Thread: Greaves, Pauldrons, and Gauntlets

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

That's still not the right picture though. The social constructions of the cutlery trades did begin to change in the later 19th c, but in the early half at least the 'big guys' were still made up of the 'little guys', and it was not unusual for a little guy renting space somewhere to make some razors stamped from one company, then make some others stamped with someone else, with everyone's knowledge. So it wasn't a counterfeiting situation, it was the norm; you might have one company's factory housing workers making some products for them, some products for another company, and some other workers who lived out in the country might also be making products for that same firm. Here is another resource:

https://historicengland.org.uk/image...reat-workshop/

Not to hijack the thread as this is a little off topic but…Remnants of this practice can still be seen in today’s cutlery industry here in the US. It is not uncommon to have one company making products with a different companies name on it.

For example, W.R. Case currently makes some products that are co-branded and have both the W.R. Case name and the other companies name on the product. In other instances, W.R. Case produces things with only the other companies name on it and not the Case name. On the other side of the coin, W.R. Case currently has a small number of items produced by another Cutlery company for Case Cutlery with the Case name on it.

This has been a common practice that has been present in the Cutlery industry (in Germany and the U.S.) from the start and is why it can be very confusing when researching who and where things were actually made. The deeper you dig for information, the more complicated it seems to get.

My two Greaves:

First one (around 1820) has been restored with Sheafworks replacement scales (probably 10 years after):

Then a 'little' younger (1830):

Originally Posted by inoe

My two Greaves:

First one (around 1820) has been restored with Sheafworks replacement scales (probably 10 years after):

Then a 'little' younger (1830):

Beautiful - love Greaves razors, another beautiful find, pulled out the Nani 12k yesterday, did a 3 minute refresh on one of my favourites, and had a delightful shave...the magic of Sheffield steel! :-)

Just acquired this, it’s needs restoration. Unfortunately it has a beautiful patina and then rust that came afterward. I’ll try and keep the patina and get rid of the rusty areas. Chances are it needs a full sanding progression. At some point I’ll collect a lancet from every manufacturer who ground them. I only have this and a Mappin at this point but we all have to start somewhere. The profile may be my most favorite to date.

Super nice, love the blade shape and that tang.

Remove the scales and heat the blade in hot water, then into a 50/50 cleaning vinegar and water soak for 15-20 minutes then scrub with a green scotch bright sponge. This will gently remove most of the active rust without removing steel or patina. Do not leave soaking longer than 30 minutes or it can go to bear metal.

Then to preserve the patina, remove flash rust, try 000 steel wool and oil, I like Kroil and a Dremel radial abrasive wheel for the barber’s notch and the tight corners. They come in different grits, you can get a selection for 10-15 on the bay. Start with the least aggressive grit and slow speed.

I have the set but buy the Maroon 36 grit and White 120 grit in bulk, (they last a long time and are fully impregnated with grit). If you buy the older, non EZ Lock ones you can gang them up. I have mandrels set up in single, 2- and 3-wheel combinations for different applications. BTW, the 36 grit works great for cleaning threads on screws and bolts in a snap. A single wheel can clean a screw head slot immaculately.

Note, grits and colors can change from the “Dremel “colors and grits. The cheap ones seem to work as well as Dremel branded. Aggressive ones are aggressive, test.

I use the vinegar soak and steel wool and oil for Antique tool restoration where I want to remove rust but keep aged patina.

Love that razor, do post pics, hope you will restore and keep scales. Use PETE thrust washers for a clean look.

When you scrub with Green Scotch Bright sponge, do so in bin of warm water and dish soap, I use Dawn to clean and neutralize the vinegar. A hot water rinse and quick drying with microfiber and blast of compressed air will minimize flash rust.

A spray of Simple Green also works well to neutralize the vinegar, great for large projects.

Thanks Marty, you basically answered all my questions without me even asking. I’ll do a write up to go along too, or at least be less miserly with the camera.

I’ll start another thread too so I don’t take this one off track.

Hello. This W. Greaves and Sons is my first big wedge that I have bought. It is actually a near-wedge. It is just shy of an inch. Like a 31/32. It dates from around 1816-1821. I had a barber I know use it to shave the back of my neck in their shop. I plan on buying a full wedge in the near future. I haven't shaved with a straight in a long time. I guess I should get back to doing that. Later.