The latest straight razor coming from our workshop is a rare and precious Smith & Hawksley. The company was founded by William L. Smith and William Brown Hawksley in 1845. They were manufacturers of razors, pen & pocket knives at 42 Lambert Street in Sheffield. Sadly, the company shut its doors with the death of Hawksley in 1864.
Our 5/8" sized, near wedge Smith & Hawksley Straight Razor is approximately 170 years old, and it shows the accumulation of this age from the traces of old corrosion pitting on it. We cleaned it as much as possible without ruining the grind and made very stylish scales from ram’s horn for this rare razor. As for the steel, it has classical characteristics of antique Sheffield razors. Soft, easy to hone and very gentle on the skin. If you're looking for an antique Sheffield razor that will give you gentle, comfortable shaves, look no further.
Straight Razor Care Instructions
Unlike any other shaving tools, straight razors require special care. The cutting edge must be protected from impacts and contact with any hard surface. After each shave you must clean and dry your straight razor with a soft paper towel without touching the very edge and strop it to keep it sharp. You can strop on the canvas side of your strop to clean the cutting edge after each shave. Please do not try to sharpen your straight razor by yourself if you don’t have adequate honing experience, otherwise you can cause irreparable damage. You may consult our straight razor honing service. If you won’t be using your straight razor for a long time, it’s best to cover it with a thin coat of oil to keep it rust free. This is especially important for straight razors with carbon steels, as carbon steel is very prone to rust in humid conditions. Keep your straight razor in a dry place and out of children’s reach.
CAUTION: Straight razors are serious tools for experienced users who know their faces, skins, whisker types and how to lather well. They can cause serious accidents and injuries in the hands of people without enough experience. If you’re enthusiastic about traditional wet shaving but don’t have the experience needed for using a straight razor, then we recommend checking out our double edge safety razors first.
Please note; comes only as straight razor; stand image was added as reference.