Results 1 to 10 of 10
Like Tree14Likes
  • 6 Post By Martin103
  • 1 Post By Ryan82
  • 1 Post By Tarkus
  • 1 Post By Wullie
  • 1 Post By Wullie
  • 2 Post By Geezer
  • 2 Post By Neil Miller

Thread: Book Excerpt from British Industries under Free Trade 1903.

  1. #1
    Historically Inquisitive Martin103's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Upstate New York
    Posts
    5,780
    Thanked: 4249
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default Book Excerpt from British Industries under Free Trade 1903.

    Found it quite interesting that "sheffielders" dindt want to adapt to the concept of hollow grinding, and manufacturers were sending their blade to Germany for the process.


    Name:  sheffield hollow1.JPG
Views: 515
Size:  28.3 KB
    Name:  sheffield hollow2.jpg
Views: 520
Size:  41.8 KB
    Name:  sheffield hollow3.JPG
Views: 370
Size:  17.2 KB

  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Martin103 For This Useful Post:

    gugi (02-20-2014), Lemur (04-18-2013), Wullie (12-23-2012), WW243 (04-18-2013)

  3. #2
    Senior Member blabbermouth
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    17,250
    Thanked: 3221

    Default

    Interesting article, I wonder at what point in time Sheffield started to actually do hollow grinding? I ask because I used a W&B "Extra Hollow Ground" razor this morning that does not say England on it so is pre 1891. While it is hollow ground it appears to be not as thin as a DD nor is it as noisy when shaving. I take it that this was an early Sheffield attempt at hollow grinding.

    Bob
    Life is a terminal illness in the end

  4. #3
    Indisposed
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    6,038
    Thanked: 1195

    Default

    That definitely explains why there are so many big ol' Sheffield wedges out there....
    Martin103 likes this.

  5. #4
    Senior Member Tarkus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    I'm Gonna Spend Another Fall In Philadelphia
    Posts
    1,910
    Thanked: 495

    Default

    Whats the phrase?
    If you cant beat'em? Join'em!
    Thanks Martin
    Martin103 likes this.

  6. #5
    Thread derailment specialist. Wullie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Republica de Tejas
    Posts
    2,792
    Thanked: 884

    Default

    I can recall having an older full hollow Sheffield that had "Ground in Germany" on the back side of the tang. I'll dig around and see if I still have it.
    Martin103 likes this.
    Member Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, participant SE Asia War Games 1972-1973. The oath I swore has no statute of limitation.

  7. #6
    Senior Member blabbermouth
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    17,250
    Thanked: 3221

    Default

    Just noticed in the classifieds that there is a Kropp razor that is stamped made in England/ground in Hamburg.

    Bob
    Life is a terminal illness in the end

  8. #7
    Thread derailment specialist. Wullie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Republica de Tejas
    Posts
    2,792
    Thanked: 884

    Default

    I think one of the two KROPP razors that I sold was marked thusly. Got no pics of it though.

    The one I have that I was thinking of and have a pic of is a GOTTA.

    But it doesn't count.
    Tarkus likes this.
    Member Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, participant SE Asia War Games 1972-1973. The oath I swore has no statute of limitation.

  9. #8
    Senior Member blabbermouth Geezer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    EauClaire,WI
    Posts
    7,685
    Thanked: 3825
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Here is one that is marked " Made and ground in Sheffield England." Whether the opalescent/ chatoyant celluloid scales were as new or a later rescale I am not sure. The blade style and scales appear to be the early twenties.

    I have no guess when the blades with all work in Sheffield began.
    ~Richard
    Last edited by Geezer; 12-24-2012 at 02:22 AM.
    Martin103 and Wullie like this.

  10. #9
    Senior Member blabbermouth
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Essex, UK
    Posts
    3,816
    Thanked: 3164

    Default

    Interesting article - thanks for posting it, Martin!

    I think that the article tends to 'generalise' somewhat - there were lots of hollow ground razors that predate the article date by some length of time. I have a number of razors by different Sheffield makers that were exhibited at the 1851 Great Exhibition at Crystal palace - the gold-washed etchings on the face of the blades confirm the hollow grinding was original. And, of course, hollow grinding in Sheffield pre-dates the Great Exhibition.

    Another factor that could have influenced this is the propensiity of Sheffield firms of earlier years insisting on doing everything by hand, including hollow grinding, which took considerable time to learn and which was a highly skilled occupation. No doubt german firms at the time also hand ground, but the introduction of the Witch ('Hexe') double grinding machine in 1893 by C. F. Erns company changed all that, of course.

    NO doubt the above is a simplistic view, and there are other reasons.

    However, it is correct with respect to many firms - a lot of companies sent out Sheffield steel forged razors out to Germany to be hollow ground, but I feel that one of the deciding factors was economy - Germany could do it cheaper.

    I noticed a couple of mentions of Kropp razors that represent that. Osborne, Garrett and Co have their history on the tang marks - economics and socio-political events seem to have dictated when there product was ground in Germany - right up to the point when the head grinder - Charles Myers - took over the company and produced all the Kropps completely in Sheffield. Myers had his own razor company - C. Myers & Son, and records show that the renamed Kropp company (now C. Myers & Son but still trading as Kropp Manufacturing Co. in many instances) both shared the same premises: 51 Athol Road. It remained there into the 1960s when Myers, Ragg and Cadman were the only manufacturers working out of Sheffield.

    Regards,
    Neil
    Geezer and Wullie like this.

  11. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Neil Miller For This Useful Post:

    BobH (12-24-2012), Martin103 (12-24-2012), Wullie (12-24-2012)

  12. #10
    Historically Inquisitive Martin103's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Upstate New York
    Posts
    5,780
    Thanked: 4249
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Interesting Neil, I must say im more surprised of the early gold-washed then the hollow grinding, somehow gold-washed razors were in my mind around 1890. The Germans definately worked for cheap and if it wasnt for the US govt changing tariff rates, Germany would kill just about every cutlery companies in the US.
    Last edited by Martin103; 12-24-2012 at 07:54 PM.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •