Hi All,
I picked up this mysterious blade today. It seems to be hand-wrought and is about 5" long. It is sort of like a straight razor blade....sort of. There is no hole in the shaft for a pivot to connect it to a handle. The unusual curves on the end of the blade are quite symetrical. I think they and the ones on the opposite side at the base of the handle are deliberate.
Any thoughts on this?
Thanks!
Is this an antique straight razor?
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Re: Is this an antique straight razor?
Sorry I can't help, but that is an interesting very old looking knife. I wonder if it had some type of handle. With it only being 5 inches long it's very possible that it was a straight edge razor. I'm willing to bet that someone here knows a lot more about that knife than I do.
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John
Massachusetts Where Everything is Illegal or Taxed
John
Massachusetts Where Everything is Illegal or Taxed
Re: Is this an antique straight razor?
ToolsoOfOld
This is a head scratcher.
It looks like a razor or hair grooming tool and its a nicely cut piece of steel ,it almost says eastern to me chinese or vietnamese but i dont know honestly.
It looks like a diamond shape lozenge has been stamped into the metal near the tang ...makers mark maybe?
Wheŕe was this found or purchased ,could it be an ornate American tool for cutting tobacco in the shops of old with its curved cutting edge ,just an idea.
Heres some old razòrs ,i cant find one like yours my freind ,sorry.
Whatever it is i like it and thanks for giving me another thing to look for
Regards
gravknife
This is a head scratcher.
It looks like a razor or hair grooming tool and its a nicely cut piece of steel ,it almost says eastern to me chinese or vietnamese but i dont know honestly.
It looks like a diamond shape lozenge has been stamped into the metal near the tang ...makers mark maybe?
Wheŕe was this found or purchased ,could it be an ornate American tool for cutting tobacco in the shops of old with its curved cutting edge ,just an idea.
Heres some old razòrs ,i cant find one like yours my freind ,sorry.
Whatever it is i like it and thanks for giving me another thing to look for
Regards
gravknife
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Re: Is this an antique straight razor?
Ian,
Good to see you are still with us.
Bruce
Good to see you are still with us.
Bruce
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- Posts: 26
- Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:50 am
Re: Is this an antique straight razor?
Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. The mystery continues...
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- Posts: 26
- Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:50 am
Re: Is this an antique straight razor?
Oh...I see that I didn't answer your question, gravknife. I found this at the Brimfield Antique Fair in central Massachusetts a few weeks ago. The seller had no information on the knife.
Re: Is this an antique straight razor?
ToolsofOld,
Without seeing it closer and from the pic it doesn't look all that old to me. The patina looks forced and the borders seem very well defined. I think it is a newish blacksmithing project. It is well done for sure though, it took some skill to make it. Although you're in the right part of the country for one, I've never seen a legit Colonial straight razor look like that. It's more like a Japanese kamisori razor on an acid trip.
Typical Colonial made folding razor, very crude in comparison to English ones -
Typical kamisori razor -
Without seeing it closer and from the pic it doesn't look all that old to me. The patina looks forced and the borders seem very well defined. I think it is a newish blacksmithing project. It is well done for sure though, it took some skill to make it. Although you're in the right part of the country for one, I've never seen a legit Colonial straight razor look like that. It's more like a Japanese kamisori razor on an acid trip.
Typical Colonial made folding razor, very crude in comparison to English ones -
Typical kamisori razor -