Thread: Found in the wild

I picked this up today at an antique shop downtown. I could be wrong but the scales look non original, maybe someone could chime in here.
It's a wedge, 6/8 at the toe. W. TAYLOR / X.Q. SITE. It should be an easy clean up and the price was right.

I have a W. Taylor( XQ SITE )
great shaver, but I think your right on the scales. Mine are horn, and were in need of some TLC when I got it.
Nice find.!

superb razor...may it serve you well in the years to come

This one should not be much of a challenge for you to fix up, it looks like a real gem. Glad you got it for little moola.

Originally Posted by MisterClean

I picked this up today at an antique shop downtown. I could be wrong but the scales look non original, maybe someone could chime in here.
It's a wedge, 6/8 at the toe. W. TAYLOR / X.Q. SITE. It should be an easy clean up and the price was right.

The scales are definitely not original. The blade is 1850's or so, the scales are 1880-1920 gutta percha/vulcanite/ebonite. Hardened rubber, essentially.

I wish I could tell you more about W. Taylor, but that is perhaps the least researchable name of any razor I've come across. I've never managed to craft a search query that gets me even remotely close, and of course Taylor is an incredibly common name. You might think that the corporate mark "X Q SITE" would help, but it doesn't. I have several, and I've never been able to figure out who Mr. Taylor was. Probably not a Sheffield producer, but a storekeeper somewhere else.

There are, unfortunately, a lot of somewheres that aren't Sheffield.

That's a fine looking razor Freddie.
I like patina, which looks nice and even, so it would be a quick clean and a hone in my book.
Like Mike said, I'm sure it will be a fantastic shaver.
Congratulations and enjoy.

Pete <:-}

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

The scales are definitely not original. The blade is 1850's or so, the scales are 1880-1920 gutta percha/vulcanite/ebonite. Hardened rubber, essentially.

I wish I could tell you more about W. Taylor, but that is perhaps the least researchable name of any razor I've come across. I've never managed to craft a search query that gets me even remotely close, and of course Taylor is an incredibly common name. You might think that the corporate mark "X Q SITE" would help, but it doesn't. I have several, and I've never been able to figure out who Mr. Taylor was. Probably not a Sheffield producer, but a storekeeper somewhere else.

There are, unfortunately, a lot of somewheres that aren't Sheffield.

Could the XQ SITE be an abbreviation for Exquisite? Kind of like IXL for I Excel.

Originally Posted by MisterClean

Could the XQ SITE be an abbreviation for Exquisite? Kind of like IXL for I Excel.

That's exactly what it is.

Great looking blade, excellent find!

The W.Taylor deserved a set of horn scales. I didn't go any further than I had to on the clean up, it has a nice patina and it looks right to me.
My mentor/friend Roy Davis, (cudarunner) helped me with some honing tips that allowed me to get a clean even bevel on a smiling wedge.
Yippie! Thanks Roy!!!