Okay, I've thought of this a couple of times now, so here goes. This thread is to be for you folks to display razors that you obtained from your relatives. Please provide photos and stories!
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Okay, I've thought of this a couple of times now, so here goes. This thread is to be for you folks to display razors that you obtained from your relatives. Please provide photos and stories!
I will take a picture tomorrow. I recieved my grand fathers when i was in my teens. I believe that is what started my interest in straights. I have been collecting for over 20 years and started shaving with them a year ago. I will try to hone it up and shave with it.
Thanks Utopian for starting this thread. Here's a picture of a razor my father-in-law gave me. It was his grandfather's razor. It is currently in the process of being restored. I can't wait to see how it turns out and to give it a test shave. I guess I am more excited that I will be able to eventually pass this razor down to my son once he is older and can appreciate having his great-great grandfather's razor. :)
These razors belonged to my grandfather. He was born in 1901, he was a barber and retired in the late 1960s. The two razors in the first photo, a Frederick Reynolds and a Hess Forty Four, were the two razors that got me started. They were the razors that I used when I first attempted to shave with a straight razor.
The second photo shows a collection of my grandfather's razors that I recently found while rooting through my closet. They were in an old cigar box that had belonged to my grandfather that I had stashed away years ago, long before I ever got interested in straight razors, and apparently forgot about them. There were a total of thirteen razors in the cigar box. Ten razors were still in their coffins and plastic sleeves and were in great condition. The other three razors were still in a leather glasses case that my grandfather kept in his top shirt pocket to hold his razors while working. The leather apparently attracted moisture and rusted two of the razors beyond hope, one I was able to salvage.
I now have thirteen usable razors that belonged to my grandfather (photo #3). The list of razors include a Frederick Reynolds, a Hess Forty Four, a Filarmonica #14, three C-Mon razors, two Wonderedge Double Duck razors, a Stainedge Double Duck, a W. H. Morley & Sons Clover Brand, a Jas. T. Scott w/naked lady scales, one unknown extra hollow Sheffield razor and a Cutlerix razor. I am now in the process of photographing and documenting these razors so they can be identified as my grandfather's razors and so they can be separated from the other razors that I have acquired. Hopefully they will be appreciated and used by future generations of our family.
That's awesome! Those are in really beautiful condition.
Did you guys know RAD runs in the family?
When I started, I asked granddad if he still had the razor that I remember him using when I was a tike. It's a '60 Fatboy that he used for 25 years until he retired in the mid '80's.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1.../gillette3.jpg
With a bit more time digging around a box he surely hadn't dug in for over 30 years, he produced his father's straight, a razor simply called 'The Pippin'. This is a pre-restoration shot. He never shaved with it saying that he was afraid he was going to cut his head off and have it roll down the hallway.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...egacyrazor.jpg
The next stop was to my mom's house and she produced a Shumate Pacific that belonged to my great-father as well. When I questioned her how she got it and granddad didn't, she said that when they were dividing up his estate, he chose the razor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...tepacific1.jpg
Truth is, I don't even remember my great-grandfather...but I feel the connection every time I use one of his razors.
Great thread, Utopian. Loving the contributions so far. Only wish I could contribute.
Nice thread, Utopian.
I have three. Here's J.A. Helbberg frameback that belonged to my grandfather. I still remember him using it while i was a kid.
He gave me adjustable Gillette with box when i was about 15 or 16. I do not remember if it was new or used when i got it. I do not know which model it is, but i've been using it ever since.
My grandfather is on the second pic, that was taken in New York at 1937.
The one with no box belonged to my father-in-law. My mother-in-law said he carried it with him while doing his 'eastern tour' at 39-44. I do not know if it is true or not. All three are excellent shavers, used by me nowadays.
- I have my great grandfather's razor and my great great grandfather's razor
(it's stamped with what was probably the name of the store and the name of a town nearby "Ch Soy, Louvain", and has a chinese man as a logo, but I'm somehow thinking it's a german import since it's also stamped 'garanti' followed by a number; one of the razor's boxes has a german inscription which says "The Bastei" märke in qualität)
- I also have his natural combo coticule/bbw,
- his strop which is horsehide, the leather is about 0,5 cm (0,2 inch) thick and has a linen side to it
it's superb quality and you would rarely find me using anything else
And I agree this is a nice thread, would love to see all the razor related equipment other ppl have that belonged to their family
Both these razors are from family members that found the razors in my grandfathers and great grandfathers belongings.
