Thread: Wade & Butcher age?

I picked up an old Wade & Butcher locally with rust and dirt but the look of much more life in it. The best part was that it was only $3!

A little sandpaper, scrubbing polishing and honing and it's coming around. But that's for the Restoration and Honing forums. Here, I'm wondering if anyone can help me date it and know more about it in general. This is my first W&B, but if it goes as well as it's starting, it may not be my last .

The razor overall has a real heft to it compared to my other (few) razors. Appears 1/4 ground to me. Nice swayback spine, that appears close to 1/4" thick. The tang is marked simply Wade and Butcher, Sheffield, no arrow, no cross. There is that typical W&B circle but hard to tell what's in it. From searching past posts, it sounds like the less markings on the tang the earlier. It has a single stablizer at the heel and has the notch at the tip. No etching on the blade, nor any evidence that there ever was. The scales are black to black-brown with a "grain"...are they horn? The two pins are stout with washers, and appear to be brass.

Sorry, no pics to help, but from my description, can anyone tell me about how old, what kind of steel (I assume carbon steel), what the scales are and any other tidbits you W&B experts may have?

Thanks!
- Dale

W&B have been making razors for a loooooooong time so it can be hard to tell. This sounds to me like it might be one of the older models, maybe even 100 years old. The 5/8 standard looking double hollows come from around the mid 20th century onward and anything more rustic looking than that is usually from earlier.

X

If I recall correctly, the lack of "country" of origin also helps to place back into the 19th century.

the lack of country puts it sometime before 1890.
I believe W&B stopped making razors in1919 or 1929.

Thanks Gents. Looking a little closer, I found it does have the W&B cross, just partially worn off. And it does have the words "Manufactured by..." in front of Wade and Butcher. I don't have it in front of me as I write this (obviously) but I think that's about it. I should try to get a decent picture and post it. It came out looking pretty nice in a conservative old way.

- Dale

HI there. Oddly enough, this is my first post and I am in a similar situation to you, Dale.

I just bought a W&B for $20 at a local antiques market. The edge looks in good shape, but will definitely need to be honed and polished for a while before it's anywhere near shave ready. I bought it because I'm a newbie to straight shaving (2 months or so) and before I hose my brand new Dovo with inexperienced honing, I figured I'd practice on something less expensive.

My W&B has both the arrow and the cross on it, and says "Extra Hollow Ground" on the blade in fancy calligraphy. The circle on the blade has a B in it. The handle appears to be black plastic or bakelite, and the rivets are tight. Unlike my Dovo (which is rounded) the tip is more or less square. I have no idea how old this is, and it may very well be that with a little care it would be a better razor than my Dovo, for all I know.

Any suggestions for me?