Thread: Early 1800 Charles Babbitt Hone

Most of the paddle strops of that style that I've seen are from the early 1900's.

I was told it dated between 1820 & 1840

I couldn't find anything about him making strops or sharpening equipment, only clocks. I'm wondering if maybe family members may have took over the business and sold some things later because it does look early 1900's to me too. That looks like a corrugated box which wasn't invented until 1890.

It's covered with leather but with the leather cover it is less than a millimeter thick on all side and it is very stiff. The open end I don't want to force it but it does take alot of resistant to collapse it slightly and it springs back to its original shape. P.S I really appreciate your help with this.
Thanks

Originally Posted by Oldengaerde

Early 1800's? Really? Please enlighten us.

O, and the rules by which you pledged to abide seem to prohibit valuations.

Consider yourself enlightened....



The full article is here.

Apparently the originator of the cast steel paddle strop was contested. Babbitt was asked to make one in 1829-30, but they were around in the same form in 1811.

I have seen quite a few paddles and bench strops, but nothing like this one with a cast-iron bed.

The person who brought the case against Babbitt said he had made his version earlier, and that powdered turkey oil stone was used in the paste that was applied to the bed of the strop - the pastes did the work, the cast iron was just a surface to hold them.

Regards,
Neil

This clipping makes sense to me. At least as a hobby machinist and professional engraver I understand Mr Babbets thinking here.

Lapping (ie. rubbing two metal surfaces together with a grit suspended in oil) has been used to shape, flatten, true, and sharpen by machinist and mechanics for ages. Many of us engravers use a cast iron lap with garnet, ruby,or diamond slurry on it to lap a fine polished edge on our gravers. The most common now days is to use diamond spray because it is the most readily available. So MR babbets comments about trying that as as way to get a good edge on a razor makes sense to someone coming from a machinist/mechanics background of that era.

Now if I am understanding what I am looking at properly this set contains the cast steel "hone" which almost resembles a flat smooth file with no teeth and has paste for "lapping" the blade edge in the handle. Then there is a "paddle strop" with leather faces for use when finished lapping the edge on the steel. It also looks to me like the steel hone nest into the paddle strop and then that slides into the box cover for storage.

I have no idea how well this works to actually sharpen a razor. It seems to me to be a totally different approach than what I see most of the guys on here do with stone honing but it may work very well, especially as a touch up method.

My dad spent his entire career as a prototype machinist. I can't tell you how many projects ended up being back to the drawing board items. Not every prototype works like it should the first time around. Then you have to work around patent issue to keep from getting sued so sometimes changes have to be made because of that. I get the idea from the clipping that this may very well be a prototype or one of a handful of handmade samples and the production got shut down by a patent dispute. So this may be a very rare item.

Thats just speculation on my part so take it for what its worth.

Ray

PS Just for what its worth. Babbitt bearings were invented by a machinist named Isaac Babbitt. It would be interesting to find out if this Charles Babbitt was a relative if Isaac. It is very possible I think since many trades in that era were family businesses passed down through the family from one generation to another. Babbitt bearing were used in almost every machine in that era before they were later replaced by hardened steel ball bearings.

I actually have some babbit for bearings my dad gave me because he has had a Ford Model-T since he was 16 and has used it as a regular car not a show piece. So every time he rebuilds the engine he has to make new bearings out of Babbit. On a related note I have actually used a piece of Babbit to peen the pins on my razors I have restored as a make shift anvil. lol

Yes it is how your seeing it the top of the handle turns a half turn then comes out. The hone itself flat on one side and rounded on the other.

Greg

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Consider yourself enlightened....

awesome....

Yeah... misread the title. Thought it said "Bobbit" hone