J. Allen Wedge

[maddafinga]

Been looking for one of these for a long time, as J. Allen happens to be my first initial and last name. Got it pretty cheap and looks like it'll clean up well. I've got the ebay pics here, along with two of my own.

Now here's a question, the frost etch says Prince Albert's Royal Razor, and the Prince died in 1861 or 61. What are the odds that this was made prior to his death? What makes me question the date is the little bitty England stamp out on the tail. The tang is only marked Sheffield, but then there's that little country stamp. But then the etch also says "Silver Combined With Steel" which sounds like an old wording of silversteel. So I'm kind of torn. Either way, I love it and it's got my name all over it.

[maddafinga]

Anybody have any ideas as to its age?

[Hirlau]

No idea, but the History Boys will solve it before morning, I'm sure.

[maddafinga]

I hope so. I'm curious but just don't know enough.

[JoeLowett]

Looks 1850's to me. Etch,grind,tang stamp all say mid 1850's... I'm good for dating, ill leave the history to someone who knows what they're talking about

I can tell you about the marking on the blade however- 'silver combined with India steel' I have a W&B with the same marking that is dated unanamously to the 1850's... So your should be right in there. Some say the claims of silver being combined with steel is marketing but whether its marketing or the real thing it refers to the faraday experiments of the late 1820's-1830's... Faraday was trying to improve the quality of steel by experimenting with different alloys, most notably combining precious metals with cast steel. The experiments didn't last long due to the exorbitant costs and little to no improvement in material quality. It had even been rumored faraday made a batch of platinum steel which razors were forged and gifted to his closests friends. The truth in that I don't know, but it adds to the story...

As for the quality of the steel... Silver added or not mines on the 'not for sale' list

[Martin103]

Anybody have any ideas as to its age?

Well i surely remember yourself looking for one of these for sure, glad you found one. The stamp on the razor, without England pre 1891, no sign off Oak works pre 1880, and being prince Albert Royal razor(he died in 1861) tells me that this razor was probably made +- 1861, being a wedge and the shape fits the bill for me, Enjoy!

[maddafinga]

That was kind of my thinking, but I've thought wrong before... Once again, Martin, you're the man. Thank you sir!

[maddafinga]

So I shaved with it today. It honed up pretty nicely with two layers of tape, nice thin bevel. I still haven't been able to get the same edge on a wedge as I can on a hollow blade. I'm not sure why exactly. It seems right, looks and feels right, but they always seem to pull a little bit.

I got a nice shave on the whole, but I think I'm going back to the 4k and up again until I get it smooth as I want it to be

[Suavio]

Thanks for the post, maddafinga, and I'm curious how it turned out in the end? Did you get a sharp edge?

I was just lucky to pick up the exact same blade myself, over in New Zealand, minus the wonderful etching unfortunately... My father picked it up in an antique store, called to say it was a J. Allen, and I didn't hesitate to buy it over the phone. Little bit sad for now but will clean up nicely.

[maddafinga]

Yeah, it took some doing, but I finally got it where I was happy with the way it shaves. I'm not a great honer, and the wedges are just tougher to hone, but I eventually got it done. It's a very nice razor.