Thread: Sheffields

To be quite honest razors were always a small part of any of the large companies product line. Factories such as Wostenholme's, Rodgers, etc produced much greater quantities of table cutlery, bowies, daggers, pen-knives, pocket-knives, knives of every sort for every application from marine to veterinary to aboriculture, silverware, silver plated goods, hollow ware than they did razors. In fact old advertisements, trade catalogues, fliers, etc, say 'cutlery of every description' more often than not. Razors fell out of the line-up long before the other items did.

Other things adding to the downfall of these giants were the early Trade Acts, depression, two world wars with an inter-war depression, the seizure of factories by the Ministry of Defence to make armour plating, ordnance, munitions etc to protect the civilised world from the might of Axis fascists and the turn to cheaper produce for everyday use rather than silver and silver plate and King C Gillette taking over the vast share of the shaving market.

Echoes of the past are still to be found if one searches them out though. For instance, big as they were most of the big companies made use of the 'little meister', a time-served apprentice and journeyman who had his own small concern. These men were hired and let go en-masse as and when market trends dictated. One might say, with some justification, that the last example of little meister in Sheffield was Stan Shaw, but there are others that kept the tradition going - Trevor Ablett springs to mind. But the emphasis had shifted - razors were no longer in demand, so these people specialised in making those things that are still very collectable, mainly custom knives. There are still what may be considered masters in the trade - they might not have served a long apprenticeship or had any formal training, but nevertheless their abilities are beyond question. Custom knife and razor makers fall into this category.

Even today, setting up business as a latter-day little meister, providing you have the necessary skills, seems eminently do-able, but when we push the envelope to consider the mighty factories and workforce and skill-base of times gone by, then that is of course beyond the pale. A bank manager might secure you a loan to set up in business as an individual, but as a large company devoted to making one niche product with very limited appeal - forget it.

Another echo is the use of British Steel in modern razors. Anyone who has handled even a small amount of modern offerings from different makers cannot failed to have noted - and possibly surprised - by the words "Finest Sheffield Steel" proudly stamped (or - a sign of modern convenience and lack of quality, laser etched) on the tang of some of them.

As for using an old, once well respected name to sell a modern offering by, then that goes against the grain as far as I am concerned (did you see what I did then - 'against the grain'? I'm on all week, folks!). I have seen far too many duff modern offerings using revered names from the past, like G&F and Boker, to place any respect in this marketing ploy. Any decent tool - and that's all a razor really is, a tool - stands by itself and makes it's own name. It does not need to piggy-back on the hard work of those long gone. Not all modern offerings by the two companies I mentioned are bad, of course, but a fairly significant amount are. Even Dovo and TI seem to have trouble honing their own product to shave worthiness, and some low-end, low QC, re-branded Dovos seem to have been made by people wearing blindfolds for some sort of a joke.

Another thing that strikes me as an evil is the prevalence of low-class, cheap cr*p razors from the east. I believe then to be a sly, creeping, pervasive evil that has a potential to kill the market. Some. like the GDs, can be made serviceable - if you have the time and inclination - but most are just inferior rubbish. The people who buy them must know little or nothing about straight razors, so it is arguable that they are not in a position to 'fix-em-up' in which case they either seek someone to do it (which often costs more than the razor did) or they sling it in a draw in disgust. What are those disgusted would-be straight razor users going to do about it? Some might remain silent and stoical, some may tell their friends about the garbage they have just bought, and then two people are put off, probably for good.

As for Britain not producing much, that is pretty much the story for most western nations now that factories can be erected in the East where overhead is a fraction of the price, never mind the cost of the labour - some of those people are little more than exploited slaves. Still, the West has a long tradition in exploiting weaker peoples for its own good - some things don't change.

But one can adopt the viewpoint of Johnny Mercer as put across so ably by dear old Bing - Accentuate The Positive. Look closer and Britain still produces a phenomenal amount of home-grown product. There are textile mills, tweeds, whiskey, bespoke Saville Row suit makers, esteemed gentlemens shoemakers, hunting and fishing and shooting suppliers and makers - some of the finest shotguns in the world come from Britain. There are potteries turning out top-notch goods, noted designers, artists and poets, world class jewellers with workshops all over the British Isles, significant contributions to the aerospace industry, marque motor cars, world renowned jet engines, the music, dramatic and performing industry, cult british film-makers, etc, etc, etc. The list goes on and on - as it does for any other western country. Britain is not a spent force - not by a long shot.

Finally, just to be pedantic, even most wedges were ground on a wheel. A pretty damn wide wheel, but one that left some evidence of its curvature on the grind. A real wedge must be a very rare, and a very, very old beast indeed.

Regards,
Neil

Well-said, Mr Miller! As usual!

Regards,
Tom