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Thread: Anyone know anything about an "L. West Warranted" straight razor?

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    Member wjosephsimmons's Avatar
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    Question Anyone know anything about an "L. West Warranted" straight razor?

    Hi all -

    I have a question about a vintage "L. West Warranted" 9/16" half-hollow ground, round point straight razor I recently acquired from a B/S/T thread. I'm really curious about the manufacturer, its' age, etc. It's in really nice condition and I'm very pleased with my purchase. I have found a couple of photos of similar ones from this maker, but no information at all otherwise. Here's a pic:

    Name:  L. West Warranted, 9-16'', Half Hollow (2).jpg
Views: 918
Size:  43.3 KB

    I also found this image of an 11/16" from the same maker:

    Name:  L. West Warranted 11-16''.jpg
Views: 788
Size:  121.4 KB

    and this one:

    Name:  Vintage-L-West-9-16-Straight-Razor-With.jpg
Views: 867
Size:  23.3 KB

    Also, what exactly does "warranted" mean on a straight razor? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
    Last edited by wjosephsimmons; 08-29-2014 at 12:32 AM.
    Joe

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    Senior Member criswilson10's Avatar
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    Warranted was a term used by Sheffield for cast steel in the 1800s.

    I've seen a few pictures of L. West razors, but I've never seen any information on them. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will help out.
    Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead - Charles Bukowski

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    Quote Originally Posted by criswilson10 View Post
    Warranted was a term used by Sheffield for cast steel in the 1800s.

    I've seen a few pictures of L. West razors, but I've never seen any information on them. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will help out.
    I hope so, too. Do you mean Sheffield Steel, as in the name of a company, or Sheffield steel, as in the city being an industrial center? Certainly the term must have continued out of tradition well into the 20th century, as this razor by no means looks very old, maybe 40-50 years at the most. Also, I would not expect it to be of foreign origin, but it is hard to say.
    Joe

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    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    "L. West" seems to have been a prolific, but mysterious maker/agent/re-seller - a quick google throws up many L. West razors, some quite old.

    As far as 'warranted' is concerned, one must look at other terms used on steel tools such as saws, planes, razors, etc. You will find 'cast steel', 'acier fondu', 'superior', 'certified', 'guaranteed' - indeed, some things like vintage saws have two of these terms, eg, 'warranted superior'. Other terms that you may find are:

    warranted best steel
    warranted cast steel
    warranted shear steel
    warranted double shear steel
    warranted best double shear steel
    double refined cast steel, warranted
    best warranted, double refined

    Unlike acier fondu, cast steel, silver steel, etc, 'warranted' is not a type of steel. Instead, it is a guarantee to the buyer that the article is what it says it is. The word warranted itself comes from old french - 'guarant' which also went on to give us 'guarantee;, so we are talking of a 'warrant of authenticity' which is the same as a 'guarantee of authenticity'.

    Some companies offered a years warranty for warranted steel goods.

    At some point in history plain iron was passed off as steel. It was so widespread in Sheffield at one time that the cutlers guild brought in severe laws to outlaw the practice. So 'Warranted Steel' was what it said it was - steel, not iron. Another method of making cheap blades was to 'case-harden' that is to harden the outer surface while the inner surface was left still malleable and soft - another method hugely frowned upon by the cutlers guilds, and another reason for using 'warranted' in a razors description.

    Where 'steel' is not implicit, we take 'warranted' as a guarantee of being fit for use, good for its intended purpose - a sort of guarantee offered by the maker.

    Sometimes, though, the term was as misleading as any other marketing ploy. Some used it to imply that they had a Royal Warrant, for instance, and some just used it to jump on the bandwagon, adding it to their product stamp without offering the customer any kind of formal guarantee.

    Regards,
    Neil

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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil Miller View Post
    "L. West" seems to have been a prolific, but mysterious maker/agent/re-seller - a quick google throws up many L. West razors, some quite old.

