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First Straight-Razor Restoration (Shumate Tungsten)

I just got into straight razors. It was actually a rather impulsive, spur-of-the-moment thing. I had thought of trying it back when I was in high school, but I always thought I'd have to take a leap of faith with a $100+ razor first. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across a jar full of neglected straights in an antique shop, with each priced somewhere in the $10-$12 range.

Anyways, 5 minutes of googling what to look for, and picking one that seemed the least rusty/ground down, I walked away with a $12 Shumate Tungsten. Then I got home and alternated between google and the workbench to get this back into a shaveable condition.

Album + commentary:
Restored an Antique Straight Razor
 
Finally made myself a proper strop to go with the razor. I enjoy portability, so I just made a paddle strop with a T-shaped handle (the fleur-de-lis) to cut down on length even further.
Crox on one side, smooth leather on the other.

On a related note: remind me to never carve anything out with just a pocket knife and a hobby scalpel ever again.
 

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Well, you've got me hooked, even if I don't shave with one (I'd prefer stainless as my starter for hygiene and rust immunity )..... I'm going to start looking and collecting incase one day over a whisky and cigar I decide to make the move .... and start restoring.
Sad how many of these are probably in land fill by now, but luckily there must be millions still left ....
 
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