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Recently picked up a Malteser brand straight razor but can find little to no info on the net. I would really like to get an idea about the age of this razor. Here are a few photos to help date it.
BobH
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g2...Malteser-a.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g2...malteser-d.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g2...Malteser-b.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g2...Malteser-c.jpg
Your razor has that name because the factory it was made in was in Malteser Strasse, Solingen, although they later moved to Beckmanstrasse. The factory is still running and was founded in 1926 by Willi Bals. They make scissors, tweezers and manicure items now - no razors. The factory is run now by Rolf-Dieter Bals and Peter Bals. It is made from swedish steel - not surprising, as some of the finest iron ore comes/came from Sweden, and was imported by both Germany and the UK - some german makers even opened their own mines in Sweden. The razor itself looks as if it dates from the 1950s, maybe the early 1960s. German factories who made things from steel were occupied with making other things, mainly, in the WW2 period, like knives, ceremonial daggers, and so on.
The blade gold wash/etching is interesting. I am in no way an expert in german, but most 'fine work' slogans I have seen have 'Wertarbeit' on them and I can't see the 'I' in your photo - maybe that's just the light though, or some nuance of german I am not familiar with.
Regards,
Neil
Neil
Thanks for your timely and comprehensive reply. Sorry about the lighting in the photos, the "I" is there. Some of the gold wash also disappeared when I tried to polish the crud off the blade. Would it help in dating it to say I can't find the words Germany or Allemande stamped anywhere on it. Would that merely indicate a non export model for domestic consumption only?
BobH