Anybody know anything about this razor?

[Derwent]

So, the postman brought me goodies today... been waiting on it for a while.

Very tidy Solingen 5/8 that I couldn't pass up at 20 bucks...which actually makes it the most expensive razor I have bought to date...

Needs a sharpen, but it's solid and not rusty.

Eventually it will need a repin, but it's fine for now.

However, I cannot find any info about the maker anywhere... C. Kleine-Langhorst, Haan-Solingen.

Does anybody know anything about this razor?

 

[rbscebu]

It is ground and finished very much like a Cadman "Bengall", which it is not.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Don’t know about the maker, lots of makers would stamp an importer or store brand for a run of 100 razors, maybe fewer, back in the day.

Curious scratches on the belly of the blade. Looks to have been wire brushed and buffed, not removing all the scratches.

Also staining/rust patina on the tail and pivot collars are cell rot suspicious. Those scales are cell rot off gassing candidates.

WD40, paper towel wrapped wooden coffee stir stick, will get it clean between the scales.

I would keep an eye on it and not store with other razors for a month or two. If you see a lite rust forming, it is off gassing, and the scales will need to go.

Nice looking razor, reprofiling the heel will make it easier to hone.

 

[Derwent]

Don’t know about the maker, lots of makers would stamp an importer or store brand for a run of 100 razors, maybe fewer, back in the day.

Curious scratches on the belly of the blade. Looks to have been wire brushed and buffed, not removing all the scratches.

Also staining/rust patina on the tail and pivot collars are cell rot suspicious. Those scales are cell rot off gassing candidates.

WD40, paper towel wrapped wooden coffee stir stick, will get it clean between the scales.

I would keep an eye on it and not store with other razors for a month or two. If you see a lite rust forming, it is off gassing, and the scales will need to go.

Nice looking razor, reprofiling the heel will make it easier to hone.

There is actually quite a bit of play in the pivot pin and it's looser than I like...certainly going to be repinned.

Gave it a hone on my finisher and got a decent shave off it, treetopping a few hairs at 5-6mm and lots at 3mm.
There are a couple of tiny chips visible under a loupe but not to the naked eye, so I'll do a progression on it when I get my lapping films up and running...but it shaves.

How would you work the heel?

The shoulder needs watching when honing, but it seemed to hone ok otherwise

Looks like I need some arcrylic ivory sheet...

 

[rbscebu]

From the look of it, the heel shouldn't need any particular attention. I also doubt that the shoulder will present a problem as you would first have to ride up over the stabiliser to get to the shoulder (or are you confusing the shoulder with the stabiliser - read Annex I of the instructions). Just try and keep the stabiliser off the honing surface when honing.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

If you use a large coin or washer as a template and draw an arc similar to the red circle you will move the heel corner away from the stabilizer, moving the heel corner from the Red arrow, to the Green arrow. This will keep you off the stabilizer.

Load the photo into a photo editor and enlarge and see where the razor has been honed over the stabilizer and even on the tang.

If you repeat this, it will lift the heel half of the edge completely off the stone and prevent the razor from being honed properly.

When guys hone on the stabilizer they usually, just add more pressure to try to force the heel onto the stone and grind the toe, (which is the only part of the edge contacting the stone). You will see many old razors where the toe has massive hone wear, this is why.

This is a very common problem, as the razor width shortens the heel corner moves towards the stabilizer. Moving the corner away from the stabilizer will make it much easier to hone and allow the edge to sit fully on the stone.

The steel is very thin at the corner and can easily be removed and reshaped with a diamond plate or the side of a low grit stone. Just mark the arc with a sharpie, then follow the line.

Heel correction should be part of every honing of razors with stabilizers. It literally only takes a few minutes to correct a heel, and if done as maintenance only takes a few passes to maintain a safe distance from the stabilizer, about a 1/4 inch.

 

[Derwent]

If you use a large coin or washer as a template and draw an arc similar to the red circle you will move the heel corner away from the stabilizer, moving the heel corner from the Red arrow, to the Green arrow. This will keep you off the stabilizer.

Load the photo into a photo editor and enlarge and see where the razor has been honed over the stabilizer and even on the tang.

If you repeat this, it will lift the heel half of the edge completely off the stone and prevent the razor from being honed properly.

When guys hone on the stabilizer they usually, just add more pressure to try to force the heel onto the stone and grind the toe, (which is the only part of the edge contacting the stone). You will see many old razors where the toe has massive hone wear, this is why.

This is a very common problem, as the razor width shortens the heel corner moves towards the stabilizer. Moving the corner away from the stabilizer will make it much easier to hone and allow the edge to sit fully on the stone.