    As far as 'warranted' is concerned, one must look at other terms used on steel tools such as saws, planes, razors, etc. You will find 'cast steel', 'acier fondu', 'superior', 'certified', 'guaranteed' - indeed, some things like vintage saws have two of these terms, eg, 'warranted superior'. Other terms that you may find are:

    warranted best steel
    warranted cast steel
    warranted shear steel
    warranted double shear steel
    warranted best double shear steel
    double refined cast steel, warranted
    best warranted, double refined

    Unlike acier fondu, cast steel, silver steel, etc, 'warranted' is not a type of steel. Instead, it is a guarantee to the buyer that the article is what it says it is. The word warranted itself comes from old french - 'guarant' which also went on to give us 'guarantee;, so we are talking of a 'warrant of authenticity' which is the same as a 'guarantee of authenticity'.

    Some companies offered a years warranty for warranted steel goods.

    At some point in history plain iron was passed off as steel. It was so widespread in Sheffield at one time that the cutlers guild brought in severe laws to outlaw the practice. So 'Warranted Steel' was what it said it was - steel, not iron. Another method of making cheap blades was to 'case-harden' that is to harden the outer surface while the inner surface was left still malleable and soft - another method hugely frowned upon by the cutlers guilds, and another reason for using 'warranted' in a razors description.

    Where 'steel' is not implicit, we take 'warranted' as a guarantee of being fit for use, good for its intended purpose - a sort of guarantee offered by the maker.

    Sometimes, though, the term was as misleading as any other marketing ploy. Some used it to imply that they had a Royal Warrant, for instance, and some just used it to jump on the bandwagon, adding it to their product stamp without offering the customer any kind of formal guarantee.

    Regards,
    Neil
    Thank you, Neil! You provide a wealth of information and insight into the subject. I was actually advised on another forum to look you up as a source. It sounds like the term "warranted" evolved into a cutler's mark out of similar circumstances as the historical hallmarking system for sterling silver in Great Britain (another subject in which I am intensely fascinated), albeit with significantly less complexity or legislative involvement.

    It is regretful that such little information appears to survive on the identity of the manufacturer of "L. West" straight razors. As the term "warranted" appears rather prevalent, there is no suggestion that its' use was exclusive in any way to Sheffield (or even to British) cutlers in its' popularity, and likely was adopted by US and other manufacturers as a promotional method by which to publicly affirm the quality of their products. Thus, the identity of "L. West" remains a mystery even with regard to its' country of origin. Thank you very much.

    Respectfully,
    Joe

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    It is regretful, Joe.

    I have half an idea that it was a US company, though. If you google L. West, you eventually come across a reference to someone who has a L. West razor with 'Made Expressly For A. Stucki" on it.

    A. Stucki would appear to be a US company formed c1911 by Arnold Stucki. At that time, it specialised in Railway Rolling Stock. The razors could have been ordered as a job lot as presentation pieces to be given to employees of A. Stucki - quite a common practice then.

    The A. Stucki Co. was based in Pittsburgh, PA, so it would be possible - probable, even, that L. West was a firm not too far away.

    Regards,
    Neil
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil Miller View Post
    It is regretful, Joe.

    I have half an idea that it was a US company, though. If you google L. West, you eventually come across a reference to someone who has a L. West razor with 'Made Expressly For A. Stucki" on it.

    A. Stucki would appear to be a US company formed c1911 by Arnold Stucki. At that time, it specialised in Railway Rolling Stock. The razors could have been ordered as a job lot as presentation pieces to be given to employees of A. Stucki - quite a common practice then.

    The A. Stucki Co. was based in Pittsburgh, PA, so it would be possible - probable, even, that L. West was a firm not too far away.

