Thread: Thomas Turner "The Royal Razor" 4 Day Set

I'm reposting this here - I initially put it in a razor club, which is fine, but probably will get more exposure to people who know stuff in here. So apologies if you've already seen it.

I got this 4 day set the other week. It was in good condition, a bit of loose material on the box and some light patina on some of the blades, but nothing too serious. Unfortunately when cleaning up number 4 it cracked up near the heel making it useless as a shaver, but still OK to keep in the set as a dummy.

The razors were presented to an H.J. Gray in 1906, so the razors were most likely manufactured around that time. Scales are plastic. Each blade has the Royal coat of arms engraved on it, and are numbered on the spine from 1 to 4 - there's also some ornate scroll work imprinted on the spine at the heel and toe ends, which you can just make out in my poor photos. They are full hollow, and I would guestimate 5-6/8ths.

It has a local Brisbane connection, which I find quite interesting. C. Zoeller & Co. were, based on my very brief research, a local Brisbane importer of surgical and veterinary implements, and prosthetic limbs etc. The members of the B. R. C. is anyone's guess - Brisbane Racing Club? Rugby Club? Rowing Club? H.J. Gray is probably a common-ish name, but there is a semi-famous H.J Gray, a world "rackets" champion in 1855 and founder of Gray-Nichols of cricket bat and hockey stick fame. Probably not the same guy, but intriguing nonetheless - what if B. R. C. stood for Brisbane Rackets Club?.... :hmmmm:

Anyway, thanks for reading, and here are the pictures.






James.

Nice find Jimbo
Very few razors around now will have the Royal Coat of Arms on them
And its all in a nice presentation case too

It may be worth while trying to find more history on this set
Enjoy them mate

Nice piece of history, James
As it happens I used to work wih a bloke by the name of Zoeller.
Pity one broke though.

Great find, James!

That is nice Jimbo, me being somewhat of an armchair historian, I am really curious as to the origins.

Beautiful.
How do they shave? I've been wanting a Turner for about a year now.

Originally Posted by Havachat45

Nice piece of history, James
As it happens I used to work wih a bloke by the name of Zoeller.
Pity one broke though.

Yeah, I was a bit on the devastated side when it happened, but upon calmer reflection these things do occur from time to time, and there's no use crying over spilt milk. In fact, the crack has given me something else to think about as it is displaying something weird that I would like to understand - the blade width has shrunk on the short side of the crack. I'll take pictures and start another thread on that when I get the chance.

So, it is disappointing but as I say, I still have 3 left to shave with, and I just finished cleaning number 4, oiled it up, and kept it in there anyway.

James.

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

Beautiful.
How do they shave? I've been wanting a Turner for about a year now.

They each shave very nicely indeed - typical Sheffield, really. I have yet to meet a Sheffield razor I didn't like. These were relatively easy to hone, being quite a hollow grind, but it appears that whoever owned them really only used one or two - almost no hone wear on 2 & 3, and very minimal on the other two. But yes, these shave very well - a shave fit for a King, I guess!

James.

Thanks for sharing the razors and their story.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

In fact, the crack has given me something else to think about as it is displaying something weird that I would like to understand - the blade width has shrunk on the short side of the crack.

James.

Stress due to the hammer forging process, softened steel is smashed/pushed/pulled/stretched under great pressure and then hardened with heat, the stress is due to a nonuniform strength (weakness) eventually causes a crack, relieving the stress causes a shrinkage (showing the actual elasticity of steel) on one side of the crack. Maybe?