Wade and Butcher information please

R

revmic

Joined
Oct 30, 1999
Messages
936
Hi
I'm a newbie on this site tho' ive been on the forums since the '90's. I've got a Wade and Butcher razor that I'd like to get sharpened. I appreciate that the job requires a specialist but have no clue as to who or where or ??? Would appreciate some suggestions and possibly some insight into my piece, i.e. age, etc. I'm told the handle is baleen but what say you. thank in advance...Mike
 
Thank you Carbonsteel...I'll contact "Doc". Any thoughts about my razor? vintage? age? is it really baleen? etc?
 
Your W&B is pre 1891 as it is stamped Sheffield not Sheffield England. Around that time there was a trade agreement that the country of origin must be marked on products. I believe the scales are horn. Nice W&B in decent condition. It should clean up and hone up well.

Bob
 
Thanks for the input Bob. I'm reasonably familiar with horn as used for knife scales and these do no appear to me to be horn. I believe baleen was used in an earlier time frame but frankly I'm just a novice re: these things. Thanks again for helping an old man improve his knowledge....BTW, I'm still looking for someone to hone this thing as I've not been able to touch bases with "Doc".
 
You could easily be right that they are baleen .I just never heard of it before but that does not mean they did not use baleen.

Bob
 
Asked about Baleen scales on a dedicated to straight razors and I think you will find it interesting, particularly post #7 http://straightrazorplace.com/razors/112651-baleen-scales.html#post1373786 . My take is that it would be possible to use baleen instead of horn for making scales but they are so similar it would be difficult/impassible to prove which material it really was. You learn something new everyday. Thanks for getting my curiosity up.

Bob
 
Wow! Ask the man who knows! Thank you for your curiousity Bob. It's really great how much there is to still learn and how many great folks there are who choose to share. Thanks again :thumbup:
 
not trying to hijack your thread, but i too recently acquired a Wade & Butcher. yours looks like its in better condition, but mine was still hair popping sharp....maybe not razor but damn good for a rusted old blade!

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some guy apparently thought it was cool to inscribe the handle with nonsense....oh well
 
Hair popping sharp would not describe mine. Mine is like 1/4" thick at the spine. I can't tell for sure from your pics but yours appears to be thinner.
 
yes, mine has a very thin, extra hollow grind, I believe. I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to razors, so I'm not sure exactly what size blade it has. Nice score though friend!
 
brotherscinco said:
yes, mine has a very thin, extra hollow grind, I believe. I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to razors, so I'm not sure exactly what size blade it has. Nice score though friend!
Click to expand...

A lot of the old heavy grind razors were reground to full hollows at some point. As a shaver that does not matter and a full hollow can be easier to hone. Blade size is usually the measurement from the spine to edge in eighths of an inch or millimeters.

Bob
 
Thanks, bob! That would make sense because of almost all the pictures I have seen that match my razor, there is usually etching on the blade, whereas the blade on mine is sterile except for the tang etching. But, that's all speculation on my part..
 
Here's one that I have.







I always assumed the handle (unfortunately broken) to be horn, but the idea of it being baleen is intriguing. Mine is also about 1/4" thick and 7/8" wide. The tang markings look the same except for the logo under the text. Mine does not say "England" either, but I'm fairly sure it was made for sale in Britain, so the 1891 trade agreement with the USA would not apply. That being the case, it may be more recent.
 
iSaur

Nice razor and a pity about the broken scale (handle). I do not think that yours is more recent judging by the style of the scales and the stacked washers at the wedge pin end. I also do not believe that they used 2 different stamps when making the razors, one for domestic consumption and one for export but can't say for sure.

Bob
 
From what I know of the provenance of my razor, I agree that it is probably 19th century or very early 20th. What I meant to say is that the absence of "England " on the tang may not be conclusive. You mention the style of the scales, which I note is different from Revmic's razor. Does that tell you anything other than that they are different models?

Revmic, does the scale material on your razor resemble mine? That may tell us something if they are clearly different, but not much if they look the same, since horn and baleen are so similar.
 
Isaur: Mine looks very similar to yours as you say, there's no clear difference at least from the pics. Mine does have 3 stacked washers on both sides of each pin. The spacer on mine is apparently metal, silver in color and non-magnetic. The blade is engraved but the features are barely ledgeble. They appear to be several symbols i.e. crossed swords, a six pointed star, a circle enclosing a face with radii emitting from the circle in the four cardinal directions. Pardon my poor descriptions but maybe someone has a thought or two.

Bob: Thanks for the site info. The one site offered examples of the mfg. markings. I note that mine was not included in their collection. Important? Your tho'ts?
 
revmic said:
Isaur: Mine looks very similar to yours as you say, there's no clear difference at least from the pics. Mine does have 3 stacked washers on both sides of each pin. The spacer on mine is apparently metal, silver in color and non-magnetic. The blade is engraved but the features are barely ledgeble. They appear to be several symbols i.e. crossed swords, a six pointed star, a circle enclosing a face with radii emitting from the circle in the four cardinal directions. Pardon my poor descriptions but maybe someone has a thought or two.

Bob: Thanks for the site info. The one site offered examples of the mfg. markings. I note that mine was not included in their collection. Important? Your tho'ts?
Click to expand...

If by spacer you mean the wedge a lot of old Sheffie razors had lead wedges. There were a heck of a lot of different blade etchings/engravings used. You might like this thread http://straightrazorplace.com/razors/99144-wade-butcher-blade-etchings-stamps.html . I'll bet that barely scratches the surface of the number of different ones. No idea about the manufacturers markings other than to say it might not be a complete listing. I just know some of the basics being more of a user than a collector. You would really need to find a hard core collector/historian of W&B straights for more detailed answers.

Bob
 
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