Thread: Watts

I bought this one off the bay during a late night surfing. Next day I was sure I made a mistake, when it arrived I examined it closely. It is a heavy, well balanced razor. The scales are "rubber" that look very utilitarian and clunky. Hoping it cleans up and hones well. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

Watts was apparently founded in West Bar Green in 1875 by Michael Shaw, who was a clog clasp & dog collar maker. After 1833, Brian Bates (1802-1882) was born in Buxton & whose wife, Harriet, was related to the Shaws-operated the business. Twenty years later Bates was joined in partnership with John Watts. In 1862 the partnership was dissolved. Bates returned to Buxton & became a hotelier & property owner. He was proprietor of some of the best hotels in Buxton. Bates died after a long painful illness in 1882 at the age of 79. Watts who was one of Bates executors, took control of the firm & began to expand its operations. During the 1870's & 1880's he concentrated his business in a small tenement-style factory in Lambert Street that had once housed various cutlers & at the back had long been used by coffin makers, 1876. In 1881, two men & eight women were employed. John Watts died in 1895, aged 66. Watts son, John Robert Watts (1859-1939) also regarded himself a clasp maker, however he transformed the firm into a full-fledged cutlery maker, selling pen & pocket knives, razors, besides graining combs, skates & clasps along with stampers & piercers. By the First World War, Watts had acquired most of the courtyard workshops at the lower end of Lambert Street. These included the premises of George Gill. The firm also began buying up trade names including the B4*ANY mark of Frederick Ward, the Manhattan mark of John Newton & Co. & the name of H. T. JOHNSON which had passed from Johnson, Spencer & Co. to John Newton. J. R. Watts marketed a safety razor in the 1890's. This was well before Gillette appeared on the scene & it is tempting to claim that Watts was a pioneer. However although he was the first to market such a razor in Sheffield, his various marks-marked 'JW'- were based on American patents. Chief amongst these was the Fox Safety razor which was patented by E. Lothar Schmitz, a German immigrant in New York. Watts later produced safety razors with the trade mark, "THE GLEAMER". Watts did however take out patents himself for a safety razor, a cyclists knife, scissors/razor sharpeners & a trousers press. Indeed, although the firm remained well known for its cutlery until well after the Second World War, especially for its gadget knives, it was also noticed for clog clasps, cloggers' knives, shoe knives, toe plates, abrasive wheel dressers & cutters, ice skates, can openers surgical scalpels & wardrobe fittings. Many of these products were factored in Birmingham London & Solingen in Germany. In the interwar period, Watts became a limited company, 1929 & besides London Street, operated from Union Wheel, Corporation Street & Burnt Tree Lane. John R. Watts died in 1939, aged 80. The company remained in business until almost the end of the century. It was last owned by the Bishop family , who wound up Watts in 1999. After Lambert Works finally closed its doors, visitors found a gem of a survival of Sheffield's social past. Behind the crumbling plasterwork frontage, that still bravely proclaimed JOHN WATTS ESTABLISHED 1765, (I think that was a misprint in the book, should be 1875) was a rabbit warren nearly ninety rooms & five floors lined by corridors & covered courtyards. Dusty office ledgers, Dickensian high desks & stools, grinding wheels & even a complete cutlery workshop lay abandoned. By 2007 the Lambert Street factory had been converted into modern apartments. I found this information in the Tweedale's Directory.

Nice work! So are the scales of Gutta-percha, leather, pressed something? Rubber?
Don't get them wet till you find out!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Nice work! So are the scales of Gutta-percha, leather, pressed something? Rubber?
Don't get them wet till you find out!

I have a couple of photo's I forgot to put in the history. Will put them in soon. Thanks.

sharptonn
I just added the photo's that I forgot to at first.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Nice work! So are the scales of Gutta-percha, leather, pressed something? Rubber?
Don't get them wet till you find out!

I've got one of those in not so nice condition as the OP's. Pretty sure the scales are leather.

Those are neat old razors from a fine old Sheffield house.

ENJOY!

Here's another old survivor made by Watts.

It's a British soldier's knife.


It has iron bolsters,a screw driver, can opener, marlin spike, and a "sheep's foot" blade. Still snaps like a snapping turtle


People tend to think these were sailor's knives due to the marlin spike. The sailor's knives did not have the marlin spike, nor the can opener, nor the screw driver.

Go figure.

Originally Posted by Wullie

Here's another old survivor made by Watts.

It's a British soldier's knife.
It has iron bolsters,a screw driver, can opener, marlin spike, and a "sheep's foot" blade. Still snaps like a snapping turtle
People tend to think these were sailor's knives due to the marlin spike. The sailor's knives did not have the marlin spike, nor the can opener, nor the screw driver.

Go figure.

That's cool Wullie!

It has been said to not get the scales wet. I'm hoping this is referring to soaking not everyday use. I want to shave with it at some point in time. I can't keep the mirror dry much less the razor. Lol.
How would I go about finding the type of material these are made of?

Originally Posted by Kentuckygent

It has been said to not get the scales wet. I'm hoping this is referring to soaking not everyday use. I want to shave with it at some point in time. I can't keep the mirror dry much less the razor. Lol.
How would I go about finding the type of material these are made of?

You will have to do an advanced search of "John Watts". I did a little researching that way and came across this page with a John Watts razor with the exact same scales:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/aucti...ml#post1367508
On post 3 of that page, Richard says this:
Scales are possible pressed leather or paper during wartime. There are similar pressed metal ones also. Not uncommon but still a nice find!
Clean and hone her and enjoy the processes!
~Richard
You just have to do some searching but when you go to advanced search & type in that nae, every link it sends you to has something to do with that name & there are pages & pages of searching. I hope you find the information you need.
Steve