Wade & Butcher~U.S. Battleship Razor

W

whitebuffalo2

Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
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I recently purchased a Wade & Butcher straight razor. It came in the original tube box and both are in really good condition. However there is just a bit of carbonization begining to form on the blade. It also has a few chips out of the celluloid handle. I've been collecting pocket knives for about 40 years but am new to the razors. My interest is growing with each one I aquire. Anyway my questions for this razor are these. One, the celluloid handle is an opaque cream color. I believe I could fill the chips with epoxy, sand smooth and repolish them. Is this an exceptable thing to do? Two, the light carbon spots could likely be buffed out but while cleaning it with soap and water, I discovered a blade etch which reads, "U.S. Battleship" just above the cutting edge. From there up it appears to be a picture of a ship but the carbon spots are covering most of that up. Even under magnification I can't quite make out the entire ship but I'm sure that's what it is. I can't find any other wording that might indicate what ship it might be. I guess my question is, should I leave well enough alone and maintain the integrity of what etch is there. Or should I attempt cleaning and polishing the blade and let the chips fall where they may? Also does anyone here specialize in razors associated with use on U.S. Ships? Would appreciate any help you folks could offer. WB
 
I use straight razors, I don't collect them or do alot of restoration work, your more likely to get an answer on Straightrazorplace.com. There are alot of nice people over there and they helped me alot when I was learning to shave.
 
Yah, I kinda noticed after reading a few posts that most here were into using straight razors rather than collecting them.:eek: Not an avenue I'm EVEN ready to start down. Call it Sweeney Todd syndrome. I gotta respect you guys that are doing that though, even if ya'll are crazy.:D Just kidding fellers. Sorry to take up space, I'll move on. Thanks for the website, I'll give it a try. Best regards. WB
 
No problem man, this place doesn't get used too much anyways ^_^ hope you get some good info
 
Yah, I sure will. From a collector stand point, info seems to be very limited on the history of specific straight razors. There is one publication that I've found, but being new to the genre and uncertain just how far I'll get into it. I'm not sure if I'm ready to fork over the bucks for the book. I mean, I only have this straight razor and one other, a Keen Kutter that belonged to my wife's grandpa. They say 2 of anything is a collection, but $30 for a book to look up 2 razors? A couple of things I have discovered through research are, the handles aren't celluloid they are actually cow horn. Also, with the U.S. Battleship etch, it was surely made sometime between WWI and WWII, and Wade and Butcher are considered some of the highest end razors available, which is kinda cool! Anyway, I did request info through straightrazorplace.com but havn't gotten any replies yet. Will be sure to let ya'll know if I do. Thanks for joinin' in, WB
 
yeah most razors only really get an ID down to manufacturer and decade. which you already know really. It is most certainly of a ww2 ship. Battleships weren't prevalent in ww1, and it would be called a dreadnought. I wouldn't discount the possibility that it was made after ww2 as a commemorative type of thing. so 1916 to late 40's

If you can get a picture of the outline I may be able to narrow it down to a class.
 
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I've tried every camera angle I could but can't capture the etch. Even tried to do a rubbing to see if I could pickup some of the detail, no luck. Looking straight on you wouldn't even know it's there. I just happened to hold it in the light just right and caught it. Can make out the waves and both ends of the ship fairly well but the center section is very hard to see. Anyway, I kinda wondered if maybe these were military issue at some point in time. But you could be right, might be a commem. of some sort since there doesn't appear to be any designation to any particular branch or ship. I've seen similar razors from cruise ships. I believe they were put in the cabins for passenger use and most had etches of a passenger ship on them. Oh well, the journey continues, will let ya know if I find anymore info. WB
 
w. & b. made many razors with american patriotic themes , many in the 1800s. themes : " the union must & will be preserved" & " americans only want what is just & right" etc. battleships were a common theme & i would'nt try to polish the blade. another point is old razors are no where near the value of old pocketknives. a 1940 case may be worth much more than an 1890 joesph rogers . many very old razors survived since in times past a straight razor cost a man's weekly wage, pocketknives were only pennies.older american razors usually demand much higher prices than imported. Robert Doyle wrote the 1st book i was aware of in the 70s but there is lots of info from forum members in certain sections.dennis
 
Hi Dennis, Figured I'd start here and see where it lead me. Good info and advice. I had pretty much decided to leave well enough alone on the blade. Even though the etch is weak, it's still legible to some degree and part of the razors history. Since I don't use these old razors for shaving, the etch appeals more to me than the mirror finish. I have to admit though, it was tempting because the blade could very easily be brought back to a full high polish. But what's left of the etch would undoubtedly be lost. Anyway, thanks for weighing in, all help is appreciated. WB
 
I think I know the razor you are talking about. The picture is possibly the U.S. Iowa from the spanish american war in 1898.The U.S.S. Iowa was the biggest battleship in the U.S. fleet. It was involved in the first bombardment of the fort neat Santiago. It cost three million dollars to build and was equipped with 11,000 horsepower.
 
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