Thread: Wilson Hawksworth - Interesting Grind

Originally Posted by guitstik

The A. Leon "Diamond Edge" that I recently purchase has that fuller. Vintage Diamond Edge Straight Razor A Leon Sheffield with Case | eBay

Sorry about the ebay pictures but I have yet to find a photo hosting site for my phone that doesn't upload every fricking photo.

That one should clean up really nice!!!!

Thomas W.Ward & Co "Diamond Edge razor" c.1850-60
6/8" double hollow, sculpted ivory with silver piquet work, etching on blade "Diamond Edge razor", surely the scales are not original and predated 1830-40





(in The London Gazzette of 19/12/1854 results a Thomas Ward (Cutlery) at Brightmore-street, Sheffield)

Originally Posted by Geezer

Hello Niel,
You are correct and I am familiar with the fullering tool.
A preshaped, contoured/ profiled, grinding wheel(s) is a common practice in the tool industry. And the machine that uses two wheels at once in a direction parallel to the blade spine could do so in one or two passes. That, depending upon the set-up used. the five blades I have are all showing grind lines parallel to the blade spine.
Thanks for pointing out the fuller tool.
~Richard

I quite agree Richard.

All I am pointing out is that both the wheels on the machine you linked to have wheels that are rounded on one side and with a 90 degree angle on the other side, making them totally unsuitable for making the sort of groove we are talking about. OK for half a groove, perhaps....





As the directions say, it is for hollow-grinding the entirety of the blade.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I quite agree Richard.
All I am pointing out is that both the wheels on the machine you linked to have wheels that are rounded on one side and with a 90 degree angle on the other side, making them totally unsuitable for making the sort of groove we are talking about. OK for half a groove, perhaps....snip...
Neil

I believe the thread is about the wondrous blade posted by the OP.
One patent is not the whole story but only was an illustration to show how such a thing may be accomplished
Trade usage often prevents the patent from showing other possibilities. Also the patent is drawn in simplistic language to protect the owner of the patent. I have been a machinist most of my career and I have had to make machines and modifications to machines to accomplish things the original could not have accomplished as originally designed. Henry Maudsley had accomplished most all of the machine control and use of three axis adjustment by the early 19th century. Those folks were not stupid. Many journeyman could and did modify any machine to bring in more profit to the owner.
~Richard

Originally Posted by guitstik

The A. Leon "Diamond Edge" that I recently purchase has that fuller. Vintage Diamond Edge Straight Razor A Leon Sheffield with Case | eBay

Sorry about the ebay pictures but I have yet to find a photo hosting site for my phone that doesn't upload every fricking photo.

I hope you got that one !
I believe very similar grind
Mike

I agree with you Richard, they weren't stupid! They did it for a reason & not to profit from it or to make something different to profit from it. They were very smart back in the day, not like today. They were thinking things out back in the day & I'm not knocking some people today, there are some geniuses out there that I know I've told myself, "now why didn't I think of that". Things were so simple back in the day & have come a long ways since then & my hat goes off to them who are the ones that get a great idea & make it into a reality. I know of a prothetic dentist who makes things in his workshop other than implants. He made a simple thing with two very powerful magnets that one goes on the inside of a shirt & the other out & on it is a pen holder, very ingenious. I thought "now why didn't I think of that" again some things are just so simple. He has personalized license tags on his car that say "INVENTR" on it. He sold that idea & is a millionaire just from that one thing. No telling how many things he has invented with license tags like that. My mind is like a gearbox that is constantly turning & meshing. I love machines, I'm so fascinated by them. I have a metal lathe my dad left to me when he passed away. When he had his alternator, starter, generator business, I worked for him until he retired & I played on that lathe a lot. I made things all the time on it. I sure miss my dad, he was a smart man & when I had a problem I would turn to him for knowledge. After he passed away & I would have a problem I would just tell myself, just call dad & it took me a long time to finally realize in that way that he was gone. Thank you for your comment Richard!

A wedge with grooves, it may look uneven but it's the odd angle the notch is cut at that makes it look that way. The left side more accurately shows the profile.

Originally Posted by Geezer

I believe the thread is about the wondrous blade posted by the OP.
One patent is not the whole story but only was an illustration to show how such a thing may be accomplished
Trade usage often prevents the patent from showing other possibilities. Also the patent is drawn in simplistic language to protect the owner of the patent. I have been a machinist most of my career and I have had to make machines and modifications to machines to accomplish things the original could not have accomplished as originally designed. Henry Maudsley had accomplished most all of the machine control and use of three axis adjustment by the early 19th century. Those folks were not stupid. Many journeyman could and did modify any machine to bring in more profit to the owner.
~Richard

Like I said Richard, all I was pointing out was that the wheels were not suitable.

As for people back then not being stupid, I am sure that anyone who has read any of tbe copious comments I have made over the years would have no doubt that I share the same opinion.

I have four razors with this notch, and the notch is not even, showing that it was hand done on a small wheel mounted horizontally, one side at a time.

The fact of the matter is that these old Sheffield craftsmen clung to the old ways, among which was grinding, including hollow grindind, one side at a time.

We are not talking about Germans with the 'Witch' double grinding machine or American patents for double hollow grinding (not groove making) machines, we are talking about traditional Sheffield craftsmen who did things the old way - by hand.

Regards,
Neil