Thread: Just venting about my stubby..

So I have a really nice Wosty* stubby that could be from as early as the 1750s. She's in great condition for her age but I just can't get her to shave. I have already had several members give it a go and they can't either.. I'm just so bumbed out because she is a beauty and I really want to shave with her.. What can you expect from a 260ish year old razor.. Sigh.. I guess I'm just going to be that guy with that one razor that he just has for show.

Got pics???

Originally Posted by HNSB

Got pics???

Here it is on the stubbies page!
The Stub-Tailed Shavers

I opened this thread almost expecting it to be about something very different.

Originally Posted by SixNipples

I opened this thread almost expecting it to be about something very different.

Lmao..

That isn't a Wostenholm at all - it is a George Johnson. The dart doesn't appear with the Wostenholm pipe. I think that the date is too early too - post 1800 I would think.

It's a lovely razor though. It has obviously been sharpened a bit in the past (flats on the spine, small 'spur' near the heel denoting hone wear) and it looks (although I can't really tell from sure by the pic) that it has been hollow ground at some point in the past (a lot of them were).

They can be tricky to hone. The hollow grinding tends to peter-out at the tang (probably because there was no obvious demarcation between tang and blade when made) so there is often a lot of wear on the spine at that point and corresponding wear at the bevel (which causes that little spur).

Why can't it be made to shave? Have you examined the bevels under magnification to ensure that they meet at all points along the blade? Sometimes it helps to put two or three layers of tape on the spine (with narrow tape, else you will ride on the edge of the tape as the hollow grinding is usually quite shallow) - some pictures taken real close-up of the bevel would be interesting to see.

One word of caution about that book you mentioned in the other thread - it is full of errors and inconsistencies. My copy is amended so much you wouldn't believe it!

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

That isn't a Wostenholm at all - it is a George Johnson. The dart doesn't appear with the Wostenholm pipe. I think that the date is too early too - post 1800 I would think.

It's a lovely razor though. It has obviously been sharpened a bit in the past (flats on the spine, small 'spur' near the heel denoting hone wear) and it looks (although I can't really tell from sure by the pic) that it has been hollow ground at some point in the past (a lot of them were).

They can be tricky to hone. The hollow grinding tends to peter-out at the tang (probably because there was no obvious demarcation between tang and blade when made) so there is often a lot of wear on the spine at that point and corresponding wear at the bevel (which causes that little spur).

Why can't it be made to shave? Have you examined the bevels under magnification to ensure that they meet at all points along the blade? Sometimes it helps to put two or three layers of tape on the spine (with narrow tape, else you will ride on the edge of the tape as the hollow grinding is usually quite shallow) - some pictures taken real close-up of the bevel would be interesting to see.

One word of caution about that book you mentioned in the other thread - it is full of errors and inconsistencies. My copy is amended so much you wouldn't believe it!

Regards,
Neil

I bow to you Neil. lol
It hasnt been hollowed out, it is still true wedge. I guess I will have to send it out to Glenn when I have the extra mula!
Gotta pay off some razors first!

I reckon I must have been looking at the pic of the razors listed as Wostenholms (erroneously) on the page you linked to! Is there a pic of the actual razor you have on that page?

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I reckon I must have been looking at the pic of the razors listed as Wostenholms (erroneously) on the page you linked to! Is there a pic of the actual razor you have on that page?

Regards,
Neil

The razor on the very top with the red background is mine, it looks really close to the ones regarded as Wosties.

Gotcha - that was the one I was looking at! I just noticed the writing up top though - you call it a George Johnson there! So it was the other article that convinced you it wasn't a GJ but a Wostie, right?

I apologise if this all seems self-evident, but it's been a long day here and I really should go an lay down in a dark room with some cans for a while...

Regards,
Neil