Thread: C.F. Wolfertz & Co. "Dog Powered Razor Grinding"

As a PA native, I'm proud to own this razor. It needs a little TLC but has great potential. The smile will put my hone skills to the test for sure!

[QUOTE=

I have a blade that was made in England. It has Peter E Buck and Ashland PA on the tang. Ashland is even closer to me than Allentown. The scales are steel rimmed and are a green material I'm not familiar with. The blade is etched with "Sensation Without Rival Without Peer." Anyone know anything about this brand?

Sorry off topic.[/QUOTE]


Interestingly enough, someone just messaged me on ebay about this razor. The person said that Peter Buck was his great, great, great, grandfather. He would like the razor as a piece of his family history. I asked him if he could provide us with some of the companys history.

Originally Posted by jcsixx

Interestingly enough, someone just messaged me on ebay about this razor. The person said that Peter Buck was his great, great, great, grandfather. He would like the razor as a piece of his family history. I asked him if he could provide us with some of the companys history.

Wow, another PA maker! Please post some pictures if you can. Thanks.

I just bought one of these myself in at a little shop in Quakertown. Paid $12 for it. I'm so brand new to straight razor shaving that I haven't even tried it yet. I figured I'd find a decent vintage one and make it usable again. The blade's in good condition, no nicks or anything. It had a little bit of rust on the spine, which I removed gently with a dremel attachment. I gave it a little soak in a solution of diluted vinegar with a small amount of baking soda which really got the old grime off. My next step is to hand-sand and polish with some jeweler's compound and hopefully have a nice, shiny and usable razor. I know how to hone it, I just need to get a whetstone and strop and I'm off to the races.

My razor looks pretty much exactly like the one in the picture...only difference is that mine doesn't say "ALLENTOWN" on the blade...it's completely blank. Anyone know if that's normal? Also, it looks like the scales are bakelite or something similar.

I'd love to hear any more info on this thing...I've been interested in straight razor shaving for about a week now (no joke) but I can tell that it's going to be quite addicting already.

I'm pretty glad that I got a good quality blade without even trying, it seems.

Very nice razor. You are a lucky man. Great link also.

You lucky dog! Pun intended. I was born in Allentown and have been searching for one of those with the Allentown etch on the blade for quite some time.

That is a cool story, do ya suppose his last name motivated him to use dog power?
Thanks for the history
Tony B

I have one of those. Check out the scales. These babies are hand made all the way. Looks like someone took whatever scrap they had laying around to do it too. The wood is crudely finished, the two sides are a different material and the spacer is made of reinforced rubber (tire rubber maybe?). What I see in this razor is love. Someone sure loved this razor and what I am thinking is that the scales broke, but they wanted to keep using it, so they made their own. I see pride in the workmanship here. I wouldn't change a thing about it. Now, to get it sharpened and in use again...






Also by checking here: http://www.uniclectica.com/misc/manuf.html
I discovered this:

CF WOLFERTZ CO
Allentown, Pennsylvania
ca. 1862 - 1873

WOLFERTZ & WALDMAN
Allentown, Pennsylvania
ca. 1873 - 1905

WOLFERTZ & CO
Allentown, Pennsylvania
ca. 1905 - 1944


So It looks like our razors fall into the 1862 - 1873 timeframe. Anyone think that is wrong?

Thanks for your photos and uniclectica dates, thevez2. You have a razor that will hone up to be a nice shaver, and which deserves some new scales. I believe yours and mine are in the 1905-1940 date range, based on my Goins' reference and the blade style. I think they are way too hollow ground for 1862, IMO.

Originally Posted by Croaker

Thanks for your photos and uniclectica dates, thevez2. You have a razor that will hone up to be a nice shaver, and which deserves some new scales. I believe yours and mine are in the 1905-1940 date range, based on my Goins' reference and the blade style. I think they are way too hollow ground for 1862, IMO.

Oh, OK. I was just basing it off the fact that it is stamped C.F. and the uniclectica reference only shows C.F for the earlier dates. I guess it doesn't work that way.

Thanks.