Info. please Rodgers & Sons / Wade & Butcher

I have had these razors for sometime and have never found any info. on them.

The first is a two razor set by Joseph Rodgers & Sons with case. The razors have black horn scales but what I haven't seen before is that the blades are brass backed. What was the purpose of the brass back and are they more common than I think - have I just not noticed brass backs before? Any Ideas of when they were made?

The second razor is a Wade and Butcher with ivory scales. The balde's back is stamped Celebrated India Steel and the blade is etched Diamond Edge Razor. I have not found any other Wade & Butcher razors with the Diamond Edge logo. What I am wonderinng if this was sold by Shapleigh Hardware since they used Diamond Edge as one of their lines? Here again any idea of when it was made - I'm guessing the teens?

Thanks for your help!

Let me start by informing you that those are among the two best markers from Sheffield. If the tangs don't state 'England' then they were made prior to 1895 as export laws changed that year and the country of origin had to be stated.

Joseph Rodgers were cutlers to their majesties, ie the Royal family, and were selected as one of the top five cutlers to serve them.

I have seen the brass frames on those framebacks, but they are rare and very beautiful. Their purpose was to provide a frame of cheaper metal for the blade to be fixed to, basically to save costs. At the same time, it was an earlier version of a hollow, wherby instead of hollow grinding the blade, the frame would set the angle. This made a lighter blade, that would be far easier to hone than a wedge.

Here you go:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...y-rodgers.html

Welcome to SRP. Lovely sets you have there and if pro honed they would make great shavers. See the link in my sig below for the SRP Wiki if you intend to get into the wonderful world of straight razor shaving. :tu

Thanks for the quick responses and welcome.

The Joseph Rodgers and Sons set has been one of my favorite razors. You are right the brass backs really dress up the razors. The horn scales are nearly perfect and are deep polished black. When I first glanced at them I thought they were slick black until I noticed the depth of the color and slight graining. I figured there was a reason for the brass backs other than looks. Weren't frame backs in use around 1870's?

I haven't shaved myself for 32 yrs. except for triming and shaping my beard, I am a little hesitant, being inexperienced, to use a straight razor to trim with. But I do wish to learn the proper honing technique. This would carry over and be beneficial to my knife collecting as well.

The reason I thought that the Wade and Butcher razor may have been sold through Shaplieghs Hrdwr was that I thought I had read somewhere that Wade imported Butcher's cutlery to the US and wholesaled through various outlets. They eventually became Wade and Butcher. Diamond Edge was a line name that Shapleighs used. Any truth or logic to my thinking?

I've been a member of the forum since 2008 but have never posted before. I have enjoyed reading through it when time permited. I have been collecting razors for about 15+yrs. I started intially from my interest in knives. I had read about a San Francisco knife maker named Micheal Price. I figured anybody who had one of his knives would know what they had. I figured a razor I may be able to find since I live in Caiif. centeral coast and take trips to the Mother Lode (gold country). I started looking and found myself buying razors..... it doesn't take much for me to start a new collection. Again thanks for the references and welcome.

Dennis

Lovely looking razors, you're a lucky man. In fact, so lovely that I'd suggest not learning to hone with them and buying a couple of cheaper others for that purpose, one shave ready so you know what you're aiming for. Good luck.

A very fine set of top grade gentlemens razors from the Victorian era, it looks. I would not do anything to them but display and enjoy them. Those handsome blades probably cost a mint, in coin of the time, when new.

Your right - I'd be afraid to do anything with these except look at them. I've got quite a few razors I've picked up over the years when I was looking for my Michael Price razors.... so I 've got some to practice with. My problem is being able to identify one that is actually decent enough to call shave ready.