Escher & Co. Barber's Delight No. 1 Thuringian Water Hone yellow/green Y/G (ID-005)
Size: 150x40x20mm weight: XXXgr.
Density: X,XXgr./cm³ / Estimated grit size: very fine >12K
Usage: only with water, never use Oil!!
Colour: a yellow green (YG) coloured stone
General Information on Thuringian Water Razor Hones:
These stones are ones of the most known and well appreciated water razor hones today and they have been within the last 200 years. Beeing quarried in Thuringia in the region around Sonneberg (some Quarries were in Steinach, Steinheid, Goldisthal, Forschengereuth, Hämmern, Lauscha, etc.) These stones seem to have already been quarried since the 14th Century. Actually it’s a pity that there is no documented evidence about this fact . There are many historical sources naming these stones, which were sold under different older german names like (Wetzschalen, Abziehsteine, Poliersteine, etc.)
The most interesting and most un-researched Issue is the export of the Thuringian water hones around the world. They can be found everywhere around the world, especially in the USA, Russland, England, France, Spain and other countries. There are a bunch of retailers who sold the stones under their own trademark (f.ex. Bieber, Hahn, etc) . There were also a lot of US catalog companies who sold German Water Razor Hones, just to name a few here: Sears Roebruck, Gustav Knecht M.F.G. Barber Suplies, Theo A. Koch, and a lot more….also smaller Barber Supplies Stores and Companies had the stones in their product catalogues or in their stores. Within the second World War the sale of the german water razor hones were stopped which is well visible and documented in the Sears Roebruck catalogs.
One of the most known trader and exporter of the Thuringian water razor hones is “ESCHER” (known during time periods as Escher & Co. shortened E&Co., Escher & Sohn, Escher & Son, J.G. Escher & Sohn shortened JGES ). The Company was founded in 1789 by Johann Gottfried Escher from Sonneberg. Escher sold slate products in the first step afterwards their products ranged from soft water hones to hard oilstones which were quarried from layers of Ordovician age and Devonian age.
The Company started early to sell their products after their foundation on the well-known world fair’s in Frankfurt, Leipzig (at the Union Messehaus) and Vienna. Escher was already selling products one year after their foundation on the fair in Frankfurt . Within the marketing on these fair’s Escher created a name/brand which got more and more attention around the world, probably this was the consequence of a well done marketing campaign which seems to work quite good to these days.
Between 1890 and 1925 the Escher Company had another additional business in producing and selling dolls. They had their own Puppet label signed (J. G. Escher & Sohn / IGES) with a Girl holding a puppet and a Bear in her hands.
Escher created a well-known “Brand” which is still known under Straight Razor Users and People working with fine instruments. The stones today, especially if the labels are full intact are sold for a big amount of money. But it has to be stated that only a label doesn’t say anything about the quality of these stones. So any of these Thuringian Stones without label might be in the same range or quality as a full labelled stone could be.
The last operating quarry (Christoph Luthard Fikken Sohn, Am Petersberg, Steinach) was closed in 1966, which was the end of the operating business of quarrying whetstones in this region. Actually there are nearly no official sources or stores where “Vintage” Thuringian Stones can be bought, most of the stones on the market are old finds or new old stocks from older closed companies.
My Videos about technical topics:
Possible Touch Up Strokes on Thuringian Stone
www.youtube.com/watch?v=odrpiW16HCc
My Videos about Stones:
Escher & Co. Water Razor Hone type "Barber's Delight" yellow/green (Y/G) size: 6"x2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHBNRGcYrXk&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Escher & Co. Water Razor Hone type "Baber's Delight" yellow/green (Y/G) size: 6"x2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp0TPZszuZ0&index=51&list..
Escher & Co. Water Razor Hone Type "Rasierstube" darkblue (DB) size: 6"x2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQa7PTTv5wU&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Escher & Co. Wasserabziehstein yellow/green (YG) size: 10" x 2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFdouu_G5Cs&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
FASO Water Razor Hone in green C. Jul. Herbert packaging size: 6"x2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCYMvklAVJo&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Karl Brächer Jr. Water Razor Hone yellow/green (YG) size: X"xX"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvsSpaPQVJw&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Thuringian double layered Stone yellow/green (YG) and darkblue (DB):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjGW6GN_Y0w&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Thuringian Bout Stone No. 1 from Hatzicho:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxR1Ho4T608&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Thuringian Bout Stone No. 2 from Hatzicho:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFuI0FNpjOw&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Thuringian Bout Stone No. 3 from Hatzicho:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZUBsgdl_co&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3...
more Information:
Razorandstone.com (R&S): "Barbers Delight Escher"
www.razorandstone.com/showthread.php?174-Barbers-delight-...
Razorandstone.com (R&S): "Wide Escher Hone"
www.razorandstone.com/showthread.php?963-Wide-Escher-hone
Razorandstone.com (R&S): "Nakayama Mizu Asagi vs Barbers Delight Escher"
www.razorandstone.com/showthread.php?2193-Nakayama-Mizu-A...
Straightrazorplace.com (SRP): "Escher Price"
straightrazorplace.com/honing/55677-escher-price.html
Badgerandblade.com (B&B): "Escher Thuringian Love Show of your rocks"
badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/320736-Escher-Thurin...
Gut-rasiert.de: "Zeigt her eure Steine"
www.gut-rasiert.de/forum/index.php/topic,15571.0.html
General Information on Thuringian Water hones and the Escher Company:
Strazors.com: "Thuringian waterwhetstones from the J.G. Escher Company in Germany"
(C) by Peter Buhlmann (Hatzicho), Oktober 2013
strazors.com/uploads/images/articles/escher.pdf
general Information on Water Hones:
Gammas Site Tomonagura.com:
Olivia-Seife.de: “Steinevergleich”
www.olivia-seife.de/steinevergleich.htm
other Literature/Information:
[1] Bautsch, Riederer „Zur Herkunft der Wetzsteine aus der Grabung
aus dem Burgwall in Berlin Spandau“ Rhythmus und Saisonalität, Kongreßakten des 5. Symposions des Mediävistenverbandes in Göttingen, 1933
Jan Thorbecke Verlag Sigmaringen, 1995
[2] Hahn Renate "Sonneberger Spielzeug - Made in Judenbach", 2010
[3] Thomas Schwämmlein "Wetzsteinbergbau und Wetzsteinherstellung im Landkreis Sonneberg" Geschichts- und Köhlerverein Mengersgereuth-Hämmern e.V. Nr. 8
[4] Thomas Schwämmlein "Herstellung und Handel mit Wetzsteinen im Bereich des Thüringer Schiefergebirges während des frühen und hohen Mittelalters"
Geschichts- und Köhlerverein Mengersgereuth-Hämmern e.V. Nr. 21
[5] Zeno.org "Tonschiefer"
www.zeno.org/Lueger-1904/A/Tonschiefer
[6] Thoma, Witzgall, Bravidor „Seminarfacharbeit Gruppe 5 "Kulturelle und wirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Schiefern im Thüringer Schiefergebirge am Beispiel des Staatsbruchs Lehesten" sites.bravidor.de/skool/sf/schiefer/files/seminarfacharbe...
[7] Volk, Max „Die Wetzschiefervorkommen in der Phycodenserie bei
Mengersgereuth-Hämmern, Steinach und Gräfenthal“
Hallesches Jahrbuch Mitteldeutsche Erdgeschichte, 7. Band, 1965
B.G. Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig, 1966
[8] Volk, Max „Die Hiftenberger Wetzsteinbrüche“
Hallesches Jahrbuch Mitteldeutsche Erdgeschichte, 8. Band, 1966
B.G. Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig, 1967
[9] Volk, Max „Volkstümliche Aufsätze zur Geschichte von Geologie und Bergbau“
Ausgewählte Aufsätze Teil 7, Herausgegeben von Karl Eichhorn
Museumsverein Schieferbergbau Steinach/Thüringen e.V., 2005
[10] Weise, Gerhard „Die Nutzung thüringischer Gesteine zur Herstellung von Wetzsteinen“
[11] Weber, Martin "Wetzschiefer - Wetzsteine bei Lauenstein und Gräfenthal"
Beitrag Geologie Thüringen, N.F. 12, 71-97, 5 Abb., 5 Tab., Jena 2005
███▓▒░░.RAZORLOVESTONES 06.04.2015.░░▒▓███
Escher & Co. Barber's Delight No. 1 Thuringian Water Hone yellow/green Y/G (ID-005)
Size: 150x40x20mm weight: XXXgr.
Density: X,XXgr./cm³ / Estimated grit size: very fine >12K
Usage: only with water, never use Oil!!
Colour: a yellow green (YG) coloured stone
General Information on Thuringian Water Razor Hones:
These stones are ones of the most known and well appreciated water razor hones today and they have been within the last 200 years. Beeing quarried in Thuringia in the region around Sonneberg (some Quarries were in Steinach, Steinheid, Goldisthal, Forschengereuth, Hämmern, Lauscha, etc.) These stones seem to have already been quarried since the 14th Century. Actually it’s a pity that there is no documented evidence about this fact . There are many historical sources naming these stones, which were sold under different older german names like (Wetzschalen, Abziehsteine, Poliersteine, etc.)
The most interesting and most un-researched Issue is the export of the Thuringian water hones around the world. They can be found everywhere around the world, especially in the USA, Russland, England, France, Spain and other countries. There are a bunch of retailers who sold the stones under their own trademark (f.ex. Bieber, Hahn, etc) . There were also a lot of US catalog companies who sold German Water Razor Hones, just to name a few here: Sears Roebruck, Gustav Knecht M.F.G. Barber Suplies, Theo A. Koch, and a lot more….also smaller Barber Supplies Stores and Companies had the stones in their product catalogues or in their stores. Within the second World War the sale of the german water razor hones were stopped which is well visible and documented in the Sears Roebruck catalogs.
One of the most known trader and exporter of the Thuringian water razor hones is “ESCHER” (known during time periods as Escher & Co. shortened E&Co., Escher & Sohn, Escher & Son, J.G. Escher & Sohn shortened JGES ). The Company was founded in 1789 by Johann Gottfried Escher from Sonneberg. Escher sold slate products in the first step afterwards their products ranged from soft water hones to hard oilstones which were quarried from layers of Ordovician age and Devonian age.
The Company started early to sell their products after their foundation on the well-known world fair’s in Frankfurt, Leipzig (at the Union Messehaus) and Vienna. Escher was already selling products one year after their foundation on the fair in Frankfurt . Within the marketing on these fair’s Escher created a name/brand which got more and more attention around the world, probably this was the consequence of a well done marketing campaign which seems to work quite good to these days.
Between 1890 and 1925 the Escher Company had another additional business in producing and selling dolls. They had their own Puppet label signed (J. G. Escher & Sohn / IGES) with a Girl holding a puppet and a Bear in her hands.
Escher created a well-known “Brand” which is still known under Straight Razor Users and People working with fine instruments. The stones today, especially if the labels are full intact are sold for a big amount of money. But it has to be stated that only a label doesn’t say anything about the quality of these stones. So any of these Thuringian Stones without label might be in the same range or quality as a full labelled stone could be.
The last operating quarry (Christoph Luthard Fikken Sohn, Am Petersberg, Steinach) was closed in 1966, which was the end of the operating business of quarrying whetstones in this region. Actually there are nearly no official sources or stores where “Vintage” Thuringian Stones can be bought, most of the stones on the market are old finds or new old stocks from older closed companies.
My Videos about technical topics:
Possible Touch Up Strokes on Thuringian Stone
www.youtube.com/watch?v=odrpiW16HCc
My Videos about Stones:
Escher & Co. Water Razor Hone type "Barber's Delight" yellow/green (Y/G) size: 6"x2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHBNRGcYrXk&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Escher & Co. Water Razor Hone type "Baber's Delight" yellow/green (Y/G) size: 6"x2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp0TPZszuZ0&index=51&list..
Escher & Co. Water Razor Hone Type "Rasierstube" darkblue (DB) size: 6"x2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQa7PTTv5wU&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Escher & Co. Wasserabziehstein yellow/green (YG) size: 10" x 2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFdouu_G5Cs&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
FASO Water Razor Hone in green C. Jul. Herbert packaging size: 6"x2"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCYMvklAVJo&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Karl Brächer Jr. Water Razor Hone yellow/green (YG) size: X"xX"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvsSpaPQVJw&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Thuringian double layered Stone yellow/green (YG) and darkblue (DB):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjGW6GN_Y0w&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Thuringian Bout Stone No. 1 from Hatzicho:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxR1Ho4T608&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Thuringian Bout Stone No. 2 from Hatzicho:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFuI0FNpjOw&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3..
