Thread: That 1700's Show

Yours reminds me of this Haywood minus the dip toe.

Originally Posted by thp001

Thanks for the info. I'm currently making an 18th century style razor based on some scaled images of a razor made by Wm Warburton. I have true to size outlines of the scales, and I then used this to determine the size of the blade. The blade width came out to be near 7/8ths which I suspected was too large, I had the impression that steel being somewhat relatively expensive at the time blades were much narrower but it seems could be mistaken. What more do you know about the pastes used for stropping back then? I have seen some mid 19th century emery pastes used for knife boards (leather covered wooden boards for polishing knives) but nothing as early as the 18th century.

Image for reference.

Attachment 324886

Sadly, the formulations of the strop pastes aren't something I've ever come across. Emery powder and crocus (iron oxide) are likely suspects, and considering the inventive spirit and relaxed concept of testing methodology, you can bet other things were used too.

Strop paste is what made George Packwood famous. He sold it in little yellow balls packaged up to look like a goldfinch's nest. One of the older razors I have came to me with a faint yellow tinge that wiped off which I assume was something like his paste.

In the 1820's Ebenezer Rhodes wrote an essay (which I'm having no luck finding anything but quotes from at the moment) where he said in no uncertain terms that the use of padded strops and strop pastes were the main reasons people's razors became unusable and had to be reground, because they unevenly wore down the blade.

My finished stub tail 1700's replica.

What radius wheel did you use in grinding? You have a nice small bevel on that razor. I've been using a 10 inch contact wheel on my machine and I get a somewhat wider bevel.

Originally Posted by thp001

What radius wheel did you use in grinding? You have a nice small bevel on that razor. I've been using a 10 inch contact wheel on my machine and I get a somewhat wider bevel.

I use a six inch wheel. However I ground it to a near wedge, so the grind of the blade does not exactly match the radius of the wheel.

Originally Posted by DVW

I use a six inch wheel. However I ground it to a near wedge, so the grind of the blade does not exactly match the radius of the wheel.

Do you use tape to hone?

Originally Posted by thp001

Do you use tape to hone?

Yes, one layer.

Early 1700s Henry Birks. One of the nicer razors I have ever come across..

Originally Posted by kcb5150

Early 1700s Henry Birks. One of the nicer razors I have ever come across..

I don't just like it, I love it. I'd swear that I am a reincarnated 1700's man who loved his razors. The only thing better is a good mug of Guinness Extra Stout.

I particularly like those with the maker's mark stamped on the spine. The molded patterns in the horn would have originally contained a brass inlay: