Stamps on tail end of tang

[kfd518]

I am looking to determine what different letter stamps on the end of the tang of Wester Bros straight razors may be? On the end that sticks out of the bottom of the scales at the short curved portion on two of my razors are different letters.
They may mean nothing however, if someone knows anything about it I would like to hear what you know.

Thanks, Dale

 

[Legion]

Pics?

They probably indicate the model number of the razor.

 

[kfd518]

This one which I just purchased & the bottom razor in the second photo.
I have also seen letter stamps on others online but they are not mine to post photos of.

Thanks, Dale

 

[Gamma]

I've come across this on a few different razors from a few different brands. I always assumed it was a lot code or something. Never saw any info about that on those specific razors, but Thiers used to code the tang in a similar way when they were experimenting with different recipes for their (at the time) new C135 steel.

 

[Goofy_Bee]

Henckels stamped their SR with the model No. on the tang for japanese market (If I'm not wrong). I guess it was for barbers who stored the razor in the chest pocket. That way they see the right model without pulling it out.

 

[Legion]

Henckels stamped their SR with the model No. on the tang for japanese market (If I'm not wrong). I guess it was for barbers who stored the razor in the chest pocket. That way they see the right model without pulling it out.

I’ve seen Japanese (and other antique) razor boxes where a number of razors are stored toe down, with the tail poking out.

 

[Legion]

Like this one off the internet.

 

[Goofy_Bee]

Like this one off the internet.

View attachment 1740632

Nice box.
If the no. is on the tang, you'll see what you get.

 

[Legion]

I kind of do a similar thing with my bulk stored razors, then I roll them and store them in a big jar.

 

[kfd518]

Alrighty, some ideas given. I wish I could find more info on Wester bros or Wester and butz. Far and few between for anything but dates of operation.
Thank you for your replies gentlemen.

 

[Steve56]

You might try to find a catalog online, that may help.

 

[kfd518]

You might try to find a catalog online, that may help.

Been trying for a while nothing comes up. I did find them in an OLD NYC telephone directory but no advertisement

 

[Trikuha]

Very interesting comment. Can anyone confirm it? The Friodur 14 are my favorite straight razors, I have several 14s, with the number in both places. I thought the ones with it on the tail were more modern, with the red plastic case. The others, I thought were older because of their cardboard case. I would very much like to resolve this question. I would also like to know the approximate year in which they were manufactured.

 

[Trikuha]

Like this one off the internet.

View attachment 1740632

Ohhh! I want one of this!!

 

[Trikuha]

Tiene sentido. Arriba una Philharmonic 14 y abajo una Filarmónica 13 para el mercado japonés (incluye otra 13 +B en la cola).

 

[sexy beast]

I have three Japanese Folding Iwasaki that have numbers stamped near pin and tang. Never seen that before. I should have asked the guy in Japan what it was reference too. They older razor. My guess two of them were made I believe shortly after WW2 and the other in the 70's.

 

[Gamma]

Some Iwasaki razors were stamped with coded references to batch lots, tempering methods, and some sort of hardness scale.
The boxes were sometimes stamped similarly. At some point, the means to decipher the code was lost. No one knows what the characters refer to anymore. It was done to help them keep track of batches, lots, and methods. Very much like what Thiers did when they were beta testing versions of C135 on the general public.

The 'y' on the OP's blade says 'batch lot' mark to me, or similar. It's sort of obscured and I would think that if it was intended to be a visual indicator it would be in clear view.
The 13b on the Fill, anyone's guess.

I think most of this sort of stuff was ever written down. Production methods in factories were often just passed along by word of mouth and protocols often changed on the fly without warning or documentation.
I've seen many razors with characters and numbers toward the end of the tang and they didn't relate to anything that could identify the razor. Had several of the same model Torrey and each had unique marks, for example. I think some Robesons were the same way too. Haven't come across any lately though.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I think some Robesons were the same way too. Haven't come across any lately though.

The Robeson models, at least some of them, corresponded to skin/hair types according to catalogs I've seen online. What that meant in terms of grind or other manufacturing considerations I can only guess.

https://robesonsrme.com/razors.php

I have seen other Robeson model stamps that don't appear in this list, though.

 

[Gamma]

Yeah, the 'razor that fits your face' was a good marketing scheme, not convinced it ever translated well into real life. The numbering on the tang didn't always subscribe to their 'list', and sometimes you can find 3-4 of them, no "TRTFYF" etch, all different, with the same numbers that are not in the booklet.
They all seem to shave sort of the same to me though.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Yeah, I have one without the etched slogan but with one of the booklet model stamps. So no consistency.