Thread: A few pretty tortoise scale "reference shots"

This make and model of razor is pictured at the bottom of page 50 of Ritchie and Stewart's "Standard Guide to Razors" 3rd Ed. as an example of genuine tortoise. And a hot needle produced a smell very different from celluloid. I've smelled celluloid before, but not this smell. Could be something else...

I didn't actually anticipate or intend this to be a controversial post. .

In hindsight, I should have prefaced this all as opinion, and stuck with the pretty pictures. No attitude intended, truly.

I knew there was something familiar about that razor and Tim, you beat me to it. Yes, I have the same book and I'm at home now. Absolutely correct, page fifty bottom picture is your razor (yours looks to be in BETTER condition that the one pictured. For those who don't have the book the title of the picture (Identical to Tim's):
"Genuine tortoise shell. American Products Co., Cincinnati Ohio. Dewey Whited Collection."

The first picture on that page is of a sweet Wostie pipe razor and below it, a Clovis. Both with tortoise shell scales that have pattern and color like Tim's.

Tim, you scored.

Chris L

To have tortoise like that, your the luckiest guy in world. They look brand spanking new.

Philadelph,

Is that your knife? Regardless, that thing is AWESOME!

To me it looks gorgeous, Tim

But most important, how does it shave?

Very nice find. I love the look of tortoise scales. Being real tortoise is a plus but not required to be attractive.

Originally Posted by Chris L

I knew there was something familiar about that razor and Tim, you beat me to it. Yes, I have the same book and I'm at home now. Absolutely correct, page fifty bottom picture is your razor (yours looks to be in BETTER condition that the one pictured. For those who don't have the book the title of the picture (Identical to Tim's):
"Genuine tortoise shell. American Products Co., Cincinnati Ohio. Dewey Whited Collection."

The first picture on that page is of a sweet Wostie pipe razor and below it, a Clovis. Both with tortoise shell scales that have pattern and color like Tim's.

Tim, you scored.

Chris L

Thanks, Chris.

Incredibly, I noticed that a razor identical to that etched Wostenholm you saw on the top of page 50 is currently available on a major auction site, flying undetected under the radar as "unique spotted imitation tortoise." It happens.

(No I'm not bidding on it, nor am I involved in any way with the sale. I was just floored by the coincidence when I noticed it while browsing this weekend. Kind of like when you buy a car, and then suddenly start to notice your same car seemingly everywhere. )

Originally Posted by Maximilian

To me it looks gorgeous, Tim

But most important, how does it shave?

Thanks Maximillian. It shaves pretty well, and is very precise. It is made of very hard steel, and was surprisingly difficult to hone. But it is very lightweight, with a relatively thin spine for a 5/8ths. I'm still a new straight user, and tend to gravitate toward larger and heavier grinds as my finesse level with the smaller sizes isn't quite there yet.

These are tortoise scales on an Underwood wedge. Could be from 1850-1878. Seller Underwood mentioned in Dicken's London shopping guide. Probably made in Sheffield. Ref:
Victorian London - Directories - Dickens's Dictionary of London, by Charles Dickens, Jr., 1879 - "Tradesmen"
Good hunting!
Croaker

I still say they are not real tortoise. If you've had them professionally checked out by a trusted antiques dealer, then congratulations.

FWIW the guide books on razors and shaving memorabilia that are out there aren't all that accurate. I mean they are in terms of concrete evidence that has been found in terms of age or something, but the guys who wrote those books collect razors, not antique tortoise shell.

There is a discussion going on right now in the razors section about how one of the authors of one of those books really doesn't know what he's talking about in terms of certain things. I suggest you check it out before really trusting what any expert has to say. Make sure to read all the posts in order:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ht-razors.html

Check out the pix of this one here . The seller didn't say they were genuine tortoise but I believe they are. They are way thinner then celluloid the way the old ivory scales are thin and if you look at them with a 30X eye loupe there are a couple of small areas of delamination on the edges of the scales.

This is what I found here "Tortoiseshell, horny, translucent, mottled plates covering the carapace of the tropical hawksbill turtle. The plates, too thin for most purposes in their original form, are usually built up in layers that are molded or compressed after the surfaces have been liquefied by heat; thus, a firm union is effected after resolidification.

Inlays can be imbedded in the shell with a hot iron. Tortoiseshell has been used in veneering since ancient times; its chief use today is in the manufacture of toilet articles and decorative objects. It is imitated in products of celluloid and horn, but the laminated structure of most genuine work aids in identifying the real shell."