Thread: Early 1800s Gavet in MOP

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Gotta have some deep pockets too ....... no ?

That helps. Especially when you can sell of some WB FBUs to fund them..

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

That helps. Especially when you can sell of some WB FBUs to fund them..

"Some FBUs..."...yikes!! :-)

I'd even part with a couple for that frame backed French beauty...and the similar one Thaeris has in Tortoise...going to have to step up my game in terms of filters and searching...after the Ottoman, it's good to find a purpose again...'-)

I wish I had it ! My friend does !

Originally Posted by Thaeris

Vermeil is gold plated silver It's said this one was a gift or a homage to a french king, but sadly most of the information is missing from the picture. Could be Louis XVIII or Charles X.

It is indeed Louis XVIII.

The inscription on the scales "il protege l'industrie" means, He protects the industry, but with a special meaning.

That's one of the most spectacular pieces I have seen on this forum

Originally Posted by Martin103

It is indeed Louis XVIII.
The inscription on the scales "il protege l'industrie" means, He protects the industry, but with a special meaning.

I agree it's directly related to him, but whether it was in gift or homage I'm not sure.

Wow! that is just simply stunning!

Some more shots playing with better lighting and some composition.

Hello,

I have some questions about this beautiful razor. After you cleaned the active rust off the blade the reddish rust marks seem to have turned to whitish, dark, or silvery dots. Any idea what causes this reaction? Did you have this kind of sprinkles on other razor blades after cleaning?

A member of the « coupe chou club » thinks that the blade is made of “Damas grain de riz” (rice grain damacus) according to the research on indian wootz. I have never heard about a wootz pattern called rice grain or seen a wootz blade with such a pattern. From what I can see on the pictures you posted I don’t think that the blade is made from wootz. I think the “marks” on the blade are caused by a chemical reaction produced when removing the rust marks and are not the result of crystallisation.

In the written sources of the first quarter of the 19th Century I did not find any indication that Gravet forged “Damascus” razor blades like some of his French contemporaries.

What’s your opinion on this?

Could you post some close up pictures of the dots, for further examination?

Thank you, regards

Richard R.

Originally Posted by Longbow64

Hello,

I have some questions about this beautiful razor. After you cleaned the active rust off the blade the reddish rust marks seem to have turned to whitish, dark, or silvery dots. Any idea what causes this reaction? Did you have this kind of sprinkles on other razor blades after cleaning?

A member of the « coupe chou club » thinks that the blade is made of “Damas grain de riz” (rice grain damacus) according to the research on indian wootz. I have never heard about a wootz pattern called rice grain or seen a wootz blade with such a pattern. From what I can see on the pictures you posted I don’t think that the blade is made from wootz. I think the “marks” on the blade are caused by a chemical reaction produced when removing the rust marks and are not the result of crystallisation.

In the written sources of the first quarter of the 19th Century I did not find any indication that Gravet forged “Damascus” razor blades like some of his French contemporaries.

What’s your opinion on this?

Could you post some close up pictures of the dots, for further examination?

Thank you, regards

Richard R.

The dots were there independently of the rust (which was more toward the top of the blade). They are (to my most likely guess) put there by acid etching, which was common at the time. I imagine this was done to make the blade have the appearance of a wootz-type steel.