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Peculiar razor this, with the weird name, anyone got any insight? Can't find any mention of the makers anywhere, and 2 typos in 2 words seem unlikely. Still, there you have it. Someone had too much gin a century ago or what?
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I'm sure Manah will be along shortly but it looks like a nice old Sheffield (love those pins) from early in Victoria's reign. I'm envious.
That is interesting. Could it have been an enterprising maker trying to cash in on Wade & Butchers popularity ? Very cool razor whatever the source of the logo. :tu
That's what I was thinking as well. The logo looks nothing like a W&B. Hopefully she shaves well, let us know!Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
Very interesting razor.
Butler was a well-known knives maker in Sheffield.
But who was Wada, I couldn't find.
That would be my guess-a counterfeit Wade...I imagine there were scammers back then also.
I can't see the counterfeit idea, the logo looks nothing like Wade and Butcher's. I suppose if you'd only ever heard the name you could have been sucked in on the grounds of having misheard but this doesn't sound like it would be too lucrative to me.
Interestingly, but as I understand, Wada isn't usual English name.
Am I right?
You are right Alex, it is unusual for an English name. I was looking at the photo of the stamping more closely, could it be WADAL instead of Wada & ? That would seem more of a correct English name to my ear.Quote:
Originally Posted by manah
For what its worth, to me it looks like a very old razor, or one that has been aged deliberately to cash in on W&B, and stamped by someone with poor englsh :idea:Quote:
Originally Posted by Grizzley1
May be, I would agree with you. But these pins! They were not cheap at that time and now.
I think Wada is a common Japanese surname..
Hmmmm, The stamp looks pretty fresh...? Maybe it's my imagination because it's so close to wade and butcher...I use metal stamps in work from time to time, The only think is, The letter T looks a bit wierd...It could have been a joke, The other emblem is a face in the middle, smiling. or so it looks...Quote:
Originally Posted by str8fencer
It could be legit, Lot's of razors with strange names out there, That's for sure...maybe someone will chime in, and say, yeah, I have one of those...
Rich
From here.
WADE m English
From a surname which was derived either from the Old English place name wade meaning "a ford", or else from the Old English given name Wada, a derivative of the word wadan "to go".
This is turning into a very interesting thread.
Good find..Quote:
Originally Posted by AlanII
Here's more (from wikipedia):
---------------Quote:
Wadan
Old English
Etymology
From Germanic *wadan, from Indo-European *wadh-, *wedh-. Cognate with Old Frisian wada, Middle Dutch wāden (Dutch waden), Old High German watan (German waten), Old Norse vağa (Icelandic vağa, Swedish vada). The Indo-European root is also the source of Latin vādō (“I go”), vadum (“a ford”).
Pronunciation
IPA: /ˈwɑdɑn/
Verb
Wadan (strong class VI) (third-person singular present wadaş, third-person singular preterite wōd, preterite plural wōdon, past participle (ġe)waden)
to go, to advance, to travel
Wod şa wiges heard, wæpen up ahof: a battle-hard man advanced, raised up his weapon. (Battle of Maldon)
Descendants
English : Wade
This from : Surnames of the United Kingdom - A Concise Etymological Dictionary By Henry Harrison :
http://i54.tinypic.com/wvcuwx.jpg
Well Wada Ya Know about that ! :rofl2: Great work guys !!
Ok. Really, great work, guys!
But why do you think only about Wade & Butcher?
Robert Wade was only a partner of William Butcher.
What about George & James Butler? They were in business since 1848.
P.S. As for me, this razor does not look like Wade & Butcher.
I agree. OTOH, it does look like a genuine razor from the period. The "V" Regent stamp is also an indication that it is bona fide. An interesting find. I wonder how it will shave once honed up ?Quote:
Originally Posted by manah
I totally agree that it seems appropriate from the period, and that it would have been a nice razor at the time, with the nice scales and the pretty pins. I do not believe it was ever intended to be deceitful either, posing as a wade & butcher. At the time, I'm sure wade & butcher did not hold the position it does today, it was merely one of a very long list of quality manufacturers.
I'm afraid it is not in my hands, per ce, at the moment. I just bought it over the net and it should be in the mail at the moment. I'll make sure to let you know once it's here and cleaned up a bit.