Thuringian Bout Stone No. 3 from Hatzicho:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZUBsgdl_co&list=UUvv6dx-BXb3...
more Information:
Razorandstone.com (R&S): "Barbers Delight Escher"
www.razorandstone.com/showthread.php?174-Barbers-delight-...
Razorandstone.com (R&S): "Wide Escher Hone"
www.razorandstone.com/showthread.php?963-Wide-Escher-hone
Razorandstone.com (R&S): "Nakayama Mizu Asagi vs Barbers Delight Escher"
www.razorandstone.com/showthread.php?2193-Nakayama-Mizu-A...
Straightrazorplace.com (SRP): "Escher Price"
straightrazorplace.com/honing/55677-escher-price.html
Badgerandblade.com (B&B): "Escher Thuringian Love Show of your rocks"
badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/320736-Escher-Thurin...
Gut-rasiert.de: "Zeigt her eure Steine"
www.gut-rasiert.de/forum/index.php/topic,15571.0.html
General Information on Thuringian Water hones and the Escher Company:
Strazors.com: "Thuringian waterwhetstones from the J.G. Escher Company in Germany"
(C) by Peter Buhlmann (Hatzicho), Oktober 2013
strazors.com/uploads/images/articles/escher.pdf
general Information on Water Hones:
Gammas Site Tomonagura.com:
Olivia-Seife.de: “Steinevergleich”
www.olivia-seife.de/steinevergleich.htm
other Literature/Information:
[1] Bautsch, Riederer „Zur Herkunft der Wetzsteine aus der Grabung
aus dem Burgwall in Berlin Spandau“ Rhythmus und Saisonalität, Kongreßakten des 5. Symposions des Mediävistenverbandes in Göttingen, 1933
Jan Thorbecke Verlag Sigmaringen, 1995
[2] Hahn Renate "Sonneberger Spielzeug - Made in Judenbach", 2010
[3] Thomas Schwämmlein "Wetzsteinbergbau und Wetzsteinherstellung im Landkreis Sonneberg" Geschichts- und Köhlerverein Mengersgereuth-Hämmern e.V. Nr. 8
[4] Thomas Schwämmlein "Herstellung und Handel mit Wetzsteinen im Bereich des Thüringer Schiefergebirges während des frühen und hohen Mittelalters"
Geschichts- und Köhlerverein Mengersgereuth-Hämmern e.V. Nr. 21
[5] Zeno.org "Tonschiefer"
www.zeno.org/Lueger-1904/A/Tonschiefer
[6] Thoma, Witzgall, Bravidor „Seminarfacharbeit Gruppe 5 "Kulturelle und wirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Schiefern im Thüringer Schiefergebirge am Beispiel des Staatsbruchs Lehesten" sites.bravidor.de/skool/sf/schiefer/files/seminarfacharbe...
[7] Volk, Max „Die Wetzschiefervorkommen in der Phycodenserie bei
Mengersgereuth-Hämmern, Steinach und Gräfenthal“
Hallesches Jahrbuch Mitteldeutsche Erdgeschichte, 7. Band, 1965
B.G. Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig, 1966
[8] Volk, Max „Die Hiftenberger Wetzsteinbrüche“
Hallesches Jahrbuch Mitteldeutsche Erdgeschichte, 8. Band, 1966
B.G. Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig, 1967
[9] Volk, Max „Volkstümliche Aufsätze zur Geschichte von Geologie und Bergbau“
Ausgewählte Aufsätze Teil 7, Herausgegeben von Karl Eichhorn
Museumsverein Schieferbergbau Steinach/Thüringen e.V., 2005
[10] Weise, Gerhard „Die Nutzung thüringischer Gesteine zur Herstellung von Wetzsteinen“
[11] Weber, Martin "Wetzschiefer - Wetzsteine bei Lauenstein und Gräfenthal"
Beitrag Geologie Thüringen, N.F. 12, 71-97, 5 Abb., 5 Tab., Jena 2005
███▓▒░░.RAZORLOVESTONES 06.04.2015.░░▒▓███