Thread: ford and medley

So i picked up this razor from an antique store, the scales i believe are pressed leather (i thought they were horn, soaked them in neatsfoot...they went really soft. glad i didn't ruin them) Anyway i was wondering if anyone knew what the stamp on the scales would mean????

W↑D 2


Thanks

Matt

Interesting razor, Ford & Medley was awarded contracts to supply the troops, during the first world war, so im thinking these markings on the scales have something to do with that.

Originally Posted by 73norton

So i picked up this razor from an antique store, the scales i believe are pressed leather (i thought they were horn, soaked them in neatsfoot...they went really soft. glad i didn't ruin them) Anyway i was wondering if anyone knew what the stamp on the scales would mean????

W↑D 2


Thanks

Matt

That's the crowsfoot or broad arrow mark. Martin's on the money, it was used to denote an item made for the military. The W D stands for War Department.

The 'broad arrow' or "crows foot" mark - technically referred to as a 'pheon' - can give us a little more info than at first supposed.

For instance, prior to 1855 there was the Board of Ordnance. Marks at this time were in the form of B-arrow-O Post 1855 it changed its name to the War Department, so anything W-arrow-D dates from 1856 to 1895, when W and D were officially dropped and only the arrow remained. However, this was not rigidly adhered to.



Sometimes government-owned items that had the pheon on them were made 'out of service' and/or sold, in which case another pheon was struck to make an opposing pair to denote that the item was no longer government property:



In some instances we can even tell which country (the commonwealth countries, that is) the item came from:



Sometimes, as in the case of this razor, the goods were inspected by an inspector who struck his mark in the form of a number. The pheon on its own just denotes government (MoD - Ministry of Defence) ownership.

Regards,
Neil

Thank you all for the info.
I did try to search for the answers but i had no luck. It is amazing the amount of info here, and people willing to share it.
Now i have a very cool story to go along with this razor.

Thanks again
Matt

Thank you Neil!

That's much better than the Wikipedia page, or even the one I found back when I first researched this.

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

For instance, prior to 1855 there was the Board of Ordnance. Marks at this time were in the form of B-arrow-O Post 1855 it changed its name to the War Department, so anything W-arrow-D dates from 1856 to 1895, when W and D were officially dropped and only the arrow remained. However, this was not rigidly adhered to.

They definitely kept using the W-arrow-D mark at least up to WWI -- my service razor has a nearly imperceptible one pressed into the scales. Looks like it was probably cold struck, rather than properly pressed-in.

nice history , alway surprised how much you get up the top, what razor information concerning.
Very great,....... thanks for this Guy's.

that saying, i have also a Ford &medley (not so old as this one i think) but must say it are great razors to shave whit. Good luck whit him.

I also have an FORD & MEDLEY - SHEFFIELD, but no marks, like yours, i know the post is few years old, but i take the chance :-) is it possible for anyone to tell me how old it is?

Rubber scales. Think about 1940.

Thanks alot for your help