I only hope I can get rid of the rust without de-peening it
Totally agree.Quote:
Originally Posted by manah
Surprised me too:beer2:.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
I am not a restorer so with a razor in the condition noted in the photos I would use a metal polish such as semichrome or maas and maybe a toothbrush on the tang. In the area of the pivot I would get what I could with dental floss and the metal polish. I wouldn't unpin the blade to get rust out of it. Than again, it ain't mine. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by str8fencer
Wait and see what you've got, but I certainly wouldn't de-pin it. Those pins are lush. Jimmy just stated what I'd do. You've got to have these things in your hands to know though. You lucky dog.
Ah, if you hadn't out-sniped me, Str8fencer, I could have gotten rid of that rust without de-pining it. Perhaps the best thing to do is send it to me as soon as you receive it and we can forget all about this little unpleasantness...;)
mvh,
Torolf
Who knows ,I doubt the guy who made it ,if he was a counterfiter,was splitting atoms in his spare time anyway....
Lol Torolf. Perhaps I'll come get you to de-rust it for me :)
I wasn't sniping at all actually, was happily asleep. Discovered next morning I had won it.
Okay, so the razor arrived today. I am thrilled! These are pics as recieved, still not cleaned up.
Blade is in fair condition, with a little bit of rust in the pivot and perhaps in the stamp, have not investigated it thoroughly yet. No cracks or major nicks to the edge. A fair bit of honewear, uneven as well. Should clean up well with a little buffing.
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Horn scales are pressed I guess (is this a common practice?) There is a little bit of fine cracking of the lines in the pattern, but I think it looks sturdy. There is one crack through the butt pin, but it does not run all through the bone. It is in the picture but very hard to see. Again, still looks sturdy to me.
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Not all good news, the scales are a bit warped toward the end, under the patterned area. All the way from the pin down to the patterned area they are nice and straight, but from thereon a little warp, with a butt that bends to one side.
Also, peculiarly, there is no sign at all of a wedge. Looking at it closely, there does not appear to be room in there to have accommodated a wedge either. Could it be there never was none?
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Blade is a nice wedge with lots of metal to it. Almost 1/4 thick, close to 6/8 wide. Blade centers nicely in the scales.
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I am far from sure what this razor needs. initial thought is to try to straighten the scales and get a proper wedge in there, but it appears that would be a huge error. The way they bend at the end suggests they are not evenly sized and any altering of shape might give huge problems if messed with. At least the blade is in good shape, no cracks and just a little pitting, and it appears the rust is not worse that it seemed in the auction pics. I think it should clean up nicely without picking it appart.
Guess I'll settle for cleaning it at the moment while I think it through :)
I wouldn't mess with it too much and just clean it up, it's beautiful the way it is.
I agree. If the blade's not touching when closing, no problem, your move though. The scales are surely pressed horn , I have a John Barber (blade and scales in worse condition) with 'identical' ones. Very nice by the looks of it.
+1. I've got a couple of Joseph Smith and Sons that have horn scales with no wedge. As long as the blade centers I wouldn't try to straighten the warp. Pressed horn scales bring a premium BTW and those are beauties. Going by what I read in "Collecting Straight Razors" by Robert Doyle, I would say that is an early 1800s made piece. Looking at the straight scales and the shape of the tang. A very nice razor you've got there and rare with that stamping.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bayamontate
BTW, just thinking out loud here, if the maker wanted to counterfeit a Wade & Butcher that would be what he would have attempted to stamp on the tang. When you see Wostenholm razors with "The original and only true pipe razor" or W&Bs with "The Original and Only True Bow Razor", they wrote that because of bootleggers knocking off their trademarks.
There is a possibility, IMO, that the maker of that razor was trying to use a name close enough to ride W&B's coat tails but it is probably more likely that the maker was one of the many obscure outfits making cutlery back in those days and that was the name of the company legitimately. Just IMHO.
For what my two cents is worth ,I dont think thats a conterfit anything-its too nice,maybe its just a very rare one that hasent been seen yet. If you look at all the brands in the wiki you can see just how many there are there,and Im sure there are lots more that havent been seen yet. Great find,enjoy it
Thank you for this info, I had not seen a wedge-less razor before. Very nice to have a qualified production date as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
Of course, you are correct - I did not think of that.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
