4 for the laddies from Wales

I got this boxed set of four horn handled beauties from a buy it now on ebay a couple of months ago. I have gradually honed and shaved with three of the four and they were all first class. I have one to go and if the other three are any indication it too will be a winner.

The seller let them go for just under $100 shipped and they are well worth it. I had never seen a razor made in Wales before these. They are a high quality product probably made in the earlier part of the twentieth century. I find it curious that they made a set of four but perhaps it was thought that a set of seven would be too pricey for the segment of the market that they were targeting.

In looking up Cardiff here I found that it is the capital of Wales and was at one time a flourishing industrial area. If anyone has any info on the maker, A.W. Staniforth Cutler, Cardiff, please post whatever it may be.

Wow, what a great set Jimmy! You did good on those very nice and interesting. What are the scales made of?

[Edit: horn handles]

To quote Borat:

"Thats niiice!!":tu

Really handsome set! Looks like an excellent find to me.

We have two or three members here from Wales who may have some information on the maker.

Rich

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Originally Posted by hoglahoo

What are the scales made of?

[Edit: horn handles]

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Yeah Lee they are horn. One of the things I love about these blades is the jimps top and bottom. They are of a really quality steel and judging by how they honed up and shaved the heat treating and tempering was done with great expertise. I had never heard of the maker before. It will be interesting to see if any of our members from Wales know the maker.

Isn't it more likely that they were made in Sheffield or Solingen for the retail trade and Staniforth had their name stamped on them. My father was born and grew up in Cardiff.
As a child I spent a lot of time there at my grandmother's. I would love a razor with a Cardiff stamped on it.

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Originally Posted by welshwizard

Isn't it more likely that they were made in Sheffield or Solingen for the retail trade and Staniforth had their name stamped on them.

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I don't know how likely that is, but it is my guess

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Originally Posted by welshwizard

Isn't it more likely that they were made in Sheffield or Solingen for the retail trade and Staniforth had their name stamped on them. My father was born and grew up in Cardiff.
As a child I spent a lot of time there at my grandmother's. I would love a razor with a Cardiff stamped on it.

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Your guess is as good as mine and it is quite possible. OTOH, here is a quote from the Wiki article linked in the first post," The city also strengthened its industrial base with the decision of the owners of the Dowlais Ironworks in Merthyr (who would later form part of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds) to build a new steelworks close to the docks at East Moors, which was opened on 4 February 1891 by Lord Bute."

Apparently Cardiff was a major port in the early twentieth century with coal playing a major role. It may have also had a lively trade in iron and steel. So it is not too far fetched to suppose that there may have been manufacturers of cutlery in Wales. OTOH, I have read on the forums that the steel used in much of the Sheffield and the Solingen production was Swedish in origin. Seems like the global economy isn't as new a phenomenon as I thought.

Those are beautiful. What a steal too. It goes to show that if you know what you are looking for you can still get a great deal on ebay.

A beautiful set, Jimmy!

There was a set of four razors in a roll-up pouch recently, with the following markings:

Sunday
Monday/Wednesday
Tuesday/Friday
Thursday/Saturday

I guess you are correct about the price being right for the segment of the market they were aiming at, but having even a matched set of four must have been quite something!

They all get a days rotation, too - except for lucky Sunday who gets a nice long rest!

Regards,
Neil

Interesting this.

Lot's of Staniforths to be found, but not the exact same one your looking for. They seem to center around both the Cardiff and Sheffield areas. Below a survey of what I've found, maybe someone else may find a further lead in it. Most promising seem the AW Staniforth of Penarth and Bierton & Staniforth companies.

AW:
- A.W. Staniforth, a Colliery Manager at N.C.B. North Eastern Division coal mines
- A.W. Staniforth. Ltd., London, manufacturer of brain temperature probe in a 10 August 1986 paper in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- A. W. Staniforth Ltd, Penarth (Glamorgan, near Cardiff), distributor for Leyland Medical Products Ltd (tracheal tubes). Now Station Road Surgery at this address.
- A.W. Staniforth, manufacturer of a tracheotomy tube

Companies:
- Samuel Staniforth Ltd started 1864 as a forger of knive blades to the Sheffield; from '40 onwards production of all sorts of knives
- Bierton & Staniforth Ltd Sheffield, chemical (coating) company
- Same also listed as Cutlery Manufacturers
- Lots of Staniforths but no AW in a List of Marks granted 1624 to 1630
- Staniforth-HKB Steel in Rotherham

Cutlers:
- John Staniforth, 1540, cutler in in 'A Collection of Pedrigrees of the ancient family of Staniforth of Darnall'
- William Staniforth of Wincobank p. Ecclesfield (near Sheffield), cutler, in will of 1680, National Archives
- William Staniforth, ca. 1750, cutler, Hackenthorpe (Beighton near Sheffield)
- Thomas Staniforth, Hackenthorpe (Beighton near Sheffield), scythe/sickle mantifecturer
- G.H. Staniforth, cutler & tool dealer), 10 Church St. Cardiff listed in Slaters Commercial Directory of 1880
- Staniforth Joseph, saw maker, 35 Caroline st, idem

Hi

I recently bought some second hand cutlery and it's made by A.W. Staniforth, Cutler, Cardiff. The knives also have Frith Stainless Steel written on them, so I guess the steel came from Sheffield but were made by Staniforth in Wales. Interesting that they describe themselves as 'Cutlers'.

