Direct from France
Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 3:55 am
Via the UK.. 
A "gentleman's 5 day set".
All nicely enclosed in box with strops built in to the box
Top is hinged with and interesting closure. All the pieces fit snugly inside.
Set consists of a handle and 5 blades.
The design of the handles and stubby tang would lead one to believe this is a mid 1700's to early 1800's set.
Such is not the case. It was made in France during a retro period of manufacture that occurred in the 1840's to 1860's. Also around that time it seems that every major and minor maker was desperately trying to reinvent the wheel as to removable blades and patent infringements ran rampant
The only markings on this set are the number "1".
The tang is marked as are the blades.
The closest anyone has come to identifying this set is from a drawing that is in one volume of a set of six by a Camile Paige published in the late 1800's. The books are in French and th owner of the book this plate is from is an Israeli. He says his comprehension of written French is poor at best.
The drawing at the top is close but not exactly like the set's.
At the moment I'm stalled out on this one. It's cleaned up a bit from the pics and oiled. I doubt I'll try honing any of the blades and trying a shave with it.
Although I did get this beast cleaned up, honed, and shaved with it today.
I'm not a fan of full hollows for shaving but that big boy has a very stiff blade and shaves nicely.
It appears to me to be reground blade. It was common to have a big wedge reground to hollow after the wedge got to the point it was hard to sharpen and to get a few more years of life from a blade. I suspect this one was an 8/8 with a hollow point at one time judging from the scales.
A "gentleman's 5 day set".
All nicely enclosed in box with strops built in to the box
Top is hinged with and interesting closure. All the pieces fit snugly inside.
Set consists of a handle and 5 blades.
The design of the handles and stubby tang would lead one to believe this is a mid 1700's to early 1800's set.
Such is not the case. It was made in France during a retro period of manufacture that occurred in the 1840's to 1860's. Also around that time it seems that every major and minor maker was desperately trying to reinvent the wheel as to removable blades and patent infringements ran rampant
The only markings on this set are the number "1".
The tang is marked as are the blades.
The closest anyone has come to identifying this set is from a drawing that is in one volume of a set of six by a Camile Paige published in the late 1800's. The books are in French and th owner of the book this plate is from is an Israeli. He says his comprehension of written French is poor at best.
The drawing at the top is close but not exactly like the set's.
At the moment I'm stalled out on this one. It's cleaned up a bit from the pics and oiled. I doubt I'll try honing any of the blades and trying a shave with it.
Although I did get this beast cleaned up, honed, and shaved with it today.
I'm not a fan of full hollows for shaving but that big boy has a very stiff blade and shaves nicely.
It appears to me to be reground blade. It was common to have a big wedge reground to hollow after the wedge got to the point it was hard to sharpen and to get a few more years of life from a blade. I suspect this one was an 8/8 with a hollow point at one time judging from the scales.
