Thread: Mythical Vintage Steel

200 years ago they didn’t have all the Technologies that they have today. Microscopes, power hammers, chemical analysis programs, triple burner self regulating propane forges, etc. Yet despite this, they were able to produce this razor. The steel, it is probable, was made from sand and/or other natural materials and then hand forged and perfectly tempered by skill and experience. A blade that was ground perfectly and free of warps and twists that results in a thin even bevel. They were able to produce a steel that is, as good as, if not superior to the steel in more modern razors made with more technology. Not all blades can take the keen edge a Gok20k can produce. This razor did so with ease.

I wondered, what is it about this razor that is so enduring? The closeness and the smoothness of the shave? The mind boggling age of it? Sure, but so much more. The razor feels elegant in the hand, the balance is perfect, the tang is thin, the deep curve at the toe is actually useful in getting to the “hard to reach places”. The wedge grind is perfect, sturdy and substantial. The scales are still straight and true after two centuries. All of this accomplished by only skill and experience. Modern technology may set a person on the right path quicker but experience will travel that path much farther and that only comes with time.

I doubt the person who crafted this razor could have known that 200 years later it would be looked at, talked about and appreciated by people all over the world. I am sure it was one of many created. A tool. A mundane object and not a masterpiece except maybe to the smith at the time of finishing it. I am certain he could not have fathomed the appreciation people would have for his skill so far in the future.

It took a remarkable edge with ease and provided a stunning shave this morning. I pondered these things throughout the day and thought I would post this as a tribute to whoever it was that created this razor and the skill they possessed. After all, who hasn’t at one point pondered these things? It is one of the unique fascinations of this hobby.

I always wondered why there is a fascination in some circles with the modern formulations of steel types wrt making straight razors. The older types of steel have performed perfectly well over time. Even stainless steel is 100+ years old. It only has to be good enough for the job at hand and more is just that more.

The many styles of vintage razors do have an elegance about them as well as feeling good in the hand. Today there has been a trend to razors with exaggerated features when combined together seems to loose that elegance, at least to me.

Just a crotchety old man rambling on.

Bob

Thank you for your ramblings Bob! It is just amazing that 200 years ago, this craftsman, gives up nothing in quality and he did it without all the bells and whistles. Just good ole plain skill and experience. We tend to think of steel this old as inferior to the newer alloys and processes. At least in this case, it is not.

Originally Posted by Steel

Thank you for your ramblings Bob! It is just amazing that 200 years ago, this craftsman, gives up nothing in quality and he did it without all the bells and whistles. Just good ole plain skill and experience. We tend to think of steel this old as inferior to the newer alloys and processes. At least in this case, it is not.

In the case of razor making the older steels still do their jobs well. The newer steels are much better at the different tasks we put them to today. The newer scale making materials has benefits over the older traditional materials too. I still like to see the newer materials used with an eye to tradition design forms though.

Bob

Nice post, Steel-Very thought-provoking. I too like to look at my oldest blades especially and ponder who made them, who they shaved, where they've been, etc. It's sad, but inevitable I suppose, that so many old world skills and crafts have been lost to history. Walk through any really old European cathedral, look at all the jaw-dropping details and think about what went into producing them-as you say, without any modern technology.

That said, I'm sure the new technology (to them) that they had near the end of the 18th century, at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, to grind those old razors was "cutting-edge" for its time.

Originally Posted by Steel

200 years ago they didn’t have all the Technologies that they have today. Microscopes, power hammers, chemical analysis programs, triple burner self regulating propane forges, etc. Yet despite this, they were able to produce this razor. The steel, it is probable, was made from sand and/or other natural materials and then hand forged and perfectly tempered by skill and experience. A blade that was ground perfectly and free of warps and twists that results in a thin even bevel. They were able to produce a steel that is, as good as, if not superior to the steel in more modern razors made with more technology. Not all blades can take the keen edge a Gok20k can produce. This razor did so with ease.

Nice post.. Could even have been made from that imported Swedish stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dannemora_mine

The notion of one person creating a razor from start to finish is sadly untrue. A few people; men, women and children would be involved in the process. Razors would be churned out quickly, with someone, potentially working in different sweatshops (yup sweatshop) on different days of the week. I believe it was also common for someone grinding to have separate piles for various makers in one sitting.
But, yes ol' steel is the best steel (to me), I enjoy the shave of old Sheffields considerably more than say Theirs Issard Carbonsong steel.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

It's sad, but inevitable I suppose, that so many old world skills and crafts have been lost to history. Walk through any really old European cathedral, look at all the jaw-dropping details and think about what went into producing them-as you say, without any modern technology.

Over here there has been a resurgence of the dying art of stone masonry and tradesmen are commanding top doller in the restoration of old buildings.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Over here there has been a resurgence of the dying art of stone masonry and tradesmen are commanding top doller in the restoration of old buildings.

Yes, I heard years ago that there was a resurgence in the dying art of making thatched rooves for the same reason. There are a surprising number of arcane skill sets that do command top dollar.

Bob

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

The notion of one person creating a razor from start to finish is sadly untrue. A few people; men, women and children would be involved in the process. Razors would be churned out quickly, with someone, potentially working in different sweatshops (yup sweatshop) on different days of the week. I believe it was also common for someone grinding to have separate piles for various makers in one sitting.
But, yes ol' steel is the best steel (to me), I enjoy the shave of old Sheffields considerably more than say Theirs Issard Carbonsong steel.

I have heard the same thing Mark. Wade & Butcher comes to mind, among others. I wonder if all companies were like that? Another consideration is this piece pre-dates Wade & Butcher, Mappin Webb, etc. “hey days” by a few decades. Either way, it is truly amazing quality that was accomplished a long time ago by people with knowledge and skill and you can certainly replace ‘him’ with ‘them’.