The Shumate from my great grandfather had shattered scales and I've been dragging my feet making a new set from wood off the ranch. One day I'll get that done :p I have this set on there so I can shave with it on special days :)
The Henkels is a small bugger but it was also given to me with grandpas Coticule :) How cool is that :)
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I added my Great Grandfather's Razor and box to my newly-finished Humidor razor storage box.
He was a Barber all his life in Reading PA. My Uncle obtained the razor after his death, and gave it to me this month. It is a Utica Knife Co. Red Point Razor.
The tribute to your grandfather is great! Thanks for posting the photos.
Chef, that's magnificent.
I can't imagine you'd ever regret that kind of preservation and presentation. They carry so much meaning with their roots - beyond likely being great tools.
While not a razor...
These where my mothers brushes, I plan on rebuilding the one on the right :P
But now I need to set up a shadow box that will hold the near full set of Heirloom shave gear :) I now have 2 razors, 1 hone, and 2 brushes. I'd be suprised if I could come across anymore gear from family members, but that would be way to cool :)
A strop and bowl would just make the set :) ... Have to make some calls :p
So, after sharing with my grandmother that I was looking at trying out straight razors she said "Oh, do you want one?" :dropjaw: "Your grandpa learned to shave with this razor. He always used the safety razors, but this one was HIS grandpa's razor. His dad made him learn to shave with it, and then when his dad passed away he got it in this little wooden box." All of this happened on the phone.
So the next day I was talking to my dad and just started telling him the story. "You want a razor?" "Huh? Wait dad." "No, do you want a razor? When your great aunt died they cleaned out her old house, which was your great grandpa's house. There were two straight razors in there that nobody wanted, so I grabbed them and thought you and your sister might like them. They were your great grandpa's." :dropjaw:
So here's my Great-Great Grandpa's Crown & Sword razor that my dad's dad learned to shave on, along with what we now know is his old strop box. Then there's my Great Grandpa's F. W. Engels Leader razor that my dad's dad's dad used.
And now they're back from honing so that I can use them!
Gentlemen,
great pictures and great stories. I wish I could join the club.
Thanks for sharing.
Jus WOW Jim, I am jealous :) Both razors are very nice, and were good taken care of.
some great stuff right there!!!! enjoy bigjim
Thanks guys. The stuff in this world is just that...stuff. But it's pretty special to have stuff that generations have passed on and taken care of. I'm very proud to have been entrusted with these razors and hope to pass them on to my kids or grandkids...someday. (I'm not to anxious to pass them on yet! :D )
This was given to me recently by my Grandfather. He purchased the razor and just never stuck with using straights so it is in great condition. We live in Pennsylvania so it is only right that the family jewel is a Case.
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Wow! What a gorgeous razor. You are truly lucky to have been entrusted with an almost NOS razor to shave with. Thanks for sharing!Quote:
Originally Posted by ats200
Peace,
I just discovered this thread. I'll use a couple of my Shave Of The Day photos to show off my Heirlooms. About a year ago my Dad found the Long Life Straight in the garage, I believe it belonged to my Grandfather on my mothers side. It was in fantastic condition, I just gave it a little cleaning and a hone and its a fantastic shaver in my regular rotation.Thanks
Also in the first picture is a paddle strop that belonged to my Grandfather on my Dad's side (Pa). The travel strop as well as 2 of Pa's DE's and a Gem SE were recently discovered in my Dad's garage and I have shaved with all of them. The DE's are not in mint condition, but thats how Pa left them and thats what makes them irreplaceable. (Both my Grandfathers passes away in the 1980's)
Grant
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Very nice. Can I go dig around in your Dad's garage...sounds like there's all kinds of great stuff in there!
This is a strop that belonged to my grandfather and father. It is hands down my most treasured item in my shaving arsenal.
I have created a thread with a story behind the strop. Hope you enjoy.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...andfather.html
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I have a great stable...
This brings both pride and sorrow, but here we go:
Extreme left: Vintage 1960 (3rd quarter) Fat Boy (in original case) used by Dad for 25+ years... pretty much worn... but holds a new blade with one shave on it - I use it occasionally.
