The pretty ones you didn't do yourself. Or the user ones that have obviously cleaned up? Are you suspicious of other peoples work? Ever been burned on a razor deal of this type?
Are You Hesitant to Buy Razors that are "Restored" or Appear So?
- Thread starter duke762
- Start date
I haven't bought too many razors that were restored, mainly because I am too cheap to pay extra for someone else's work.
Yeah. Don’t buy the ones all shiny because some moron has a buffer. Too many tell tale signs a razor has been abused. And you can’t undo it.
Ohhh, look , it’s all sparkly and restored.
NOT.
Annoys the daylights out of me.
Hesitant?
Umm , is there a stronger
word?
Show me something skanky. That’s honest . Then I can make an assessment.I like that.
Don’t try to baffle me with your BS.
Just an opinion. I have em’. So you can just ignore it
Thanks .
Ohhh, look , it’s all sparkly and restored.
NOT.
Annoys the daylights out of me.
Hesitant?
Umm , is there a stronger
word?
Show me something skanky. That’s honest . Then I can make an assessment.I like that.
Don’t try to baffle me with your BS.
Just an opinion. I have em’. So you can just ignore it
Thanks .
Last edited:
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I avoid vintage razors which I know to have been replated, not because I doubt the quality of the work but simply because I much prefer normal patina and wear. If I want a razor to look shiny and new then I will buy a new one. For me, using a razor that was carefully used by previous owners and shows its age, is precisely the point of using a vintage razor. When I see a beautiful razor 'lovingly restored', in other words shined up with all the patina removed, then something is lost and all that remains is another boring razor, shiny yet dull, and a little bit sad. That said of course, others love them that way and I can appreciate a beautiful collection even if I would not want to own it myself.
Yes, absolutely. I would much prefer to see the ugliness and make an educated decision on whether the blade is salvageable. In general I avoid any razor that has obvious visual signs of being buffed, because you just don't know if the guy actually knows what he's doing or if he overheated it. There are exceptions, of course, but most of those guys aren't pimping blades on ebay.
I did have one, I wouldn't say I got burned, because I could see from the pics it had been on a buffing wheel, but the seller has a decent enough reputation that at least I knew the temper wouldn't be blown. But when I got it in hand, I could see that he had knocked down the pitting with a wire wheel and then just polished it, so there were a lot of deep scratches that hadn't been erased, just prettified. As it happened, it was one of those legendary Swedish stupid-hard, wear resistant steels and it took an awful lot of hand sanding at low grit to get it to the point that I am ok with it.
Funny thing, I don't care about devil spit and pitting as long as it's not at the edge. I have a Tornblom that had terrible rust near the spine, I cleaned it up and used evaporust in the craters and it's a great shaver. I'll take that over a poorly sanded and buffed blade any day.
I did have one, I wouldn't say I got burned, because I could see from the pics it had been on a buffing wheel, but the seller has a decent enough reputation that at least I knew the temper wouldn't be blown. But when I got it in hand, I could see that he had knocked down the pitting with a wire wheel and then just polished it, so there were a lot of deep scratches that hadn't been erased, just prettified. As it happened, it was one of those legendary Swedish stupid-hard, wear resistant steels and it took an awful lot of hand sanding at low grit to get it to the point that I am ok with it.
Funny thing, I don't care about devil spit and pitting as long as it's not at the edge. I have a Tornblom that had terrible rust near the spine, I cleaned it up and used evaporust in the craters and it's a great shaver. I'll take that over a poorly sanded and buffed blade any day.
I don't do regrinds unless they come in lots with other things I want. Don't do buffed blades because on eBay that usually means a moron with a Dremel tool ruining things. I won't even sell original condition razors to people I feel ruin pieces but that's me..
The couple of Vintages I own are pretty clean, yes they show some use.
Function to me is more important to me than shine.
One thing that kills me when searching for my next vintage is EBay sellers who do not bother to use some dawn & tooth brush to clean up for sale.
Second peeve is bad photos, or photo that do not show a 360 view. Or photo in poor light so you have zero idea what your buying.
I call this a sale killer.
Function to me is more important to me than shine.
One thing that kills me when searching for my next vintage is EBay sellers who do not bother to use some dawn & tooth brush to clean up for sale.
Second peeve is bad photos, or photo that do not show a 360 view. Or photo in poor light so you have zero idea what your buying.
I call this a sale killer.
Actually not cleaning something up or a bad photo depending on the ask is major opportunity for a buyer.
Most of my razors are all pre-50's and all of them have been cleaned and none have been replated or buffed or whatever. A few of my straight razors have been restored, but I have bought those through well known vendors.
I used to get upset when I see antique razors or woodworking tools all polished up because I like the history behind the things and don't want them to look new. Once the patina and the age are buffed away it's gone for a very long time. Some things need a lot of rust removed to make them useable again, so I guess it all depends on found condition too.
