Is this an antique straight razor?

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ToolsOfOld
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:50 am

Is this an antique straight razor?

Post by ToolsOfOld »

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!
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john
Posts: 4486
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:40 am
Location: New England, MA USA

Re: Is this an antique straight razor?

Post by john »

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.
Your friend on the web's most friendly community on knives and blades,
John

Massachusetts Where Everything is Illegal or Taxed
gravknife
Posts: 1491
Joined: Fri Dec 11, 2015 9:34 pm

Re: Is this an antique straight razor?

Post by gravknife »

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
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BruceS
Posts: 108
Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2017 12:27 am

Re: Is this an antique straight razor?

Post by BruceS »

Ian,
Good to see you are still with us.

Bruce
ToolsOfOld
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:50 am

Re: Is this an antique straight razor?

Post by ToolsOfOld »

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. The mystery continues...
ToolsOfOld
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:50 am

Re: Is this an antique straight razor?

Post by ToolsOfOld »

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.
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novice
Posts: 102
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 3:26 pm

Re: Is this an antique straight razor?

Post by novice »

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 -

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Typical kamisori razor -

Image
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