Thread: Top-heavy fractions on old razor scales

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Fast forward 20 years to 2033 ...... I'm taking my 100% original minty W&B FBU to Antiques Roadshow. So now I'm on camera and the guy is appraising my FBU for value. He says, " This is a wonderful example of an 1850s meat chopper. The blade has the original patina and the horn scales a few chips and bug bites. Unfortunately the razor is only worth $35.00. If someone hadn't tried to sand the top heavy fractions off of the scales it would be worth $100,000 !"

No, no Jimmy, it went this way: fast forward 20 years....

...enter a decrepit Neil assisting Jimmy in the door with his zimmer frame. Jimmy gets the razor out at the table and the expert takes it and appraises it, turning it this way and that.

Expert: "This is a wonderful example of an 1850s meat chopper. The blade has the original patina and the horn scales a few chips and bug bites. Unfortunately the razor is only worth $35.00. If someone hadn't tried to sand the top heavy fractions off of the scales it would be worth $100,000 !"

Jimmy: "My bone head pal did that."

The expert shuts the razor, catching his finger between scale and blade. It is so blunt it doesn't even break the skin.

Neil: "Jimmy honed it."

Expert: "Honed it? 25 yrs ago he couldn't even spell Honemeister..."

Jimmy: "Not so: L - Y - N - N."

That's all Folks! This has been a Looney Tunes Production for SRP. No animals were hurt in the making of it. Jimmy performed his own stunts. Brad Pitt body-doubled for Neil.

Knowing how particular old timers were with their tools, i highly doubt that they would boldly scratch numbers right on the scales.

Originally Posted by Martin103

Knowing how particular old timers were with their tools, i highly doubt that they would boldly scratch numbers right on the scales.

Is very common to see really fine expensive machinists tools with numbers etc. scratched on them.

Originally Posted by Martin103

Knowing how particular old timers were with their tools, i highly doubt that they would boldly scratch numbers right on the scales.

I'm not so sure. They may have valued them highly but did have to keep track of them. Doing so on paper would have required very detailed descriptions, especially for the barber who either had or had run through 90 razors. Many of these would have been nearly identical and many of the same manufacturer, so just something like "5/8 with yellow scales" would not have been distinguishing enough. These were not "show" razors, just utilitarian utensils used in the practicing of their livelihoods. I think numbering the razors would have been the easiest way to accomplish this, and any ink or other material would have washed off. I rest my dubious case!

So the mystery continues, and, me, I like beating dead horses as much as the next guy.

"I think we are all clear that they aren't conventional fractions, Ace! That was just a convenient way to describe them."

Please pardon my presumptuous pedantical pedagogy. No profanation was premised nor prolepsis perpetrated.

My apologies!

Dang Ace, that was a whole mouthful of them thar fancy words

I feel deprived, I just went through a half a ton of razors and not one of them has fractions, top heavy or not, scratched into the scales. I don't recall ever seeing a razor that I've gotten with the mysterious numerals. Of course since Neil and Tom have them I know they exist.

Maybe the next ebay craze will be razors with fractions scratched into the scales ...... instead of "shave ready" we'll begin to see "fractions in scales" as a selling point.

I, also went through some of mine and have not found another in a short search! I have sanded it off of many though!
In ivory, Neil is correct in that it seems to keep coming back! I have a few upon which I gave up as the scratches got lighter, hard to see, and I did not feel the need to thin them out any more!

Just so Jimmy does not have disappointment, here are a few more. Perhaps these guys had a bit different "system"!

Originally Posted by ace

Please pardon my presumptuous pedantical pedagogy. No profanation was premised nor prolepsis perpetrated.

My apologies!

My dear Ace, the eloquence of you verbocity is only exceeded by the capacity of your loquacity! No apology necessary!

Regards,
Neil