The steel is very thin at the corner and can easily be removed and reshaped with a diamond plate or the side of a low grit stone. Just mark the arc with a sharpie, then follow the line.

Heel correction should be part of every honing of razors with stabilizers. It literally only takes a few minutes to correct a heel, and if done as maintenance only takes a few passes to maintain a safe distance from the stabilizer, about a 1/4 inch.

View attachment 1471058

I have just bought an old razor with exactly that kind of toe wear... it will take some work to correct.

 

[Titleist]

I have just bought an old razor with exactly that kind of toe wear... it will take some work to correct.

Toe wear or heel wear?

 

[Derwent]

Toe wear or heel wear?

Toe wear likely caused by lifting the heel on the stabiliser.

 

[rbscebu]

Toe wear likely caused by lifting the heel on the stabiliser.

View attachment 1471334

That amount of toe wear is more than honing with just the stabiliser on the honing surface. It is more like having the shoulder on the honing surface or even the honer purposely honing the toe to that shape.

If it was me, I wouldn't even accept that SR as a gift. Maybe I'm just lazy.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

“Toe wear or heel wear?”

Yea, the toe at the edge and spine are excessively worn. If you load the photo in a photo editor and enlarge, you can see where the razor has been honed on the stabilizer and even the tang.

The stabilizer is higher than the heel edge, so if you hone on the stabilizer the razor is on the stone at 3 points, the toe edge, toe spine and stabilizer. If you hone on the tang, the tang is even higher than the stabilizer.

So, if you hone randomly, on the edge, the stabilizer and the tang, you will create 3 different bevels at the toe, all the while the heel is off the stone. So, the edge is a variety of bevels, likely none of which are honing the edge.

Remember the goal of bevel setting is to 1. Hone a flat bevel from heel to toe, 2. Getting the flat bevels to ground to the correct bevel angle. And 3. To get the bevels to meet evenly at the edge.

If you are randomly honing 3 different bevels and the heel is off the stone, your chances or accomplishing any of the 3 goals is unlikely.

Even if you did perfectly set the bevel and then honed on the stabilizer you just undid the work you accomplished and will need to reset the bevel fully again.

Reprofiling the heel, moves the heel corner well away from the stabilizer allowing the razor to sit flat on the stone at the spine and edge and hone the bevels flat and to the correct bevel angle.

 

[Derwent]

That amount of toe wear is more than honing with just the stabiliser on the honing surface. It is more like having the shoulder on the honing surface or even the honer purposely honing the toe to that shape.

If it was me, I wouldn't even accept that SR as a gift. Maybe I'm just lazy.

I'm figuring out that it will be a challenge...but part of the reason I am getting various old razors is to learn and challenge myself, so I'll give it a red hot go.

That, and it's a twin to the Edv Neiström that I already have and which I have fallen in love with.

In the end I didn't pay a lot for it, and I scored a cheap strop at the same time, so no regrets.

If I can fix it, awesome.
If I can't, then it will teach me lessons that I will carry onwards.

 

[Derwent]

I have done a quick and dirty hone on it and gotten a half decent shave from it, but the toe is obviously still blunt.

Later I will give it some proper attention... for now it will sit in the cupboard.

The C Kleine-Langhorst has honed up nicely and is really nice to use, with the exception of the pin being loose. It also has some side play in the pin, so I won't bother tightening it, I will repin it instead.

 

[rbscebu]

I have done a quick and dirty hone on it and gotten a half decent shave from it, but the toe is obviously still blunt.

Later I will give it some proper attention... for now it will sit in the cupboard.

The C Kleine-Langhorst has honed up nicely and is really nice to use, with the exception of the pin being loose. It also has some side play in the pin, so I won't bother tightening it, I will repin it instead.

Side play is not uncommon. I use to think that this was a defect that needed rectifying. Then I found out that many SRs, particularly older ones, were made with pivot pin holes larger than the pin diameter. This was done to give enough room to allow the pin to bulge out when the pivot arrangement being tightened.

I'm not saying that your does not need re-pinning, it is just something that needs to be considered in your decision.

 

[Derwent]

Side play is not uncommon. I use to think that this was a defect that needed rectifying. Then I found out that many SRs, particularly older ones, were made with pivot pin holes larger than the pin diameter. This was done to give enough room to allow the pin to bulge out when the pivot arrangement being tightened.

I'm not saying that your does not need re-pinning, it is just something that needs to be considered in your decision.

In that case, I will tighten it for now. It seems to be in pretty good nick otherwise.