    Regards,
    Neil
    Your historical research is extremely impressive, Neil. It would have taken me days, if not weeks or months to glean such pertinent information from what public resources are available on the web. I think you are likely quite correct. The razor I have was described even as possibly "new old stock" by the enthusiast in the state of Michigan from whom I purchased it, due to its antiquated styling yet comparatively striking lack of any evidence of use, which itself supports a conjecture that it was made here in the USA. Perhaps the relationship with "A. Stucki" in the city of Pittsburgh may be a credible line of inquiry into the identity of "L. West"! Thank you so much.

    Respectfully,
    Joe
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    This is a fun one!

    Based on the research Neil did above, I went digging for L. West in genealogy sources. I couldn't find much, but the 1900 US Census lists one Lutelus West, born 1844, Furniture Merchant in Connellsville, PA -- a small town southeast of Pittsburgh. There are no other hits on the name. He had no children listed.

    Digging into Google Books for the name turns up nothing direct, but there is a Lutelus W. Smith, a geologist in Philadelphia doing discovery for an oil company.

    I'm guessing Lutelus is barking up the wrong tree, but the first hit is tantalizingly close to right, if only I could find any more information.
    -Zak Jarvis. Writer. Artist. Bon vivant.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Voidmonster View Post
    This is a fun one!

    Based on the research Neil did above, I went digging for L. West in genealogy sources. I couldn't find much, but the 1900 US Census lists one Lutelus West, born 1844, Furniture Merchant in Connellsville, PA -- a small town southeast of Pittsburgh. There are no other hits on the name. He had no children listed.

    Digging into Google Books for the name turns up nothing direct, but there is a Lutelus W. Smith, a geologist in Philadelphia doing discovery for an oil company.

    I'm guessing Lutelus is barking up the wrong tree, but the first hit is tantalizingly close to right, if only I could find any more information.
    Intriguing indeed, Zak. I considered what other resources may provide a clue; genealogy archives is a great idea. It occurred to me, however, that possibly the only concrete evidence may rest in the Pennsylvania State Archives in the capital of Harrisburg, which may have business records of an "L. West" which would have been required of any recognized merchant or producer of commercial cutlery such as straight razors. There is a website which may offer some enlightenment where such information may be found:

    About the Archives

    Records of that nature are more likely maintained on microfiche, if at all, so it would take one of their researchers to look it up.

    Thank you for your interest, and I agree - this is fun!

    Update: I'm afraid this is going to get too expensive for me to pursue , as there appears to be an hourly charge for such services ("An initial, nonrefundable $50.00 fee must be paid to initiate research..."; that's per hour). Alas, as far as I'm concerned, the identity of one elusive "L. West" may never be publicly brought to light. What a shame!

    Respectfully,
    Joe
    Last edited by wjosephsimmons; 08-29-2014 at 08:05 PM. Reason: I can't afford it!

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    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    I have found an L. West - one Lester West, born in New York in 1803 who had a hardware store in Sacramento, California which stocked among other things, razor strops and razors. However, several things appear to be against him being our man:

    1. He is located in Sacramento - quite some considerable distance from Pittsburgh, but to a rolling stock company used to railway travel, that might not be much of an impediment!

    2. Although he was fit and fighting in the law courts in May 1851, by august of the same year he was deceased:

    Name:  l west deceased.jpg
Views: 693
Size:  30.7 KB

    1851 seems a long, long time ago, especially as some of those razors look so pristine. 'Warranted' would be ideal for the date, but I am not so sure about the rest. His whole stock and premises, on J Street, were sold by auction, so I guess that the razors lived on for a while - not that I think Lester was the maker - he probably had them made for him, might even had them imported, you never know!

    The fact that no relatives took over the business is sad, did he not have any offspring, or were they all grown and far from the nest? Maybe there was another L. West in the family who eventually took over...

    Not very compelling evidence, but one less L. West to consider. Here is a snip from the Sacramento County newspaper for October 1851:

    Name:  l west.jpg
Views: 644
Size:  34.3 KB

    Regards,
    Neil
    Last edited by Neil Miller; 08-30-2014 at 07:01 PM.

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