I recently picked up this MAB straight razor at an antique store. It is in very good condition. Scales are tight and in good condition. It only required some 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper and lots of Mother's Mag and Aluminium Polish. It cleaned up nicely, but there is a stubborn patch of stain on the blade. The edge is in good condition. I just need to set a new bevel and hone. The blade is shorter than the usual SR (6 cm). In my book of straight razors it says is it German made. No idea of the date.
Maybe it was a mob(Mafia) razor, but made for the mob in Boston, Mass. This is a stretch, so with their Bostonian accents, perhaps the German merchant that took their order heard MAB instead of MOB. Totally out of left field here..... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
No need to STROP! The MAB Co. 94 Newhall St. Birmingham, England. Circa: 1886 to 1906-8 "Many flattering notices from the press..." Whole week's worth of MABs....
Thanks for posting this info Kevin. Very nice vintage ad. And the 7-day set is truly a marvel to behold. Very nice. At least now I know I don't have to strop . How did that ad make it to press? The guy who wrote that ad obviously didn't shave with a SR! I would dearly love to see the faces of the 5 men that Nelly Wick shaved in 4 minutes and 42 seconds. I can just imagine the sting from the alum bar!
I'm fairly certain that the majority of men in the advertisement's audience (as well as the copywriter himself) probably ONLY used straight razors (late 1800s-early 1900s). That being said, a copywriter's job is to NEVER let the real facts about a product's ability interfere with outlandish sales promotion claims!
If you are talking about the large black patch, covering about half the blade, then I would suggest going more drastic. Use 320 grit wet/dry with some oil lube. Do the same working your way up to 1200-1500 grit. Unless the metal is severely pitted, that should do the trick, and leave a nice satin finish.
The large black patch is just shadow. I am terrible at taking pictures. The stain patch to which I am referring is more in the center of the blade...not very noticeable. Otherwise it is almost a mirror finish. Here is a different picture with some blue sky reflected and the window sash. (I really do need to build a photo box)
It looks good, so far. Two ways I think you could go about it. 1. If you want a mirror shine, then you will have to remove more metal. It's probably pitting. 2. If you don't require a mirror finish. I prefer a satin finish on vintage blades. Just do some light sanding, 220-320-400-600-800-1200-1500 wet/dry, with an oil lube. This is more forgiving of imperfections, and looks good too.
I have Honed a Number of these MAB SRs here in the UK..I Wasn't Sure What they Were Till Kev Posted the Sheffield Advert..The Steel Always Felt More Solingen Like on the Hone to Me..What Do I Know..??.. Billy..
That 7-day set I posted above could very well be all ivory handled ($$) by the way. I'm not familiar with the pricing displayed in the ad, Billy (2/6, 3/6, 7/6, 9/6?). The "Post free" I get.
Kev..2/6 For Example..Was 2/6 = 2 Shillings & 6 Pennies & So Forth..This was Old Brit Money...It Changed in the Late 60s & Early 70s when I was a Boy to Decimal..The Current Currency...So in New Money its Roughly 23 Pence..That Sounds Cheap but the Older Money was Worth More in the Real Economy..We were Ripped Off Big Time when they Changed Currency...Also the Razor Price was a Long Time Ago when Wages in the UK were Diabolical for the Working Man.. Billy..
Thanks for the clarification! As we like to do around here for laughs & giggles: In 2016, the relative value of £0 9s 6d from 1886 (the price in the ad for a pair of the ivory-handled MABs) converts today to approximately £47.49