The Big Imp this morn…. I've been meaning to do some minor restoration on this fine razor (re-blue the tang & tail; re-pin the hinge as it is loose), but so far I've enjoyed shaving with it too much to relegate it to the restore queue. Soon, perhaps...
Wade & Butcher 13/16. I picked this one up a while back but just got 'round to honing it. It looks to be original and in good condition, so I've left it in the original trim for the time being - black horn, brass pins & washers, lead wedge, barber's notch. The stamp reads "MANUFACTURED BY" over "WADE & BUTCHER" over "SHEFFIELD". I don't think it's especially old, probably mid-to-late 19th C., but if anyone's got more information I'd love to hear it. At any rate it's fresh off the hones & a good stropping session (linen, Russian, Shell then Cordoban) and it shaves very nice indeed. Have a good Wednesday everyone.
I would venture to guess you're not too far off in your placement in the mid-to-latter half of the 19th century. Since 'England' is not stamped on it, we can assume it's pre-1891; and the curved, rounded tail shape is indicative of post-1845 (compare it to the tail shape of this older W&B pictured below), so this puts it comfortably, in my humble opinion, in the 1850-1890 range, giver or take a few years here & there.... But who really knows for sure? I'm certain there were variations knocked out from the factories with the intent of messing with the minds of future generations...
Sette Bellot 6/8 # 7 Solingen blade for the Italian market - darn nice shaver Razorock American Fine & Arko extra comfort w/glycerin AS- Pinaud Clubman original
F W Engels Perfection 15/16 Kevin, I finally got the MdC lather just right. So here's another change of heart. MdC is a great soap. I had to use more soap and work it longer. I just received this Perfection yesterday. My other Perfection is almost 9/8 and shinier. The price was too good on this one, so I had to overlook the surface "imperfections". I still prefer the other larger, heavier razor with thinner grind, but this one is excellent.
Robert, I'm glad to read you've solved the issues with the Martin de Candre. Some do have some problems initially with finding the right brush, water amounts, etc—not unlike the situation some find with the Mitchells wool fat. The MWF, like the MdC, is an excellent soap that is worth, IMO, the extra effort. Me? I still struggle with the Stirling soaps in getting decent, long-lasting lathers, whereas everyone else seems to have no problem. Lovely razor, by the way!
Yes, easy to lather, but two or three swirls as some people say is all that's needed leads to a thin lather that isn't helpful. Once I lathered with it like any other soap, using more soap, more water, more time, it worked.
J.B.F. Champlin 6/8. Speick cream & a refurbished Culmak. A very nice shave this morning - the old $8 Champlin hasn't disappointed me yet.
6/8 Freidel Koch one of a 7 day set - this one is as smooth as they get Alvarez Gomez crème - wonderful scent, easy lather AS - since the crème was Spanish I went with LaToja splash
Wm. Greaves oblique point wedge, 7/8. This one takes a very nice edge, and this morning's shave was incredibly smooth. Standard linen & shell stropping and that's all it took...BaddaBing! Smooth & sharp as a brand new Astra SP. This straight razor thing is gettin' too fun.