I live in London so I'll try and find more info - did you manage to uncover anything further?

This thread came up via a Google search, in case you're wondering what on earth I'm doing on here!

James

Hello James, I haven't come up with anything else and if you do please post it. Perhaps your google search will stimulate an interest in straight razors and shaving with them. Anyhow, welcome to SRP. :)

Hi, I live in Swansea, which is about 40 miles from Cardiff.
I have seen strops and one razor marked as A W Staniforth, Cardiff.
I am guessing, but, I think that the gentleman had the stuff made for him to sell from his shop(s) I don't think there were grinders working in the area.
We do have a long history of making steel here in South Wales. We still make it on a massive scale at Port Talbot Steel Works. I'm a freight Train Driver and move it about the country to be finished in other plants (Llanwern, Trostre etc etc) .
We would have supplied the basic steel to Sheffield and most of the rest of europe too.
The steel from our works is said to be really excellent stuff ! So I'm told.
I do hope it carries though, or I'm out of a job:gaah:
I have a Fram razor that was made for a shop in Swansea.

Very interesting Marcus. I once posted that I was intrigued by how TI currently and some Solingen firms in the past labeled their razors as having Sheffield steel. Another poster followed up and said it all originated out of Sweden. He must have been mistaken. I am ignorant of the steel production in the UK and in Europe. Forinstance was there a source of iron ore and steel making in Germany ?

I have nothing else to add to this except that half my family is based in Cardiff, the other half up the road in Newport. It would be cool to have a razor that has some link to the area.

A lot of the iron ore used in europe comes from the northern bit of Scandinavia and the area of the former USSR near there too. Australia is shipping trainloads of ore to China at the moment(transfered to boat obviously). Some of my friends at work are going out there for Driving jobs and a bit of sun.
I'll post a picture of one of the trains I drive one day. I carry enough good quality rolled steel or 20 tonne slabs (140ish of them on one train, and unlike in the States, just 1 engine and me, on my own!!! ) to make quite a few razors.:D
Now a GWR (Great Western Railway) razor would be a serious find for me:eek:

Would you (could you) settle for this? I can picture you on a little wooden train delivering razors to all the good little boys and girls

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

My engines got more wheels and is red now. No one smiles where I work to. I would find it a lot easier getting up at 'stupid o'clock' if I knew I was delivering a few million W&B's to some of the SRP brothers:o

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Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

I would find it a lot easier getting up at 'stupid o'clock' if I knew I was delivering a few million W&B's to some of the SRP brothers:o

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Oh man, I knew it had to be you who once said this:

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Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

I'm a Train Driver, for my sins.
If the clock points at it, I work it:mad:

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Anyway, I didn't intend to "derail" the thread :rofl2:
I hope you get more info on the name. Nice razor set :nj

Okay chaps, here's what I have managed to ascertain. I live in Cardiff, so was able to go to the brand new local central library (which is utterly fabulous) & have a poke round in the registry.

There was a Staniford in business as a cutler in Cardiff from about 1841 until 1927. For sixty odd years of that period, the company premises were in Church Street, which was & is bang in the commercial centre of the city. I think that the initials may have changed as the business changed hands from grandfather to father to son to grandson over the years. The location is now a fairly good Italian restaurant. (I have to say that, my Italian mate worked there.)

On the industrial history of Cardiff, I can say this. The ironworking has been going on industrially in South Wales for well over 250 years. It started about 25 to 30 miles from Cardiff in Merthyr Tydfil in the early to mid eighteenth century, based on the iron ore that was mined thereabouts. There are currently plans to restart this. Iron & steel making has been going on ever since & it is likely that many blades labelled "Sheffield Steel" are actually Welsh in origin. Kudos though, Jimmy, for actually having a Cardiff set!:rock:

Marcus, do you drive those EWS monster trains I so often see taking ten minutes to roll through the station? Now one of those loaded with W&Bs.... drools:rolleyes:

PS here's the restaurant

Guilty......

Torchwood is set in Cardiff, and I think the latest Dr. Who is filmed there (don't I keep seeing BBC Wales)? And it should be pointed out that Cardiff made the FA Cup Final recently.

I lived in England three years (a long time ago) and Wales was one of my favorite trips.

The best episodes of Dr Who were filmed in Swansea:tu

Doctor Who, Torchwood & Merlin are all filmed in or around Cardiff. Sometimes they go a little further afield. I could start arguing about where the best episodes were filmed, but suffice to say, they were all filmed in Wales. Cymru am byth.:rock:

My apologies for :HJ

For those who don't know, we have a Doctor Who/Torchwood thread over in the Conversation - http://straightrazorpalace.com/conve...ns-around.html

Normal service shall now be resumed.....................:D

I love Torchwood, Ella daughter No1 loves Dr Who.
sorry to go :OT