But the truth of it is, wether it's an old Gillette or Stanley hand plane, there are a lot of them out there. Some people can't afford a brand new CNC SS razor or lie Nielsen hand plane but still want something quality. And some people want things that are nice and shiny and don't look old.
So I guess as long as people are saving the razors and tools from being tossed in dumpsters and buried in the landfill what they do with them after that point is all personal preference.
As far as a DE or SE razor goes I don't know how much damage you can do with a clean up on a buffer short of removing the plating or coating.
Straight razors you have to be careful that the buffing didn't overheat the edge or sometimes there are even hairline cracks under rust. It's a gamble sometimes
I used to get upset when I see antique razors or woodworking tools all polished up because I like the history behind the things and don't want them to look new. Once the patina and the age are buffed away it's gone for a very long time. Some things need a lot of rust removed to make them useable again, so I guess it all depends on found condition too.
But the truth of it is, wether it's an old Gillette or Stanley hand plane, there are a lot of them out there. Some people can't afford a brand new CNC SS razor or lie Nielsen hand plane but still want something quality. And some people want things that are nice and shiny and don't look old.
So I guess as long as people are saving the razors and tools from being tossed in dumpsters and buried in the landfill what they do with them after that point is all personal preference.
As far as a DE or SE razor goes I don't know how much damage you can do with a clean up on a buffer short of removing the plating or coating.
Straight razors you have to be careful that the buffing didn't overheat the edge or sometimes there are even hairline cracks under rust. It's a gamble sometimes
Well maybe my eyes are not trained to look beyond bad photo illustration.
Think the time it take to clean off grime, and take good photos boast sales potential.
Yeah but when we are talking a stubtail from the 1700s or giant blades not by wade and butcher the scarcity starts ramping up quickly just to find one and then you are taking a survivor and a lot of the time these people are permanently altering the grind via unneeded regrinds or blurring the angles of the grind with buff and it is a downer. There's a trend I see now of guys going against this but they're too late and will pay through the nose for unmolested examples of deep end stuff. I can see this going the way vintage cars are now, so many got restomodded that originals with original paint and everything sell for a big premium. Same for vintage cast iron, modify anything and the collectible value drops to 0 and it is basically only valued as a cooking pan by collectors.
Sometimes you're better off riverboat gambling in this hobby if it makes enough sense.
I have bought plenty of old restored razors but I always look at who did the resto and how the final product looks.
I take things on a case by case basis.
- Thread starter
- #15
Yes, Gentlemen, that's how I feel also. I'll pay extra for rust. Just a little clean up going on and I might bite. I may buy a restore off a forum member (if he has it together as a restorer) but an unknown character with a buffing wheel makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. You can't make money on restores so buff it up and send it out the door because it's shiny now.
Why do I hate seeing buffed over pits so much? Is it some kind of ADHD? I keep seeing a vendor from Japan with a nice selection of Heckles razor but I see buffed over pitting. Why bother...
My older brother was in the business of restoring exotic vintage sports cars. He had a saying "If it shines it will sell".
Why do I hate seeing buffed over pits so much? Is it some kind of ADHD? I keep seeing a vendor from Japan with a nice selection of Heckles razor but I see buffed over pitting. Why bother...
My older brother was in the business of restoring exotic vintage sports cars. He had a saying "If it shines it will sell".
Rusty attic estate finds are worth a mint, everything old is worth a mint, no one has ever seen it before, so it's worth a mint, it's rarer than a toyota in japan therefore worth a mint.
Mine have 'antique unique' copper pins, tough, I'm happy with that, I don't sell, I don't buy many either, the SR market is full of rubbish [broken] at inflated price, or nice shiny rubbish overpriced [buffed] or dime a dozen makers at stupid prices.
Then along comes one I would like and my pockets are deep and my arms too short.
Each to their own, do it your way, it's yours or his till he sells it.
Mine have 'antique unique' copper pins, tough, I'm happy with that, I don't sell, I don't buy many either, the SR market is full of rubbish [broken] at inflated price, or nice shiny rubbish overpriced [buffed] or dime a dozen makers at stupid prices.
Then along comes one I would like and my pockets are deep and my arms too short.
Each to their own, do it your way, it's yours or his till he sells it.
It depends. Generally im broke so i take what i can get. If i have to choose between two identical razors, one being in the kinda standard ebay state and one thats obviously cared for with buffing and honing and what not... It really depends in the situation. Im not too fuzzy about other peoples work. But id rather not pay for something that i can do my self.
I have bought two restored razors that were disappointments. The steel on the first had lost its temper. The second had a strange velvet-like finish that I re-sanded to look like steel.