Top Left: Vintage Correl Ware Coffee Cup (LOL). Puck of Williams still wet from tonight's shave.
Top Right: A Brush. I have no idea. Might be Boar. Well worn. I watched Dad pump copious amounts of canned goo into this brush and rub it onto his face. Sadly, by the time I got it and found out a guy could actually apply a good soap to his face.. Dad was gone. I miss you, Buddy. I would have loved to have given you a shave with Paw-paw's Larkin.
Right: Grand-Dad's Vintage 1962 Adjustable (in original case with original blade packet). It's very likely this razor was used for 9 blades. Blade 10 is still in the box, very rusty. Paw-Paw died in early '63. This DE razor is like NEW!
Bottom: Grand-Dad's Larkin. From what I can find out this razor is circa 1920-1930. As many of you know it was a 'gift' for ordering via mail from somewhere. When I got it, it went on the hone briefly, then to the wool, then to the leather, then to my face.
Yesterday I put it in a vise and briefly polished the spine, the tang and the logo below the jimps. I would like to restore this razor, but unpinning it at this point would be madness.
The scales are almost perfect with only a tiny boo-boo halfway along... they are tight... the blade stands happily where placed. The wedge is good. The blade is only discolored by time. There is no rust. It smiles and when I put it on my face it wipes away my whiskers like they're not even there. Basically... it's my 'go to' razor when I want to check razors. It's probably a 4/8 hollow.
I miss you guys...
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Arb, that's a great story...thanks for sharing. The thumb prints are awesome.
Tony, I have that exact same coffee cup...an entire set of dishes in fact! They were given to me by my grandmother when I first moved out on my own. When I started wet shaving I used one of the cups for my soap and one for lather until I bought a vintage Old Spice mug.
I'm hoping to get a chance to look through my grandmother's place this fall and see if any of my granddad's safety razors are still around. I shave with a fatboy when I use a DE (on the road for instance), and I've used a slim like you have on the right as well, then gave it to my wife. I have no attachment to my safety razors and would much rather use a DE that was my Pah-pah's if I could find one still around.
Thanks for sharing!
If you check my very first post on SRP (http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...here-goes.html) you'll see that I was confused about the ownership of this mug. As a kid I just remembered seeing a cool old shaving mug high in a linen closet of my maternal grandparents' home. Through a totally innocent conversation with one my aunts this past Christmas, I mentioned my disappointment that my oldest male cousin had the cool old mug, especially since I'm the only wet/straight shaving male in my extended family. A few days later, my aunt asked me to come to her house because she wanted to give me something. As it turns out, my aunt had the mug, and she gave it to me! Since she has two daughters, she felt it was most appropriate that I keep the mug. So here's the real history of the mug:
The shaving mug actually belonged to my great great grandfather, Alexander M. Struble. He was born in 1863 in Illinois (I think), but lived most of his life in Thayer, Missouri. He was married in 1884. These dates, coupled with the numerous examples of similarly shaped "occupational mugs" on the internet place this mug in the later years of the 1800's, but possibly in the early 1900's.
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As you can tell from the close-up, before the years of wear, his name was surrounded by flourishes in gold monochrome paint.
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This is a hand-written note on A. M.'s train dispatcher stationary. As you can see, the form has a space for 190___. I don't know if this is his handwriting or if it was written by someone else in later years on his old stationary.
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I never knew the man but have learned so much about him through family members. Now I have the one tool that he likely used more often than any other to link us. I was very lucky to receive this razor from my mother. It belonged to my great grandfather on her side (her dad's dad). I have had it for a while and it has just sat in the corner of my shop waiting on me to get to it. I wanted to try to keep it all original but obviously the scales had to be replaced. I have been scouring the classifieds, ebay, and antique stores for a set of scales that match. There are plenty out there but unfortunately most people think that they should cost a fortune due to the figure of a woman with long, flowing hair (they are just cheap celluloid). Anyway, I finally found a set from a chipped J.R. Torrey blade from the same era, albeit in a butterscotch swirl not the original off white color. Once I got the scales I was able to go to work on the old girl. Here are the specs:
5/8 Germania Cutlery Oxford Razor
Full Hollow
Original pivot washers w/ brass pin
Wedge end is pinless bonded celluloid (which I like better with these particular scales)
I'll tell you what, it is so rewarding and admittedly a bit moving to work on a piece that belonged to family. Every step in the process had me reflecting on the man. The one razor in my collection that has no price tag.
