Wade & Butcher -J. Wiss & Sons Razor Pick Up

I was antique store hopping this weekend and I found this razor for a comfortable $10. They had a few others, but chips and cracks prevented me from other purchases. I found it funny though, that this particular shop was trying to sell the brushes for $15-25 each and razors for $10 and under...I need to find more of these stores.

If anybody can provide some info of age I would appreciate it. The scales look to be quite large for the size of the blade, but they so look to be the originals. The blade itself matches in length to my other W&Bs - 5 1/2" long, although it does appear short due to the length of the scales.

5/8" wide.

"Wade & Butcher
Sheffield"

other side reads:

"Made for J. Wiss & Sons
Newark, N.J."

Attachment 102982Attachment 102983Attachment 102984Attachment 102985Attachment 102986

Wonder if that bluish discoloration is of concern?

Very nice and unusual! I like to see that bluish patina! Seems always good stuff underneath! Enjoy!

Nice score.

Very nice score! That razor does not look like the blue was caused by a hack's restoration. Sometimes metal will get a bluish huge over time from skin oils which very in ph from person to person.

Aren't local finds just GREAT!! :mexwave:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Wonder if that bluish discoloration is of concern?

---

Curious....Why would it be? The idea of burnt metal comes to mind...

But the answer is actually...no. The bluish color is caused by the poor lighting from my overhead desk light. If you hold the razor in hand the patina is the traditional grey and black. This razor should have no problems polishing up right away on the buffer - Now if I only had some more compound to use on the buffer.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Joed

Very nice score! That razor does not look like the blue was caused by a hack's restoration. Sometimes metal will get a bluish huge over time from skin oils which very in ph from person to person.

Aren't local finds just GREAT!! :mexwave:

---

They are...Depending where you are it might have been more local to your area than mine. I was visiting family in Bethel, NY (Woodstock '69 for those that dont know).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jumbojohnny

Curious....Why would it be? The idea of burnt metal comes to mind...

But the answer is actually...no. The bluish color is caused by the poor lighting from my overhead desk light. If you hold the razor in hand the patina is the traditional grey and black. This razor should have no problems polishing up right away on the buffer - Now if I only had some more compound to use on the buffer.

---

Is just me perhaps, I see a bluish tint on a blade I always suspect over- buffing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Is just me perhaps, I see a bluish tint on a blade I always suspect over- buffing.

---

I figured it would be cooking the blade.

Thankfully no, this one is very nice and will clean up quickly. The flourescent bulb in my overhead is really blue tinted.

I personally was wondering about the scales. I dont think I have ever seen such large scales for a 5/8" blade...especially the length. Good thing about it - I will use these scales on a larger W&B that I have. I plan to rescale this razor in the future.

IME sometimes a shaver forgetting to clean his razor in a timely manner, following the shave, will leave a bluish etching caused .... I think ..... by the lather. I have an old Joe Rogers that is like that and it honed up fine and is a great shaver.

Beautiful razor. I've never seen a W&B made for J.Wiss of Newark. They made their own razors, scissors and other cutlery back in the old days when USA was a mfg giant. Nice score.

The Wiss concern was started by Jacob Wiss. He had come to America from Switzerland in 1847, was apprenticed to an Austrian for a year and then set up his own shear-making company in 1848. Jacob died in 1880 and his son Frederick took over. Their catalogues for 1907, 1915, and 1925 all featured a number of razors, but no razors appeared in the 1927 catalogue, just scissors, snips and shears, so razor production ceased isomewhere between 1925 and 1927.

They had many lines of their own razors stamped with their brand alone. An advertisement from 1853/4 shows a razor, so they certainly had razors not many years after the company began in 1848, so maybe the early razors were imports from sheffield. There is an anecdote of Frederick Wiss visiting sheffield (he is said to have gone there several times) and asking to see 'the best shears you have' in a tradesmans shop - all the shears laid out were Sheffield made ones. The tradesman is supposed to have replied "you won't find them there sir" and reaching below the counter he produced a set of shears and gave them to Frederick, who was mightily pleased to see that they bore the 'Wiss & Sons' trademark! Apocryphal or not, it makes a good story!

1853 ad:

Attachment 102992

Another ad:

Attachment 102993

Regards,
Neil

Thank you for the historical information. I was reading a site about Wiss and the links to the advertisments, but unfortuantely I could not find a mention of Wade & Butcher. This razor will fit in nicely with my Sheffield collection and my NY, NJ, CT collection.