Thread: Ever seen a ground frameback ? O_o

Hey guys,

this one is a new one for me







So, according to a testimony of the time (press article on the Universal Exposition of 1967), Picault made a killing by making framebacks, which were far less expensive in terms of costs of materials.
But clearly, what we know as a frameback is a very thin piece of metal in a metal frame, something which needs absolulty no grinding in my understanding.

But here, the piece of metal is 1/16 thick, and therefore, ground. It's quite flabbergasting, a first in my experience.

I have seen pictures of Japanese frame back razors that had blades thick enough to have been ground, I do not recall ever seeing one that old or not Japanese made. Cool find.

I have a Mappin Brothers that is a wedge grind instead of the usual thin blade like my Gilchrist and J.R. Torrey.

So after a bit of diving I discovered that it was a patented technique elaborated by Picault.

He would use soft cast steel for the frame, and melted steel to make plates 1/16 thick, as large as they were long, would press cut it, press stamp it, and shove it it the frame. He would them ground them just like a regular razor because trying to grind them like a rattler would be too difficult and with varying results.

That way he obtained razors that, according to testimony, performed better than rattlers for a fraction of the price of a regular razor.
They were deemed quite qualitative by the peers of the time.

Oh, in case you wonder, the scales have been certified as tortoise

Many English (mid 19th Elliot, Rodgers, W&B....) and even some French (Empire era - Mauguin, Charles ...) framebacks were "mini" wedges

two types of framebacks: Englis with back added and french with blade added

Ok. I stand corrected then. Thanks for the heads up Altus