Thread: Symbols etched in Heiffor blades?

Originally Posted by DerekC

It's obviously a treasure map...

Yeah, I was thinking like the key to the pyramids or something! Looks Arabic or Indian??? Hell, I am from Texas! No Idea!!

I think they are UFO's. Now we know where the idea for the straight razor came from.

I've lost this dang post three times now, so I'm going to send it then edit it!

Heiffor was a Scottish blade maker. Everything I've seen from him was marked with these markings. I think they are Celtic. Here's what I think they are from left to right:

1. d which makes the dhay sound or a lenited d which makes the dh sound
2. o which makes the oh sound
3. m which makes the emm sound
4. d which makes the dhay sound
5. i which makes the ee sound
6. I think either t which makes the thay sound, or a lenited t which makes the th sound.

Actually, I have looked at another blade on a different site. I believe that there are only 4 letters, flanked by two designs of some kind in Heiffor's mark. It might be d, o, m, dh. I guess that word would be dhay-oh-emm-dh? That's as far as I can get. I need sleep. Fun searching though.

Originally Posted by medicevans

Heiffor was a Scottish blade maker. Everything I've seen from him was marked with these markings. I think they are Celtic. Here's what I think they are from left to right:

1. d which makes the dhay sound or a lenited d which makes the dh sound
2. o which makes the oh sound
3. m which makes the emm sound
4. d which makes the dhay sound
5. i which makes the ee sound
6. I think either t which makes the thay sound, or a lenited t which makes the th sound.

Was he Scottish? I can't find any history/genealogy for the surname. I'm also not sure that the mark means anything at all - the script part of it can mostly be made with the number "6" stamped at various angles.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Yeah, I was thinking like the key to the pyramids or something! Looks Arabic or Indian??? Hell, I am from Texas! No Idea!!

Definitely not Arabic, and I thought maybe Hindi at first too, but Hindi is written with the letters "hanging" from the baseline, not above it, and are much more curly que-ish in appearance, so it's not that either.

I think they are Celtic.

It's very possible.

Originally Posted by manah

It's very possible.

Wow! You are saying that it is John Heiffor in Celtic? Man! that is good to know! Thanks, Manah!!!

John Heiffor lived in Sheffield at 51 Scotland Street, and was listed as a razor manufacturer. Source; 1822 Sheffield directory. See many other famous razor manufacturers listed too...No idea what the symbols mean. Checked various runic alphabets but came up empty.
Here is the link:
History, directory & gazeteer, of ... - Google Books