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Open razors - introduction
Open razors (please don't call them cut-throat razors!) are superb examples of the craftsmen's skill. They can be extremely collectable, often because the scales (the handle) are very decorative and made of fine materials such as ivory or tortoiseshell, pearl or horn.
The blades are a triumph of the grinders' skill in producing the 'hollow' ground finish, which allows for a very narrow angle at the cutting edge supported by the heavier back of the blade.
The blades also provided an oportunity for acid-etched decoration and jolly little messages to the purchaser, telling him what a fine blade he was using.
Millions were made in Sheffield until they were replaced by the disposable wafer blade razors. The notes in this section give the terminology used by Sheffield craftsmen and we hope that the information will be of use to collectors. We are adding examples from the Hawley Collection, showing the diversity, but also the way razors were described in the trade. Photographs courtesy of Jeff Warner.
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parts of an open razor blade
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notes on steel for the blade
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Blade steel.
All Sheffield razors were made from high quality crucible cast steel of 1.4% carbon. The ingot was cogged under a large hammer, rolled to a tapered section of suitable size, then cut to 8-10 foot lengths known as `strings´. Most razors until about 1900 were hand forged. After this time they were drop stamped, they were then hardened, tempered over a coke fire and then ground.
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