Identifying your Straight Razor:
Sometimes Identifying your razor can be troublesome. There are many resources, both online and in print, that can aid you in your quest for information. I will list the resources at the end of this page.
The first thing you can take a look at to help you identify your razor, and the simplest if the razor's tang. Often the razor maker and the place of manufacture is stamped here. You can use this name to look online, or in Goin's encyclopedia (or other good publications) to find the place and/or date of manufacture. Sometimes these stamps aren't clear, and you will have to do some guesswork as to the rest of the stamp, and this is OK ... BUT it's important you don't misrepresent your razor if you are selling it.
Sometimes there may be only blade etching/markings, this can help identify razors by models or makers branding, but this is less clear cut than makers stamps on the tang.
Dating a razor can be done using the makers name also, or marks such as country of origin, or references to other important timescales. These other timescales can include things like who was ruling a particular country at the time of manufacture. Countries that may not exist with the same name as they do now. Certain materials such as Silver Steel can also hint towards a date of manufacture, or markings on the blade using certain words like "warranted".
A razors' scales can give you a great deal of information regarding the time of manufacture, or indeed who made the razor. It is important to note that scales can be easily removed and put on another blade though, so these aren't always 100% reliable.
I am beginning to make a database of razors on this site, but there are other very good resources for information in this field.
These include:
Straight Razor Place
Uniclectia
Archivingindustry.com 1 2 3
Taylors1000
STRazors
The first thing you can take a look at to help you identify your razor, and the simplest if the razor's tang. Often the razor maker and the place of manufacture is stamped here. You can use this name to look online, or in Goin's encyclopedia (or other good publications) to find the place and/or date of manufacture. Sometimes these stamps aren't clear, and you will have to do some guesswork as to the rest of the stamp, and this is OK ... BUT it's important you don't misrepresent your razor if you are selling it.
Sometimes there may be only blade etching/markings, this can help identify razors by models or makers branding, but this is less clear cut than makers stamps on the tang.
Dating a razor can be done using the makers name also, or marks such as country of origin, or references to other important timescales. These other timescales can include things like who was ruling a particular country at the time of manufacture. Countries that may not exist with the same name as they do now. Certain materials such as Silver Steel can also hint towards a date of manufacture, or markings on the blade using certain words like "warranted".
A razors' scales can give you a great deal of information regarding the time of manufacture, or indeed who made the razor. It is important to note that scales can be easily removed and put on another blade though, so these aren't always 100% reliable.
I am beginning to make a database of razors on this site, but there are other very good resources for information in this field.
These include:
Straight Razor Place
Uniclectia
Archivingindustry.com 1 2 3
Taylors1000
STRazors