Thanks for allowing me to share.
Shon
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Very nice. Thanks for sharing!
Peace,
Big Jim
I just got my grandfather's razor back from the restorer and couldn't wait to share an "after" photo. Apologies for the poor photo quality...it looks much better in person!
My grandfather ("Charlie the Barber") came to America from Italy in the early 1900's after attending barber school in Palermo. He immediately set up shop in New York City and raised 4 kids - two boys and two girls, one of whom is my mother. He also did most of the cooking, and I am told he was something of a master chef.
This razor was used by both my grandfather, although I'm not sure if he used it professionally in his shop or just personally, and my uncle/godfather before it came to me. I'm pretty sure there are other of his straight razors floating around the family...the hunt continues. I also have my father looking for the butterfly DEs that he used in the 1960's (when I was a kid).
In the end we, (that is, the restorer, Bob Keyes from the great state of Tennessee, and I) decided to keep it as original as possible, hence the small cracks at the pivot pin which were there originally. Instead of swapping out the old scales for new ones, Bob trued the original scales which had been warped, polished the blade, taking care to leave the "black" of the tail and the red diamond, both of which I think give it character, did a general cleaning, and then honed it to shave readiness. I'm sure you'll agree that Bob did a magnificent job with it. It shaves beautifully by the way. There may be other stuff out there that's fancier, but I bet none are more special to their owner. I hope to pass this on to my son someday.
This is the last SR my great-grandfather used. Towards the end of his life when he could no longer shave himself, my Dad shaved him with it.
This is also the razor my Dad taught me with, and now it's been handed down to me.
I know it's not rare or expensive, but it's priceless to me!
Steve
http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/...ps661aef25.jpg
I'm so glad that this thread has been resurrected! Here's a couple of heirlooms that I've been privileged to either own or have worked on for a relative or to help someone else out.
Here's the before and after pics of my great grandfather's W&B/Glen did the restoration;
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Here's my cousin's grandfather's Boker that had been rescaled at some time in it's life. Cuz is in his early 70's and he said that after I'd cleaned and honed the razor that his older brother said he remembered their mother using it to shave their father's neck when she gave him a haircut.
Unfortuntally it is only a display piece as no one wants to use it. :banghead: It's a really nice shaver!
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This one belongs to a writer for our local newspaper, it was her great grandfather's, here's before and after pics
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Thanks for the tip and starting this thread for our family blades. This is my Great-grandfather Hurst razor. This is a work in progress I have restored many firearms in my life but this will be only my third straight.
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Thanks for posting fellas. I hope to see some after shots soon Kinghooper.
Peace,
Jim
One of the Greatest Gentlemen I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with :)
My paternal Grandfather and previous owner of this King Cutter. Called home 10 years ago.
Mike
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I'm sure that he's pleased to see that something that he'd treasured, used and taken care of is still being done so by one who he loved and was loved by :tuQuote:
Originally Posted by Mcbladescar
I am so jealous of you guys! You have true treasures. Wish I would have been into straight razors as a younger man when some of my family heirlooms may have still been around. I guess for my family it will start with my collection.
One of my earliest memories was probably at about 4yo with the single most important man in my life. My grandfather taking me to the bathroom and showing me how to shave for the first time. Both with DE razors in hand. Grandpa had fitted mine with a piece of plastic I later learned. I don't know if he ever used a straight razor or not but after finding this thread I will be pestering relatives to see if any survived with family.
You have an heirloom! And an heirloom that can't be taken away or lost as it will be with you for as long as you draw breath. That heirloom can be shared without losing it, it can then be shared again and those who share it will still have it. Those memories of your Grandpa are heirlooms. Pass them on to those you love.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xtrmln
Whether or not your Grandpa used a straight or not, you know that he did us a DE; if you don't have one, get one and use it! Show your kids, friends and relatives that you have one and offer to show how to use it. You can also do the same with a straight to start your own heirloom memories :tu
Very true cudarunner! Very fine point. Thanks for putting it into perspective. I realized when i found myself emotional when recalling that moment.
