Thread: Razor Nomenclature

I think we need a description convention for the markings on a straight razor. I have a razor with two lines of information on the left side (looking down on blade), and one line of information on the right side.

• Left side, top line = W.S. Brown
• Left side, second line = Pittsburgh PA
• Right side, top line = SPECIAL

If a convention - something generally accepted through common use and general community understanding - existed, I could just say...

W.S. Brown / Pittsburgh PA // SPECIAL or...
W.S. Brown ; Pittsburgh PA : SPECIAL or...
W.S. Brown - Pittsburgh PA / SPECIAL

I'm not sure we even have to agree on the delimiters between lines and left and right sides. If you saw any of the above three lines, would you intuit what I meant? If so, then we don't need consensus or even discussion to determine the best delimiters. Might the best delimiters win in the court of common usage!

On the other hand, maybe I should have walked the dog this morning instead of thinking so hard!

LarryAndro / Nice Looking Dog // Needs To Be Walked



Regards - Walt

A standardized shorthand seems unlikely to me, given the number of straight razor users, but I guess it would be nice. I like to see photos, or else have the "long hand" that you started with. I often say "blah" over "blah blah" to indicate line order, and refer to the sides as front (blade pointing left, scales down and open 90 degrees - the side that is typically etched or stamped if only one side is stamped) and back.

If I said "6/8 Geneva Cutlery / Olean, NY // Barbers Pet" would you guess what I meant. Or, would it mystify you? Because if almost everyone knew what was meant, then consensus can be achieved simply by others seeing the usage and starting to use it.

I am going to start using the the syntax. See if anyone comments.

Say , what ?

The problem is straights are very unconventional. Many have numbers and addresses and retailers and manufacturers and model names and numbers and other things stretching out to other parts of the razor. What about all that?

Walk the dog.

obverse and reverse ought to be enough.

or mark side and pile side if you are Undream

Larry, your new convention would confuse me, unless I had a key to look at OR saw the convention used frequently enough to remember it. In that regard, it's like anything new.

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

If I said "6/8 Geneva Cutlery / Olean, NY // Barbers Pet" would you guess what I meant.

I would know what you're talking about. As for which line and which side of the blade the text is on, I guess not. I've never really thought it was that important. I know what a Geneva Barber's Pet is. I'm not so concerned about where it's written on the tang.