from his start in (1833???) when granted freedom to who knows when right? He could have made the blade marked with his Mark from any point after his being granted freedom til he stopped producing in this particular style which we just don't have a definite when THAT would have been. Style can be an indicator, like in Dieselds' post above, but it can not be taken as an absolute without other knowns. I have several blades in this style including the Greaves from same era as the greaves, 1810s-1820s but majority of blades I've seen in this style date to the 1830s. When considering the dates for Joseph Elliot I would never use the Greaves as an example for dating the Elliot based on similar style. With Josephs dates, and my personal experience (which again can be a flawed area to extrapolate details from) seeing this style in vogue up thru at least the early part of Josephs date range, the 1830's thats where my seat of the pants, gut feeling will stay as to tentatively dating this blade, never absolute. Again, when did he produce the last blade in this style? Not a one of us could know that.

---

Can you please educate me as to how is it possible that Elliot company was founded in 1795 and his famous trademark granted in 1805?

Thanks for the discussion, guys, and all the informed guesses. It's cool to try to piece together clues as to dates, marks, designs, etc and get a rough idea of when it was made. Then, it's fascinating to think of all the time in between and who knows what that history is? The more info known about a razor, the better, but an element of unknown (or unknowable) can add something to the appeal as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by silverloaf

for the Greaves yes, for the Elliot it would not be that early despite the similar style. Looks like the style was around for a couple decades at least, the Elliot could range from his start in (1833???) when granted freedom to who knows when right? He could have made the blade marked with his Mark from any point after his being granted freedom til he stopped producing in this particular style which we just don't have a definite when THAT would have been. Style can be an indicator, like in Dieselds' post above, but it can not be taken as an absolute without other knowns. I have several blades in this style including the Greaves from same era as the greaves, 1810s-1820s but majority of blades I've seen in this style date to the 1830s. When considering the dates for Joseph Elliot I would never use the Greaves as an example for dating the Elliot based on similar style. With Josephs dates, and my personal experience (which again can be a flawed area to extrapolate details from) seeing this style in vogue up thru at least the early part of Josephs date range, the 1830's thats where my seat of the pants, gut feeling will stay as to tentatively dating this blade, never absolute. Again, when did he produce the last blade in this style? Not a one of us could know that.

---

The Joseph Elliot granted his freedom in 1835 was most likely the son or possibly even grandson of the company founder, who was born in 1760.

As per company advertisement, the C+C mark was granted in 1805.

Despite the first directory entry being in 1822, Elliot was unequivocally producing razors at least as far back as the 1790's.

I'd say the razor in question dates from 1815-1830.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

The Joseph Elliot granted his freedom in 1835 was most likely the son or possibly even grandson of the company founder, who was born in 1760.

As per company advertisement, the C+C mark was granted in 1805.

Despite the first directory entry being in 1822, Elliot was unequivocally producing razors at least as far back as the 1790's.

I'd say the razor in question dates from 1815-1830.

---

Excellent! Thank you for clarifying that with the date of the Mark

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Martin103

Can you please educate me as to how is it possible that Elliot company was founded in 1795 and his famous trademark granted in 1805?

---

Oops! My apologies, I obviously spoke without any knowledge of the actual date the mark was granted and I made an assumption of which Joseph was granted freedom. :fim:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by silverloaf

Oops! My apologies, I obviously spoke without any knowledge of the actual date the mark was granted and I made an assumption of which Joseph was granted freedom. :fim:

---

With the history of Elliot razors, it's really, really easy to go astray. It's super murky.

Luckily, Geoffrey Tweedale chased down a living descendant to sort out some of the family tree... But still couldn't figure out where John Elliot comes into things.

Here's an uncommonly marked Elliot:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...06fd75e27e.jpg

The hammer denotes that it was made with cast steel and a hammer rather than poured into a mold. The mark was the culmination of a run of folks passing off iron goods as steel. In 1818, George III issued a decree about markings.

Some cutlers seem to have continued using the hammer for a while (George Johnson), but most used it briefly then went back to the usual, which dates this razor to 1818-1824(?)ish.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

The Joseph Elliot granted his freedom in 1835 was most likely the son or possibly even grandson of the company founder, who was born in 1760.

As per company advertisement, the C+C mark was granted in 1805.

Despite the first directory entry being in 1822, Elliot was unequivocally producing razors at least as far back as the 1790's.

I'd say the razor in question dates from 1815-1830.

---

Thanks for this info, much appreciated. :chapeau

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

The hammer denotes that it was made with cast steel and a hammer rather than poured into a mold. The mark was the culmination of a run of folks passing off iron goods as steel. In 1818, George III issued a decree about markings.

Some cutlers seem to have continued using the hammer for a while (George Johnson), but most used it briefly then went back to the usual, which dates this razor to 1818-1824(?)ish.

---

Thank you! I was trying to find out what the hammer mark meant in a thread couple of weeks ago. Now I know :D


Attachment 256995

Attachment 257002

Attachment 257003


http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ph-elliot.html

I'm sorry I missed that thread or I would have explained it there!

Man tuzi! How am I just now seeing this?! Beautiful restoration. I bow to you Sir just beautiful. Makes me want to revisit my Greave a bit.

Hey nice work and great find. Love those stubbies.:chapeau