Need some serious help on figuring this guy out.

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05-01-2013, 01:11 PM
Jonah

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Need some serious help on figuring this guy out.

Yesterday, I posted that I found two razors in Georgia and brought them home. One of them is really puzzling to me and I'm hoping you fine folks can put a nail in this coffin.

There is a bear stamp with the words "OUR BEST" before it. On the reverse side, OTT Bros & co is stamped on there. As a final touch, the scales have the Boker tree. I googled the bear stamp and came up with T Hessen-Bruch, but the other pieces on the razor don't really line up with everything else. The two ideas I had were that a) it's a knock off, or b) someone put on Boker scales some years ago.

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As pointed out in the show and tell thread, there is a square divot out of the back by the pin. It certainly leads one to ask if the scales were replaced. There is a bit of rust and corrosion on the pins and near the base of the pins. If the scales were replaced, it was a good while ago.

One other member had an OTT Bros razor some time ago, but there were no other details mentioned. I am quite puzzled with this. My only other thought was that this set of scales got thrown into the Boker batch of scales on accident. Who knows, maybe the worker assembling the razor wasn't paying attention. It seems kind of farfetched, but farfetched is the best I can come up with at the moment. I want to take it off the scales so I can start working with it, but I don't want to start tinkering with it until the mystery has been solved.

Any thoughts are certainly appreciated.
05-01-2013, 01:16 PM
anthogia

I am pretty sure that I own and Otto brothers razor. There are guys on here that could tell you a lot more than I can but I think that the scales are just like you said from an old boker.
05-01-2013, 01:55 PM
Martin103

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Ott Bros & Co was a hardware store in Wheeling West Virginia, founded in 1836. The name was changed to Ott- Heiskell Hardware Co in later years.

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The name come up often in hardware directories. And in some newspapers.
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Thats razor was made by T.Hessenbruch & Co., Germany, for Ott Bros & co.Hessenbruch was in business from 1873-1906.
The original scales were replace at one time with Boker scales, wich is somewhat close to the originals.
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05-01-2013, 02:10 PM
Jonah

Thanks for the read. If I understand correctly, what you're saying is despite the Boker scales being on this T.Hessenbruch & Co. razor, it is historically accurate?
05-01-2013, 02:14 PM
Martin103

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonah

Thanks for the read. If I understand correctly, what you're saying is despite the Boker scales being on this T.Hessenbruch & Co. razor, it is historically accurate?

Cant be accurate since the scales are from a different company.
05-01-2013, 02:16 PM
Jonah

Gotcha, I misunderstood. Thanks for clearing that up, it was bugging me all night!
05-01-2013, 02:25 PM
Martin103

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonah

Gotcha, I misunderstood. Thanks for clearing that up, it was bugging me all night!

If the scales work for you keep them, perhaps a member here have a set of originals scales that you could switch. Personally i would keep the scales for now and make that razor shave ready see if you like the shave and go from there JMHO.
05-01-2013, 02:33 PM
sharptonn

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Hessenbruch razors are unique and very good. I have seen several examples with different hardware concerns on the tang or blade, but the bear is always there!

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05-01-2013, 02:53 PM
Jonah

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin103

If the scales work for you keep them, perhaps a member here have a set of originals scales that you could switch. Personally i would keep the scales for now and make that razor shave ready see if you like the shave and go from there JMHO.

The scales have a few knicks but aren't in terrible condition, but the inside walls need a little work. I have seen a few threads on cell rot and was curious if I should wrap the boker scales in plastic and store them away from my razors. I'll definitely try my hand at restoring the razor and getting some new scales fashioned.

I have seen the bear stamp with the "Will bear inspection" but I haven't seen the "our best bear" that this razor has. Is that uncommon?
05-01-2013, 03:08 PM
Martin103

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Im not sure whether its common or not, but it would be pretty neat to find a set of scales like these, i know that Tom aka Sharptonn would love these!
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05-01-2013, 03:20 PM
sharptonn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonah

The scales have a few knicks but aren't in terrible condition, but the inside walls need a little work. I have seen a few threads on cell rot and was curious if I should wrap the boker scales in plastic and store them away from my razors. I'll definitely try my hand at restoring the razor and getting some new scales fashioned.

I have seen the bear stamp with the "Will bear inspection" but I haven't seen the "our best bear" that this razor has. Is that uncommon?

I feel the "Our Best" is from Ott Bros. No worries about the Boker scales. Probably of Bakelite!
05-01-2013, 03:29 PM
Jonah

That would be nifty. I'll restore the blade and keep my eyes peeled for a set of matching scales.
05-01-2013, 03:29 PM
sharptonn

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin103

Im not sure whether its common or not, but it would be pretty neat to find a set of scales like these, i know that Tom aka Sharptonn would love these!
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Yes! Those are nice! ;) AND hard to come by!
02-20-2015, 06:23 AM
ddivey

Found same one

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin103

Im not sure whether its common or not, but it would be pretty neat to find a set of scales like these, i know that Tom aka Sharptonn would love these!
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Do you know anything about this handle? I just found the same one. Looking for information about it.
02-20-2015, 06:24 AM
ddivey

Do you know any more about this handle? I just found the same one and was wanting info about it. It is very pretty.
02-20-2015, 01:59 PM
sharptonn

Lots of info here on T. Hessenbruch, such as this: http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...-bruch-co.html

Excellent razors, quite unlike anything else, IMO. Looks like you will need a blade for those scales?
02-21-2015, 04:18 PM
ddivey

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Lots of info here on T. Hessenbruch, such as this: http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...-bruch-co.html Excellent razors, quite unlike anything else, IMO. Looks like you will need a blade for those scales?

Do you know what the scales are made of? It would have been my husband's great grandfather's razor. We won't replace the blade, but will keep it as a keepsake. The blade is incredibly sharp still. It was in a lockbox in our cellar. We bought the place after his great grandma passed away 8 years ago. She was 99 years and 8 months old when she died.
02-21-2015, 06:13 PM
sharptonn

They are cast of aluminum. Sounds cheap these days, but back when they were made, Aluminum was a new alloy and quite expensive and desirable.
02-21-2015, 07:10 PM
gugi

Aluminum was extremely expensive in the times of Napoleon (aluminum utensils were more valuable than silver and gold ones), but by the end of the 19th century there was better technology to produce it and it became pretty cheap. The airplane industry made it even cheaper because the governments started subsidizing the production.
By the time these scales were cast it was a run of the mill material - certainly more expensive than the plastics, but far cheaper than sterling silver.