I've eaten my words.

[Eighties]

About 10 months ago my wife's cousin found an old Genco Henry's X at a yard sale. He got it for me for $1.00.

Now let me go on record by saying that Genco's are probably my personal favorite of all the vintage razors I've tried. This particular razor had a sizable frown in it. I've tried to hone that thing out over and over. It's been my main project razor for a while now.

After months and months of work on this old yard sale junker nothing would touch the frowned portion of the blade. In total desperation I've finally done the unthinkable. that which I once vowed I would never do to a razor under any circunstances. I breadknifed the SOB. Oh it hurt my heart with each back and forth motion but I now have a nice even edge. I did the marker test and the metal seems to be comming off very evenly so I have high hopes that I will get a good bevel set on this thing. Plus it's a Genco, they're built like a brick s#!t house anyway.

This is my first attempt at restoring anything beyond basic cleaning and honing. I don't have anything lower than a Norton 4000/8000 K which until now has served me very very well. I've been considering getting some of the 3M sandpapers and starting at 400 then to 600, 1000, and 1500 before going to the 4000 side of the Norton. Does this sound like a good progression to you experienced restorers?

Thanks and wish me luck.

 

[TstebinsB]

Genco is one of the many great American razors.

I've used sandpaper in that similar progression: 400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1500. You might not need all these grits but they worked very well for me. I have honed out sizable chips using just these papers so you should be fine. Good luck!

 

[jzono1]

Look for the trizact 3m sandpaper line. They're designed to give an easier scratch pattern.

 

[leighton]

Sounds like a good plan to me. I use a Naniwa 220 stone for most restoration work and my 120 grit lapping plate to eat metal.

 

[chess1]

why don't you buy norton 220/1000 instead of sandpaper?gl

 

[memorael]

theres a stone called a beston or bester 500 which does wonders for me when removing chips and other rough honing its only 500 grit but it really is the quickest way I have found to do this.

 

[Eighties]

why don't you buy norton 220/1000 instead of sandpaper?gl

I do intend to put one on my Christmas list.

I don't buy online unless I feel I have no other alternative. So until I can get to a store that sells Norton stones (as there are none in my area) I figured the sandpaper would be a doable alternative.

Also, up until now I've not really had the need of one. When I purchase razors myself I tend to stick with ones that I believe I can get a good edge on with the Norton 4000/8000 and Arkansas stones that I already have. Barring a vintage Dovo and a Fromm I've done pretty good at being able to assess the quality of the edges. Since this one was found and purchased by my cousin-in-law I couldn't make a blade determination before buying.

I would like to try my hand at more serious restorations as I've passed up many a crappy razor that might have been brought back from the brink, I unfortuantely have neither the time or tools to do either.

The other thing is it is a Genco and I LOVE Gencos. This would make Genco # 5 for me. They are my personal favorite of all of my razors for many reasons.

1.) There seem to be a lot around.
2.) They are priced right.
3.) They are consistantly honable and better shavers than anything I've used to date.
4.) They are American made back when people took pride in a job well done.

 

[Dadof3]

Great post and good luck with your restoration.

One question - totally off OP - but where in your area do you buy wetshaving supplies? Soaps, creams, brushes, etc? I have a place in Garden City Beach, SC that I visit several times a year. All the years I've been spending down there I never thought to find a wetshaving supplier.

I'm heading back down in about a month and I'm wondering if there are suppliers down there other than the usual mall variety (Crabtree and Evelyn, Body Shop, etc).

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Eighties]

Great post and good luck with your restoration.

One question - totally off OP - but where in your area do you buy wetshaving supplies? Soaps, creams, brushes, etc? I have a place in Garden City Beach, SC that I visit several times a year. All the years I've been spending down there I never thought to find a wetshaving supplier.

I'm heading back down in about a month and I'm wondering if there are suppliers down there other than the usual mall variety (Crabtree and Evelyn, Body Shop, etc).

Thanks,

Paul

Thanks Paul!

Nah, jusst the usual mall variety of wetshaving suppliers around here. In fact I wish we had a few more like AoS. Even the Bath and Body Works and Target don't carry a lot of the stuff that they used to. I occasionally check with Crabtree out and Evelyn out at Tanger and there is a Tinderbox out at Broadway at the Beach that carries brushes and soaps. That is about it. Most of my stuff comes from when I'm out of town or what ever I can find at a local drug store.

Fortunately Van Der Hagen is found almost universally.

 

[leighton]

Maybe you can outsource the bevel resetting? Might not be too expensive. Or just pay someone to hone it. It *might* be pretty close to the cost of the sandpaper.

IME sandpaper wears down pretty quick and IME breadknifing requires a LOT (can't empasis a lot enough) of strokes to reestablish that bevel.

 

[Eighties]

Maybe you can outsource the bevel resetting?

But where is the fun in that?

I do hear ya about the sand paper wearing down quickly.

Once my kids are older and less likely to be grabbing at what I've got sitting around and I decide to really get into big and frequent restoration projects I'll hopefully have a nice aresonal of hones at my disposal. Right now I'm just looking for a quick fix. In spite of that, I'm still al DIY kind of dude.

 

[BigBubba]

I see that there's not one in Myrtle beach, but if you end up near a woodcraft you can pick up a king 250/1000 stone for $22.99, which isn't much more than sandpaper and will last much longer.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=04H22&FamilyID=242

 

[Rick Sparks]

But where is the fun in that?.

Right on!