Thread: Agres "Cast Steel"

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

It's straightforward really, if it's something I'm not familiar with from that period, I always check the early directories first. I've put them up here for convenience: https://acierfondu.wordpress.com/manufacturer-research/

I forgot all about that!!!

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

It's straightforward really, if it's something I'm not familiar with from that period, I always check the early directories first. I've put them up here for convenience: https://acierfondu.wordpress.com/manufacturer-research/

yep , I have it linked and saved in my tool bar from before , I just was thrown off and still kinda am by the missing "L" even under magnification I cant even see a scratch where a "L" would have been , but then again the STE in steel are missing parts without a mark also , I guess considering the age of a lot of razors floating around it is amazing we can read any of the letters

Originally Posted by gooser

yep , I have it linked and saved in my tool bar from before , I just was thrown off and still kinda am by the missing "L" even under magnification I cant even see a scratch where a "L" would have been , but then again the STE in steel are missing parts without a mark also , I guess considering the age of a lot of razors floating around it is amazing we can read any of the letters

Sometimes if you hit it with some really fine wet or dry like the 3000 grit I have, things show up, especially when I take a pic with my camera. It takes awesome pics for being 7 years old.

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

My guess is William Birks & Son, mark LANGRES from the 1774 directory. That mark does not appear in the 1787 Gales & Martin (though Birks still do), I'm not sure but that might put an endpoint to the date.

Attachment 194551

Well, there are a couple of William's

Sketchley's 1774


Bailey's 1781: William Birks and SON: Silver handle knife and fork, RAZOR, and penknife manufacturers

Title: Counterpart of lease
Reference: YWD 1039/2
Description: The Trustees of Charles Howard, Earl of Surrey,
and Henry Howard formerly of Sheffield but now of Glossop,
to William Birks and John Birks of Sheffield, razor smiths.
A piece of land in Norfolk Street, Sheffield (part of the "Coach and Six" land)
and buildings on it, for 99 years at £4 a year
Date: 29 May, 1783
(Father William died in March, so this is William Jr., see further)

Gales & Martin 1787


The Universal British Directory 1791 - '98:
BIRKS WILLIAM and JOHN, cutlers and razor makers

William Birks (F(Freedom)1748, Master Cutler in 1766, died in 1783) had 2 son's,
William (F1774 & F1783, Master Cutler 1795) and John (F1786) and were razor smith's.

So, William Birks and son (1774, 1781) is: William and William Jr.,
and William and John (>1783 , father died) is: William Jr. and John

OR: "pipe" was from William Jr. (F1774) and "LANGRES" was from father William Birks (F1748)
OR: "pipe" was from father William Birks (F1748, and had the mark since then),
"LANGRES" was from William Jr. (F1774) and he took de "pipe" mark as its own
after the death of his father (F1783)
(the other symbol with the 2 ampersands would be from John Birks)

I think that the second possibility is more plausible, first, it would make sense since
father William Birks died in 1783 (March), and William Jr. took his second Freedom (1783),
it would correlate beautifully with the fact that he took his father's mark and used it from then for his own.
Secondly, IMHO, the "LANGRES" - razors I've seen so far, seem to be made after the 1775's, this would fit
with the fact that "LANGRES" was a mark of William Jr. (F1774)

If that is the case, this razor could be made in a very narrow period of 1774 - 1783!

Could be wrong of course...

I think this is also from father William Birks, confirming above statements: