Thread: Help with a Razor ID Please

Hello,

I have come across this razor and I would love to know who made it or anything more about it. I know that I have seen a touchmark like the crossed hammers in the oval before somewhere.

There is no name on the tang and all it says right after the touchmark is "Good Quality Razor - Cast Steel Only - Made in Germany"

There is some light etching on the blade which is a wedge - "The Keen Edge Razor". It came with horn scales and steel pins / brass washers.

Sorry for the picture quality but if you can zoom in the stamping is quite clear.

Thank you in advance for any information that you can share on this blade.

Will N.

Maybe- Keith,Simmons & Co "Keen Edge" 11/16 - Straight Razor Place Wiki

(crossed axes inside an oval) Good quality razor cast steel only made in Germany g. 1920-1940
That's what it says in Goin's Encyclopedia. .g means he is guessing

Gentlemen,

Thank you both for the information. I did not know that the touchmark were axes, but I suppose that makes sense.

I think I will work on this one a little and see what comes out of it.

Again, thanks for the replies and the information.

Will N.

I have just acquired a razor with the same markings. Anyone ever find out who this is?

I just cannot make out that tang - mark or writing - at all from that photo. I have cropped it, enlarged it - just turns into mush.

Regards,
Neil

Here's a better picture this is the only marking except for "Keen Edge Razor" etched onto the blade.

Excellent, Steel - a vast improvement!

You can tell straight away that they are crossed hammers - the type of hammer used to hand forge steel on an anvil, which is in keeping with the "cast steel" legend on the tang, cast steel referring to crucible steel. I think that the razor is quite old - here is one which was in the Italian Ebay recently - you can make out the original faux tortoiseshell (mottled horn) scales"



There seems to be a precedent for not having the makers name on the tang - the same precedent that sees an oblique 'nod' to the maker by only incorporating his makers mark, and that is when the razor is an import/export for another company - I would not be surprised for several companies all over the US and Europe having sold this.

Naturally, I cannot find a pic of the makers mark! The nearest I have got to it is a description in the online German Bladesmith's manual, which attributes crossed hammers to August Bickel - doesn't say that they were in an oval though. Bickel came from Steinbach-Hallenberg in Thuringia - there is a line of Bickels in that area going back to the 1770s. By WW2 the company were producing ceremonial daggers, etc, for the Nazi party, and their makers mark had changed to a lozenge shape with a conjoined 'AB' in it and 'Steinbach-Hallenberg' below it, then later to just the lozenge shape with the conjoined AB at the top.

Only conjecture on my part, though - if anyone can find an example of the earlier August Bickel crossed-hammers logo, that would serve to disprove/prove it.
Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Excellent, Steel - a vast improvement!

You can tell straight away that they are crossed hammers - the type of hammer used to hand forge steel on an anvil, which is in keeping with the "cast steel" legend on the tang, cast steel referring to crucible steel. I think that the razor is quite old - here is one which was in the Italian Ebay recently - you can make out the original faux tortoiseshell (mottled horn) scales"



There seems to be a precedent for not having the makers name on the tang - the same precedent that sees an oblique 'nod' to the maker by only incorporating his makers mark, and that is when the razor is an import/export for another company - I would not be surprised for several companies all over the US and Europe having sold this.

Naturally, I cannot find a pic of the makers mark! The nearest I have got to it is a description in the online German Bladesmith's manual, which attributes crossed hammers to August Bickel - doesn't say that they were in an oval though. Bickel came from Steinbach-Hallenberg in Thuringia - there is a line of Bickels in that area going back to the 1770s. By WW2 the company were producing ceremonial daggers, etc, for the Nazi party, and their makers mark had changed to a lozenge shape with a conjoined 'AB' in it and 'Steinbach-Hallenberg' below it, then later to just the lozenge shape with the conjoined AB at the top.

Only conjecture on my part, though - if anyone can find an example of the earlier August Bickel crossed-hammers logo, that would serve to disprove/prove it.
Regards,
Neil

That picture is all but identical to mine. Mine also has mottled horn(faux tortoise shell) scales. Interesting. Thanks Neil. Hopefully someone else can add to this and find an earlier August Bickel logo. It gets more and more interesting.