Thread: Razor Info

Originally Posted by me

First let me say we should have a forum or sub-forum dedicated to "razor talk" where we can seek out info, opnions ect.. on just razors.. we have one for aftershave, one for soap but none for rasors :lol:

I came across a razor made by BlackJack (which is International Cutlery) and I never knew BlackJack made razors! I love the old BlackJack knives and have a "few" that I would not part with.

Does anyone have a BlackJack razor? or had expierence with them?

International Cutlery was formerly known as Hoffritz and had a chain of boutique stores, especially in malls, with higher end wares. They never "made" their own razors, but they did contract with DOVO and other quality makers to make razors for them with their name on them.

I used two Hoffritz razors for almost two decades and they only had to be honed once, each. Routine, pre-shave stropping and an occasional touch-up on a white-paste linen was all they needed to stay keen! I will be selling them shortly in a periodic housecleaning of my razor collection.

daviduthe

I've allways liked the Black Jack brand, they made some really good knives with innovative designs through the 80's.
I have never seen or heard of the black jack label on a razor however... and thats what cought my attention.

Something too keep an eye out for I guess.. Im sure they made more than one :lol: If not I better go buy that one now!

I agree with Kelly, a seperate forum for just razors would be interesting. It would be nice if we could put a copy of Goins Encyclopadia in the Files section but....

The historical side of straight razors is quite appealing to a lot of people. Just yesterday I acquired a copy of Knife World that had an article on a little known cutlery firm. They had a photo showing the workmen sitting on a stool, bent over what appears to be a 24" diameter grinding wheel, grinding either knife or razor blanks. They were dirty as all get out but that is still a method that can be used to grind a razor or knife.

One of the questions that I have always had is, what are the names of the companys that produced the steel, who forged the blanks, what firms did the grinding and engraving, etching
scales, pinning?
Any info on the compositon of the steel? What tempering processes were used?

Of course, anyone posting a question to that forum had better not be in a hurry for a response.

The forum could be a wonderful source for an online Straight Razor encyclopedia, complete with source bibliography and historical photo's.