Who's shaving with the oldest razor?

ouch said:

Great. Now I have to buy a two hundred year old razor.

Think about it- how many other hobbies feature products that can be that old and still used on a regular basis? Can anyone name any?

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I think that's my favorite aspect of this obsession. A 200 year old razor shaves as good today as it did when made.

ouch said:

Great answer, Mark.

But would anyone really use a 200 year old gun regularly? I think there's a difference between being able to use something and being able to use it daily.

Using an ancient gun must be a kick.

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Very good point! No way I'd be using a Walker Colt for shooting beer cans. But a razor can hold just as much history as a six shooter.

nice razors guys! How can i get my hands on a razor so old?

ebay but if you're patient they find their way into antique stores but you have to be quick. And you'll get it for a much better price there.

Not the oldest but still an oldie. This "Old Kentuck" scrimshaw still shaves beautifully. Circa 1850s.


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sfcablecar said:

Not the oldest but still an oldie. This "Old Kentuck" scrimshaw still shaves beautifully. Circa 1850s.


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Wow, that is beautiful!

Antique Hoosier said:

I have been selling some too to finance my addiction. My theory is the really early blades that Lummus documented may in fact, do to their scarce nature and typical hand forged design, become good long term holds.

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Particularly if they are in decent condition.

Do you shave with any of them? My oldest isn't as old as many of these but it is a damn fine razor. It is remarkable how well something 180 years old performs.

pz93c said:

My oldest. A Roberts Warranted.

Right now, it's getting the Glen treatment. I plan to shave with it as soon as it's home.

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What a score!!

DogHair said:

I think that's my favorite aspect of this obsession. A 200 year old razor shaves as good today as it did when made.

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Actually, with the hones and pastes available these days I would say these old razors actually shave BETTER than they did when they were made. Most gentlemen had at best, a cheap razor hone to maintain an edge. We have all those crazy micron pastes.

sfcablecar said:

Not the oldest but still an oldie. This "Old Kentuck" scrimshaw still shaves beautifully. Circa 1850s.


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nathanb said:

Wow, that is beautiful!

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This is my oldest. Early 1800's by the looks of it.

professorchaos said:

What a score!!

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Thanks, Henry.

Gafer said:

AMost gentlemen had at best, a cheap razor hone to maintain an edge. We have all those crazy micron pastes.

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Not all of us. I maintain mine with a barbers hone.

Johnmrson, that's a cool piece.

johnmrson said:

This is my oldest. Early 1800's by the looks of it.

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Looks like it's got a bevel. How's the shave?

DogHair said:

Looks like it's got a bevel. How's the shave?

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Yes, I honed it when I got it. It's not too bad. I'm actually planning on honing it again now that I've got a fair bit more experience and a new set of stones.

Wostenholm I-XL, Rockingham Works. From what I can tell, it's dated between 1825-1847. Not that old, but old enough. I really like the shank and the notch. Scales are ivoroid replacement and probably, I don't know, ~1920's(?).

Woodash said:

Wostenholm I-XL, Rockingham Works. From what I can tell, it's dated between 1825-1847. Not that old, but old enough. I really like the shank and the notch. Scales are ivoroid replacement and probably, I don't know, ~1920's(?).

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That is a very nice looking blade! I love that notch at the heel.

Old Metal and Horn keeps finding its way to Lakeland, Florida lately... Today, freshly flown in from California, an rather obscure Sheffield maker, Jonathan Hunt... Lummus states he operated his forge between 1829-1837. Possible mismatched George Washington and Bald Eagle coffin case included. I was the sole (crazy) $80.00 ebay bidder on this plain jane. I really like the Brown horn on this one and the lead wedge is also nice.

Antique Hoosier said:

Old Metal and Horn keeps finding its way to Lakeland, Florida lately... Today, freshly flown in from California, an rather obscure Sheffield maker, Jonathan Hunt... Lummus states he operated his forge between 1829-1837. Possible mismatched George Washington and Bald Eagle coffin case included. I was the sole (crazy) $80.00 ebay bidder on this plain jane. I really like the Brown horn on this one and the lead wedge is also nice.

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Another nice blade! Your collection is seriously growing.

Here's a couple fairly recent acquisitions. The James Crookes arrived with only one scale so he's been rescaled. Kind of a pain to hone but great once I got it right. Huge uneven bevel. I think this cutler may have been a predecessor to Jonathan Crookes. The Bengall just arrived the other day. The Cast Steel mark helps with dating. Pretty decent shape. A little work on the scales and some honing and he'll be shaving again in no time. I'd put both these guys in the 1820-1830 range.

DogHair said:

Another nice blade! Your collection is seriously growing.

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I'm truly enjoying acquiring these old blades!

Great History Lesson!