Stub Tail Razors(Stub Tail Club)

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by DaltonGang, Feb 21, 2017.

  1. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    I just thought I would start a thread about these rarely seen razors. I can only remember two, even mentioned and shown on this site.
    @mrchick
    @HolyRollah
    What years were they produced?
    Who produced them?
    Any pros or cons associated with them?
    Pics of those owned by members would be nice.
     
  2. mrchick

    mrchick Odd, Terrible Avatar

    Nice topic. I am very fond of the older razors and have only managed to find two nice stub tails.
    The top one is the Millikin that was made in Dublin. It was probably made between 1800 and 1805.
    The second razor is a Broomhead. The earliest reference to this maker is 1774 and they were around into the early 1800's. From the shape of this one, I'm thinking it is late 1700's.
    [​IMG]
    The Millikin was restored by @HolyRollah and is a wonderful shaver. Kevin was able to put a great edge on it and I've managed not to ruin that edge.
    I plan on restoring the Broomhead myself some day.
    I enjoy thinking about what this razor has survived in history and who might of used it. These razors were made before cars and airplanes and I'm using one in the digital age.
    I know what razor I'm using in the morning
     
  3. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    I enjoy the history behind these old razors. They represent an early style of blade making that soon gave way to larger, more complicated forging techniques. The very early straights are simple, forged & flattened shanks of carbon steel with very little distinction between blade, tang and tail. The tang on Brian's Millikin above is one of the thinnest I've come across. It's fascinating to see the transitions through the decades as they become apparent from maker to maker. This stub tail razor from the early 1820s to mid 1830s by William Greaves & Sons shows how more 'finished' blade work had come in barely two+ decades: the thickened tang, robust spine and elegant curvature to the heavy blade.[​IMG]
     
  4. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Any info on time frames when stubtails were made? Who were the major manufacturers of them? Or, were there just a jumble of small manufacturers?
    Last question, are there certain quirks to honing these?
    There is a reason why I'm curious.
     
  5. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    I like watching the oldies restored, and put to use again. Keep us posted on the Broomhead.
     
  6. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Certain features help one to place the date of origin to a reasonable time frame on many razors.
    You've probably seen this image below as it has made it way to a number of postings on shave forums.
    It mainly uses the tail shape as a determining factor for date of manufacture.

    razor dating.jpg
     
  7. gssixgun

    gssixgun At this point in time...

    Supporting Vendor

    Yes

    They tend to be a Softer HT

    So you have to gently approach the final edge, really sneak up on them. I almost exclusively use a Coticule finisher sometimes even a BBW to work toward it

    IIRC you have the WHIG's that would also be a good route

    If you chase a Close shave or BBS these are not for you, they are about Nostalgia and they are usually a very comfortable edge, but they cannot compete with a more Modern Hollow Grind for closeness or for edge longevity

    ie: If you are a "High Performance" shaver this is not a good match :)


    I just finished fixing the shoulder and honing this one

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2017
  8. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    :happy088:

    But, you lost me on most of the abbreviations. HT, IIRC, BBW??
     
  9. gssixgun

    gssixgun At this point in time...

    Supporting Vendor
    HT = Heat Treat encompassing the temper also
    IIRC = If I Remember Correctly
    BBW= Belgian Blue Whetstone

    :)
     
  10. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    FTW! :happy088: (IMHO)...
     
  11. Billyfergie

    Billyfergie The Scottish Ninja

    Ach Aye the Noo..I Have Honed a Few of these for Folks & they are Quite Crude by Comparison to Later SRs..They Can Be Soft Tempered & Can Vary Somewhat from Razor to Razor & Can Take Some Care to Dial In..:)

    Billy..:chores016:
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2017
  12. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Now, that's just cruel.
     
  13. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Thanks. I was hoping BBW didn't stand for what I've heard before.
     
  14. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    You always have go there don't you? :rofl:
     
  15. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    "Big Beautiful Wookies" ?
     
  16. Billyfergie

    Billyfergie The Scottish Ninja

    [​IMG]
    :rofl:

    Billy..:chores016:
     
  17. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    :happy097::happy102::happy097::happy102::happy097::happy102::happy097::happy102::happy097:
     
  18. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Ok, I received a "Lot" of razors today. And this one was in it. I don't know how old it is, but it's in pretty good shape. The blade has a little very light black rust, but nothing on the edge. The blade measures 13/16th inch, and is still very sharp. It came with 8 razors total, 6 being straights, for $35.
    If anyone has the approx. age and history of this razor company, I would appreciate the help.

    W. Greaves & Sons. Stub tail
    W.Greaves & Son Before.JPG

    Greaves & Son Before.JPG
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2017
    RezDog, Enrico, Carbide Mike and 3 others like this.
  19. twhite

    twhite Peeping Tom

    Great score. I am sure that will cleanup great. Are you going to go full restore on that bad boy. Keep us posted.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     
  20. Billyfergie

    Billyfergie The Scottish Ninja

    The Company Started by William Greaves in Sheffield in 1780.. His sons joined the company in 1816 to make it William Greaves & Sons..Going By the Greaves Stamp it Would Perhaps Suggest it was Made After the Greaves Sons Joined the Company in 1816..:)

    Billy..:chores016:
     

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