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Just a photo of a recent restore

Toff

Toff

Well-Known Member
Hi folks, not a lot of photos from every angle but I do like the way this blade came out. Looks to have been reground late 19th century and I left a bit of meat at the edge to assure that it would hone well...it did! Horn with original wedge and nickle silver
ZZFredricks5smincoming.jpg

XFR13.jpg

Respectfully
~Richard
 
There is something quite unique going on with the proportions of this razor. I like it a lot. It either is shorter than average, or has a beefier tang than usual (even for a Sheffield). That gives it a very appealing (to me, at least) compact look.
It's a great restore that preserved the historic character of the razor.

Well done, Richard.

Bart.
 
Thank you Bart and all!
Wonderful question!! Long answer! I get to learn what I saw!!!Here are my guesses; thinking back over the job:

The razor is a Fredrick Reynolds of about 1860 manufacture. I think that originally it could have been perhaps 30mm/10/8ths in blade width, as a wedge, but the grind at the stabilizer doesn't fully support that idea. My thought being that the regrind is most noticeable at the tip. Perhaps it was originally a blade widening from the shoulder to the tip when manufactured?? The length is as found and the new scales are made 2/8ths+/6.5+mm shorter between pin centers. That seemed to give a better visual balance. There was a large gap between the blade and the wedge originally. So the length may have been shortened or the tip shape changed. But the blade edge is a full 3+inches/~80mm
I have a few of these older razors with the wide shank and am not sure how or why they have become the blade width they now exhibit..?? edit: Perhaps it was a French Point like the one below; the second blade from the right??
Fodderfortheshop-1.jpg

Every time I disassemble and clean or restore or rebuild or customize a razor, I always am wondering; Who, where, and why?
That to me is the real satisfaction of working with older objects. I am studying the manufacture of items back in the day and hope to be able to return a razor to exactly as it left the fitter upper a century or more ago. They used different, or less presently common, chemicals and tools and the finishing was not as bright/shiny as we are now accustomed. Even some of the names like dragons blood used as a dye now seem quaint but back then they were common, if a bit poisonous. The Black horn was expensive and I find that much of the black horn we now see was actually ox horn dyed to a black!
Respectfully
~Richard
 
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