Thread: Straight razor Original owner stories

I posted a thread about something similar. Have a 5/8" Torrey with a name engraved in the scales of a Canadian soldier. I researched the heck out of it and found a lot of info on him his battalion and family and how they came over from England.

Here's a link to my orginal post. http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...y-w-story.html



Rick

The big Joseph Rodgers that I have posted a photo of in the recent ebay 'deals' thread is one of those "was my grandfather's razor" stories. That was where the buy it now guy lived in my area and we met at a Dunkin Donuts so no shipping involved.

The one other razor I have with a known story is a MK Heljestrand 32 with genuine ivory scales. I bought it from a barber in Madison, NJ in the 1980s when I used to go to the shops to see if any of the old guys had cool razors they would sell. Shaving customers was already dieing on the vine even back then.

Alex Micah was 99 years old and was the oldest barber still working in the USA and probably the world when I went to his shop and bought this for $20.00. It was part of his rotation and he honed on a coticule. I have no idea how many times he would have honed this razor but it must have been many over the decades that he used it. He was written up in newspapers up that way at the time. He passed away at 100 or 101 years old IIRC. He told me that it was no good to live too long but that is for another thread. Here is the Helje ;

Yeah jimmy looks like that barber had that thing very well kept throughout the years... Really neat having a razor from the worlds oldest barber! :-)

What a great thread.

I am sad that I have nothing to contribute.

The razor that got me into this hobby was from my grandfathers. I discovered it in a curio cabinet at my mother's house by luck. The razor was supposed to go to my uncle, Thomas, but he is doing life in a Georgia prison. Since they won't let him have it, it goes to me.

The men are on my mother's side of the family, under the name of "Peebles", from Scotland.
The men are listed below from the beginning of the razor. The razor is a Wade & Butcher.

Abraham Dudley Peebles 6-6-1813 . Abraham started using the razor in the late 1830's. (No photo available, but he lies in this grave in Webster County, Mississippi.



It was used by Abraham's son, Dudley Peebles :



The razor then went to Dudley Peebles Jr.




Dudley Jr. then gave it to Dudley Guilford Peebles III. The man I knew & loved.



Here is the razor:

Wow talk about a razor with family ties and history! great story!

Much thanks goes to Max Sprecher, who cleaned the blade for me 3 years ago & repaired a small nick in the edge. The razor is all original.

Well I won’t even attempt to top John’s post with all the history and picture! I’m very impressed!!!

My father had a straight razor that he referred to as ‘granddad’s’ my younger brother ended up with it. After I’d discovered the wonderful world of shaving with a straight I asked my brother if he still had it and if he did, could I please have it.

Long story made short, he sent it to me and I sent it to Glen. Originally I was hopeful that the blade could be cleaned up and put back in the original scales but the old horn was de-laminating so Glen made new ones for me.

I do not wish to hijack this thread, however here’s the link to what he did to bring a family heirloom back into service. My son had taken up the art of shaving with a straight at the age of 17. He was the first one to use that razor since at least 1934.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...ered-horn.html

That's a fantastic story! What a privilege to have that heirloom razor! It's great that you included the pics if family too. Thats what this thread is all about!

Here is another one with a story that I forgot I had. My upstairs neighbor is from Quebec. He and his wife come down here and spend 4 or 5 months every year. He is 74 years old and a very vigorous man. Ran marathons when he was younger and still gets up early and jogs every day. So I was wearing my SRP t-shirt and he struck up a conversation with me about razors. I told him that I shave with them daily and hone them as a hobby.

Later that day Viktor knocked on my door and said that he had no use for this razor. It had belonged to his father and he wanted me to have it. Well I was amazed and gratified that he would pass this heirloom on to me. He said it was 'very sharp' and told me to be careful. I assessed the edge and it would cut butter but that was about it. I call this razor 'Viktor' after the gentleman who gave it to me. Honed up nicely and shaves well.

The tang stamp, in script, seems to read "Alcosa" but it is a bit obscure. As you can probably see there are three letters inscribed in front of it around a set of weighing scales, A W S. The same logo is on the mark side scale. Note the stamping on the pile side tang. Illustrates the reputation of Sheffield steel "real hollow ground in Germany" back before WWII. I figure this razor to be 1920s or maybe '30s.