Thread: J Shaw & Sons

Hey MoreWhiskey - Congrats on the razor! I would love to have one handed down to me.

As for the scales, I've seen similar ones before and I think they are actually leather (this would account for the flex in tha material) a search for "Leather Scales" brought this up:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...er-scales.html

Cheers

Thats the scales Johnny!!!! cheers

that is a good looking razor. I would love to get one by that maker as my first initial and last name is "J Shaw"

Very nice heavy blade, looks to be 1/4 hollow or less. I think that the scales are made of gutta percha. I have a razor with a similar set of scales in better condition, that fooled me into thinking it was stag, due to an impressed stag pattern. Here is some information about gutta percha..

"Gutta-percha is a completely natural plastic, and from the mid nineteenth century until the 1930s it was moulded into many domestic and industrial products. Often mistakenly though to be a type of rubber,it is a hard substance scrapped by hand form Palaquium trees in Malaya, Borneo and Sumatra. Cleaned, kneaded and softened in hot water, it becomes a malleable plastic. Gutta-percha can be thought of as an early type of polythene. Many of the objects it was moulded into, such as buckets, containers, tubing and board games, have been made in polythene for many years.

In 1843 samples of gutta-percha reached England in the shape of tool handles and small animal sculptures made by natives in Malaya. Micheal Faraday identified its excellent insulating properties and its acid resistance made it immediately suitable for the expanding photographic industry. In 1845 the Gutta Percha Comapny was established in London and its first major commission was to insulate the submarine telegraphic link between England and France.

Thanks Croaker i investigate more about your gutta percha suggestion.

What ever the scales are they have cleaned up lovely, its all honed and it shaves lovely i will have to get another picture put up.

Well ive lived with this razor for almost a year now, so thought i would give everyone an update.

Firstly heres the info about the scales,

Those scales are almost definitely what they call ‘cuir bouilli’ – boiled leather. However, there is a difference to this type of boiled leather and the usual boiled leather that they make boot soles and so on from. The scales were subjected to a much greater heat, so great that the collagen fibres break down and run like rubber, cooling to leave a homogeneos substance that looks like rubber with some sort of filler in it – but it isn’t. You can overdo the heating, btw, and the whole lot just dissolves in water – that’s how they make gelatin. A ot of cuir bouilli scales were pressed into moulds – they readily accept decoration when in the plastic state, but by far and away most just had a simple raised line around the edge.

This information was supplied by Neil Miller whos has had a look at them and also gave it an expert hone far better than i can manage.

But the best thing i can say about this razor is after using it for a yr its now the one i go to 98% of the time! Its far better than my best Revisor or dovo. They certainly where doing something right in them days.

The scales are made from boiled leather, compressed and formed in a heavily oiled mould - cuir bouilli. Once it reaches a certain temperature, there is some 'flow' that lends the leather a kind of plastic/rubbery nature that does not resemble the original bit of leather. It was once a common method for constructing scales at a cheaper price than making them out of horn, etc.

Regards,
Neil

Great score, glad the razor was able to be kept original; the nostalgia factor is always a plus from a family heirloom like that.

Nice razor and fine heirloom! Funny you should post this today! My John Shaw razor came up in rotation this morning. A truly awesome grind. A smooth and very nice razor. A link to a similar discussion on mine Here: http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ine-razor.html. It seems older than yours.
Neil, what IS recommended for these scales. I am thinking soap and water might do harm?

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Nice razor and fine heirloom! Funny you should post this today! My John Shaw razor came up in rotation this morning. A truly awesome grind. A smooth and very nice razor. A link to a similar discussion on mine Here: http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ine-razor.html. It seems older than yours.
Neil, what IS recommended for these scales. I am thinking soap and water might do harm?

I see MoreWhisky beat me to the post! Outdrawn again....

Definitely do not treat them with oil. A tiny amount of hard wax briskly rubbed on and off is OK, but there is not much you can do in the way of making them look more presentable when they have broken down - if they have gone soft, deformed or warped, that's usually the end of the story for them, although hard ones in good condition with crisp definition are still to be found.

Regards,
Neil