Restoration/Replating/ratrod

[AndyL]

G'day All,

Just wondering - where that line is

Where do you guys feel the line is between a razor that's a candidate for restoration - vs one that should be left as is?

Thus far, I've been mostly eyeballing the wrecks/basket cases - ressurecting the pheonix from the ashes so to speak - meaning taking down multiple wrecks to assemble 1-2 'good' razors... Usually with an eye more to the 'common' razors...

But I'm torn on some of the less common ones - feel bad about the military issued I sent out for replating... They were all tarnished/rusted/damaged to a point they couldn't be reasonably salvaged - thus some mix & matching and then sent off to the platers... (eyeballing the cases now wondering what I can do with them). Might be coming from a military family though - I know each blemish on those razors was earned... On the flip side, at least their new owners will hopefully appreciate their history... Kept at least 4 razors from the trash - preserving history at least some might argue...

Before anyone goes on a rant - no, not selling them as "NOS" or anything other than refinished/rebuilt.

Probably as an affront to collectors - but I'm gonna say - I have a real hankering... I was eyeballing some black chrome while picking up at the platers last week... Could make for a sharp looking SS/Fatboy

Any thoughts/opinions or comments?

 

[Barbarian]

I think if you have a pretty common razor which is a good shaver with significant plate loss it is a good candidate for a replate. I wouldn't replate anything rare or with any significant collector value.

I would prefer to see replates done in a non-original material so it is obvious (like your black chrome). I remember seeing a two tone gold red tip that Jakespoppy once had. It was pretty sweet.

 

[jakespoppy]

....I remember seeing a two tone gold red tip that Jakespoppy once had. It was pretty sweet.

That Red Tip Custom Super Deluxe you're referring to is a very sweet razor. My friend Mr. Scruffy has it now, properly displayed in a case with other nice razors. I really liked the razor, but felt it should be in a place were it would be more appreciated for its unusual custom look. I prefer finding the long ago discarded razors, cleaning them up as close to their original condition as possible, using them, and then sending them out for others to enjoy. I agree with the comments in this thread that most razors are appropriate candidates for replating, as most razors are not collectibles and should be restored so that they can be best enjoyed as shaving razors. Those that are collectibles, though, should be preserved in their original condition.

 

[AndyL]

Did a quick search - didn't find it... Any pictures? Love to see this one... I've had a bad thought going about doing something similar with a red/blue tip...

I'm torn, had someone go on a rant about refinishing the military razors; but meanwhile - nobody would have used one as is...

Think I'm going on the hunt for some cases, I know many have asked me if I have cases - the military ones are almost worthless without... But I had the same question asked on some SS/*tips and a fatboy recently...

 

[Barbarian]

I don't actually think the 'military' sets were issued to the military. They were marketed that way to the general public. There is a post about it somewhere I think...

 

[jakespoppy]

Did a quick search - didn't find it... Any pictures? Love to see this one... I've had a bad thought going about doing something similar with a red/blue tip...

Here's the thread started by HerrHepCat, the guy who did the replating:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=91090

 

[faster_than_u]

Were would you take razors to get them related, and what else would I have to mention to the person doing the plating. Any specifics?

 

[AndyL]

Electroplating in the yellow pages...

But at the rate i've been going - i'm really leaning more towards ordering a kit from caswell plating...

Doesn't help the platers screwed up on my last one - 18k gold plate went on way too thick (even before clear coat) - so I've now got a REALLY gorgeous unassemblable fatboy... I haven't had to have too much discussion with them thus far - other than finish i'm looking for and what blemishes etc they are/aren't going to repair...

jakespoppy: ok, yup... Very nice lookin rig...

 

[sandmountainslim]

I don't actually think the 'military' sets were issued to the military. They were marketed that way to the general public. There is a post about it somewhere I think...

The ones with a serial number starting with "J" were all military issue and of course the ones with "Property US Army" are also.
Wp

 

[jakespoppy]

Were would you take razors to get them related, and what else would I have to mention to the person doing the plating. Any specifics?

If you just want a simple replating with one type material, contact Onotomon here on B&B. He replated a couple of razors for me, a Red Tip and a Fatboy. He (Dave) is a very nice guy to work with. I don't know if he's interested in doing the more complicated two-tone jobs. HerrHepcat did that one just because he wanted to try something different. I haven't seen him around here in a while, so don't know if he's still making these or not.

I traded Cooncat Bob some NEW heads for replating, but he only did it for the trade to get the heads, I don't think he's interested in providing a replating service.

Buddydog has also replated some razors for folks here, and they've been happy with his work. I haven't used him myself, but based on others experience I wouldn't hesitate to ask him.

Some points I'd ask are 1) will they do your razor type (some won't do TTO razors), 2) what material choices, and 3) what's the cost.

Good luck.

 

[kimfella]

O.K. I didn't see anything about a ratrod (RatRaz? Str8Rat?). From car talk a ratrod is "Cut it. Weld it. Drive it." no paint, nothing pretty. The appeal is in the lines (And driving it NOW) not in pretty finish.

I've kinda been wondering about a Str8Rat myself. Basically break off the old unusable scales, wipe the worst of the rust off, grind a new profile around old chips and breaks, nail on (ok maybe copper nails as pins) some scraps of lathe or whatever comes to hand, sharpen it and SHAVE. You could look in the mirror when you get up, look in your scrap bucket, head out to the shop still in your gauchies (or silk jammies) and be back an hour later ready to shave.

And be back home 6 hours later after a trip to Emerg.

 

[AndyL]

Comes from another recent thread - where it was wonderered if perhaps ratrods would be the new thing in the shaving community...

But there are quite a few people using vintage razors, with plating worn off, decades of caked on gunk, pitting, etc etc etc - sometimes with different heads/bits-n-pieces to make em work... Which in my world - we're into that ratrod range... Function over form...

My redtip is a ratrod - completely a form over function shaver, In fact it might get worse soon I was noticing the doors don't close quite right... But I've got a nice gold head

 

[jakespoppy]

They weren't Ratrods by any means, but two of my favorite razors to shave with have been a Fatboy that was missing so much plating it looked like a three-tone razor - silver, gold and bronze. But a great shaver! And the Red Tip I have in rotation now has only about 1% of the red paint left, but again, a great shaver! I like giving them a second "life", in spite of their cosmetic imperfections. Not really interested in roughing them up, though, so I guess I'm not a "Ratrodder".