I picked up an old Larkin razor that was in halfway decent shape (scales were cracked, loose pins, rust on the blade & tang, but at least the edge looked good ). Larkin, to my understanding, was a hardware business that sold a variety of straight razors under the 'Larkin' name. I have read that they were made by Henckel, but I have no way of verifying it. The Larkin as it arrived: Surprised to see such a small blade (2" in length) on full-sized scales. Had the blade been reduced? If it was modified, those responsible did a very nice job as the nose end appears 'factory finished'—not the 'hack job' that I have seen on other modified blades. (see 4th photo below) I made some new scales for it from some California walnut. These scale were smaller than normal, in proportion to the blade size. Kind of 'cute'…. Re-pinned with silver nickel rods & stainless washers… Here's the new Little Larkin…. The remainder of the Larkin tang stamp. I do like the jimps! Here's a size comparison of the Little Larkin with a full-size straight—(maybe even on the larger size): I'm going to try and get this little guy honed tonight for maybe one more shave before tomorrow. The Larkin feels a bit 'small' in my hands, but the real test is the shave!
Wow man, nice work... I ve been splitting fire wood all weekend ... I have a couple that are on my too do list when I find the time
Many people myself included like a shorter blade Kev The only reference to Larkin in my razor book is shown as made in England, will keep looking
I have a Larkin, will add a pic later. Here is a full length Larkin, not sure if the funky variegated scales are original. Also a shot of it with the Red Imp
i snuck in one final pre-surgery SR shave last night with the Larkin. happy to report the shave was very smooth, no tugs, and the little blade felt very good on the skin. the shortness of the blade took some getting used to…a couple of close calls with the slightly-rounded off square point (good thing it was round a bit!)…but overall, this Little Larkin is a fine little shaver. a relative breeze to hone….
I dunno, Mitch. The scales on it just looked ridiculously large. I found myself peeking down the large gap between the blade and the wedge thinking, "Where'd the rest of it go?"
Haha haha...that would have been a puzzler alright... to bad that some of the shavers don't talk to us that razor could have been Napoleon's razor.