Thread: Could you tell me more about this razor?

No pics at the moment, sorry. I'll try to get some soon.

The only stamp on the blade says "Torrey" and under it there's what seems to be a whip. It is wider than my Waterville so I would say 11/16 to 6/8.

It appears to be a round point, with a "smiling" tip. Kind of between a French point and a round point.

My uncle just brought this to me, it belogned to my grandfather, or great grandfather, he's not sure.

I know Torrey made razors from 1858 to 1963, but I would like to know a little more precisely when it was made.

It's very unfortunate, but one of the horn scales is broken near the end pin.

I plan to get this one restored so it can serve my family again.

EDIT: The box says John Prince Hand Made, but obviously it's not the right box.

I would guess that unless you find someone who is a dedicated Torrey collector you won't be able to really pin down the date. Even though they say Torrey existed until 1963 every Torrey I have ever seen was really old like late 19th century or early 20th. maybe they made other things but I've never seen any recent razors from them.

Thanks

Yeah I really hope some collector will come and tell me "They used that specific logo from ** to **"

My mom tought about it, and she doesn't remember seeing my grandfather use a straight, so it's more likely my great grandfather's razor.

Sweet

I was unable to get a decent pic of the logo (cheap cam I borrowed), but I draw it next to the razor.



Any tips?


Also, do you think it could be restored?



Could a crack like this on a scale be repaired or I'll have to get the whole handle changed?



The rust seems to be on the surface, not too deep. Mostly black and only a little red. Edge looks good.

Anything can be restored (well almost anything). The blade doesn't look that bad. Rust can always be cleaned up with some elbow grease. The pics are a little fuzzy so I can't see real detail and I can't see the crack in the scales. What are they made of?
If its a bad crack its probably toast but minor stuff can be filled in with various glues and sometimes a backing can be added to stabilize the crack if the scales are valuable.

Post this in the workshop and try to get some sharper photos. We have some real experts who hang out there (which I am not). I'm sure one can help you.

I'm not Torrey collector, but the razor with this stamp, Torrey's Whip Line trademark, was in the Torrey catalog from 1895. It was low priced line of razors. The blades were made of the same steel as the finer grades of razors, but not as much time was spent on their finish.
That's all.

Thanks Mana, that is exactly the kind of response I was expecting. So good steel but low finish? A workhorse more than a looker? Great.

bigspendur, look closely at the last photo. The crack is side to side around the pin (not the pivot, the other pin, I don't even know how it's called). I'm pretty sure the scales are made from horn. They have those small color and texture imperfections and don't feel synthetic. If they can't be saved, I wil probably try to get some wood there, probably not Ironwood but some kind of burl.

Yea I see it now. A crack like that will probably not be a candidate for repair and if it grows or the razor gets any shock the whole piece can come off. I would still inquire in the workshop. It maybe possible if the crack is not all the way through to fill it with some crazy glue or similar. Horn if its not mouse eaten can always be polished up to look like new very easily with some cape cod cloths or similar.