Pre-1760 With Popsicles

Here is a razor I picked up off the bay. This exact razor was dated to "pre-1760" by the member Fikira here:

https://historyrazors.wordpress.com/...8th-century-2/

Take that with as much salt as you'd like :)

Regardless, this razor is OLD. I chose not to follow through on a better polishing job because, well, this fat wedge's "character" would take forever to sand out.

Last time I went down popsicle stick lane it was suggested I make the scales a little thinner. Here is a stab at it with only a single stick on each side. Too thin for me. Next time I will double it up again and profile it out.

Yes, it was awesome to shave with something as old as General Washington, Louis XV, and Issac Newton (possibly).

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Nice save on the blade :tu

And scales are just as personal as every other part of this lifestyle :D

nice save. interesting razor though. Don't recall seeing one of the style with a tail like that. Are there any makers marks on it?

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Originally Posted by tintin

nice save. interesting razor though. Don't recall seeing one of the style with a tail like that. Are there any makers marks on it?

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Unfortunatley, there is not.

I would imagine this was born during the cottage industry before maker marks were a given.

The spike is a little wavy. I could see someone flattening a billet, then stretching out and trimming the tail...

The link in my first post has some examples of other very radical and crude tail designs from the turn of the 18th century (scroll to the bottom).


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We gotta get you to pinning, Geo......Just saying. :)

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

We gotta get you to pinning, Geo......Just saying. :)

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Haha, my next one has a certain flavor of pinning... but you can be the judge of that :)



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Originally Posted by sharptonn

We gotta get you to pinning, Geo......Just saying. :)

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+1 to that. You have some skills, man - all that's missing is proper pins. The better you do with the scales and blade, the more the screws look... like not pins.

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Originally Posted by GeoID

Unfortunatley, there is not.

I would imagine this was born during the cottage industry before maker marks were a given.

The spike is a little wavy. I could see someone flattening a billet, then stretching out and trimming the tail...

The link in my first post has some examples of other very radical and crude tail designs from the turn of the 18th century (scroll to the bottom).


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Much more likely the maker's mark was ground off. It may have been on the top of the spine, as many were from that general time period. A lot of marks stamped into the top were light or incomplete.

Sheffield maker's marks go back to the 1560's, and your razor is definitely not that old.

Great looking razor that. Very nice find and a great job on the restoration work too.

It's old for sure (18th century), but I would not apply a definitive pre-1760 to it, simply because it can be perilous to date things just based off of blade shapes.

For sure a beautiful blade... I love it. And I second the pinning, it's a much cleaner look. You would have to recess the screws to be flush to not stand out so much. And careful with the filing of the pining as to not damage the scale. But I gotta ask... why popsicle sticks man? It seems like such a cheap and easy way out for such an original and beautiful piece. No matter the time and effort put in, know that when it is finished, it is finished for ever (or so you hope).

I don't have the powertools, nice hand tools, a little peening anvil, or even a garage. I don't have the time to carve out solid pieces of ironwood or cherry.

I'm in school, so cannot change any of these circumstances for a few years.

The nice thing about about using screws and cheap materials is that I know I can disassemble it all, and do better later when I have the money and tools. And, not feel bad if the scales break in the process.

I would disagree that the popsicle sticks are any worse than other options. They can be made from quality woods with good grain. Provided I had all the tools, I bet you wouldn't have known...

Regardless, I'm starting to peen.

Maybe I'll come back to this one sooner than later once I have the peening down.



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Originally Posted by GeoID

I don't have the powertools, nice hand tools, a little peening anvil, or even a garage. I don't have the time to carve out solid pieces of ironwood or cherry.

I'm in school, so cannot change any of these circumstances for a few years.

The nice thing about about using screws and cheap materials is that I know I can disassemble it all, and do better later when I have the money and tools. And, not feel bad if the scales break in the process.

I would disagree that the popsicle sticks are any worse than other options. They can be made from quality woods with good grain. Provided I had all the tools, I bet you wouldn't have known...

Regardless, I'm starting to peen.

Maybe I'll come back to this one sooner than later once I have the peening down.



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Ahhh I understand, and all valid points. Keep up the passion and interest my friend. It will all grow in time. And I agree. Not a bad job for popsicle sticks. But all you truly need is sand paper.lol I've made many from blocks and sandpaper. Trust me tho. Many hours invested.lol but yea you would need a little peening hammer a solid surface, a file, and an according drill bit. Bû none the less, god job and keep up the passion.

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Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

It's old for sure (18th century), but I would not apply a definitive pre-1760 to it, simply because it can be perilous to date things just based off of blade shapes.

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Indeed, at this moment such blade shapes can't be definitely dated as pre-1760,
although IMHO this “Dip-at-toe” seems to look more as an older variant then the
"typical" “Dip-at-toe” from 1760-1790, IF it is made in Sheffield (can't be sure...).
It also seems that Sheffield razors around 1760-1790 didn't have such a long tail & pronounced
notch on top of the tang, so, together with the shape of the tail & the more pronounced notch
on top of the tang, as seen on even older razors, I believe this razor could indeed be older then
1760 (maybe around 1700-1750).

More references & study is needed, maybe we will never be sure...

So, definitely between 1560 & 1800! ;)

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Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

It's old for sure (18th century), but I would not apply a definitive pre-1760 to it, simply because it can be perilous to date things just based off of blade shapes.

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Without further evidence to myself all the shape says is that it was forged in the style that was common pre-1760.