New and need a bit of help on restoring a straight

[RueZen]

So, a few weeks ago i had this sudden urge to learn to shave with a straight razor, not real sure on where to start i went to my good buddy Google. I asked him where to start and he showed me a couple of good looking cheap razors from amazon but, not knowing if they were any good or not I then asked him for a group of people who knew what they were doing and he then dropped me off here with you guys.

I then used your nifty search to see if those amazon razors could do the job and the B&B locals recommended against them and went on to say if "your looking for cheap with some quality search for vintage straights on ebay".

Anyway, that brings me to now i just bought a razor on ebay,

cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170531911135

now what I need to know is what do i need to get to restore it so that I can have everything ready when my razor arrives, I did already buy a strop and I have a old whetstone I use for my knifes

 

[Aussieshaver]

There are two issues you are really asking about.

1. Clean up the scales and blade
2. Get a blade to be 'shave ready'

Since this is your first razor I would recommend sending it off to one of the 'honemeisters' listed on the forums. This will ensure that you get a sharp razor that you know is sharp. If you were to sharpen this razor yourself, you would need to buy a number of other stones/hones of varying grit but without having a sharp razor as a benchmark you might never be sure you are getting good results off those stone.

Edit: On further inspection there are a number of fine chips on the blade which will have to be removed and it is hard to tell, but it doesnt look like the blade is closing centrally in the scales (so you may also wish to address those issues).

 

[mdunn]

looks like a good score!

Check out the straight resto link in my thread, but it looks in pretty good nick, so maybe just a bit of a polish with some Maas or similar and have her honed up!

re the whetstone you have: i would seriously advise against using it. Honing a razor is nothing at all like honing a knife in technique, and you need a much higher grit stone to get a good edge. At the very least, send this one out to a proper honemeister so you know what kind of edge to aim towards if you want to give it a go yourself at a later date.

 

[Legion]

My advise, for your first razor to learn with, get yourself one made shave ready by someone with experience and reputation.

Fixing up a straight to shave readiness is actually a harder and more complicated job than you would think. If you want to give it a go then that's cool, but I agree it would be useful to have used one that you know was A1 so you have something to measure yours against.

http://www.whippeddog.com/ comes pretty highly regarded for putting out good shave ready vintage blades at a reasonable price. Probably safer than buying on ebay until you know what you are looking for.

 

[RueZen]

Alright, thanks for the advice I'm going to give a shot and cleaning it up first then I shall send it off for the honing

 

[RueZen]

So, I received my straight today and upon its inspection its in better shape than I thought however, I noticed that Aussieshaver was right. The blade doesn't fall straight in, it hits the sides and its cutting the side which I'm not liking too much, as I really like the scales. I would like to know if that problem is fixable and if its something that can be about it.

Ah i guess i should add some pictures

http://yfrog.com/0iimg0023fxjx

 

[Luc]

So, I received my straight today and upon its inspection its in better shape than I thought however, I noticed that Aussieshaver was right. The blade doesn't fall straight in, it hits the sides and its cutting the side which I'm not liking too much, as I really like the scales. I would like to know if that problem is fixable and if its something that can be about it.

Ah i guess i should add some pictures

http://yfrog.com/0iimg0023fxjx

It depends if the scales are bent or if the blade is bent... It's probably fixable, maybe not to the point of having the blade closing right in the center but enough so it doesn't touch the scales while closing. You will probably need to keep a close eye on that, always.

If you need a list of who can fix the blade, I would recommend this link: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Honemeister

 

[RueZen]

Well, I don't think that the blade or scales are bent, but one thing I did just notice is that the pin has a little bit of wiggle room. Is there anything I could do about that?

 

[Luc]

Well, I don't think that the blade or scales are bent, but one thing I did just notice is that the pin has a little bit of wiggle room. Is there anything I could do about that?

You could try to tighten the pin.

Put one side of the pin on something really hard and flat that you wouldn't mind if it get broken. An Anvil is best but not everyone has those, I don't myself. To hit the pin, use a light/small hammer. Start with very small and gentle taps and check often how the pin is.

Keep in mind, it's easy to break the scales where the pins are if you hit too hard. So, go slowly and be gentle. Also, if too tight, the scales can also crack. I like my straights razor to be able to stay half open without using anything like a pen under the tang to keep them open.

 

[RueZen]

Ok, so I just got sand paper to clean up the blade like in mdunn's restore guide but, there is a bit of rust on the blade right near where the pin goes in but where the scales are in the way to sand. Should I try taking the pin out and removing the scales to clean the blade better if so where do i start or, is it something I should not attempt because I really do not want to hurt the scales and I have no experience. Also thanks to everyone who's given me help thus far.

Oh and i haven't messed with the pin yet.

 

[Legion]

It would be much easier to sand and restore the blade if it wasn't in the scales but 1. you will have to get them off without damage, and 2. you will have to peen them back on.

To get them off I use a cutting wheel on my Dremel and make a cross cut on the old pin, being careful to not touch the scales. I have always replaced the scales on the ones I've done but it still is good form to try and get them off unscathed.

To peen them back on I use the flat side part of a claw hammer with a tiny divot drilled into it as my anvil, and an 8oz ball-peen hammer to do the tapping.

Bill Ellis has an instructional CD for sale on his web site. I have it on order but have not seen it yet, though it comes highly recommended. Maybe that would be a good investment for you? I don't know of any books on the subject.

 

[mdunn]

if you dont want to bother taking scales off and re-pinning (which is a bit of a hassle to get the pins and washers etc. you can put some polish on some dental floss and get in there. its not great, but it should clean it up a little

 

[RueZen]

Alrighty I don't think I'm going to try and get the scales off thanks for the advice I'll try with the floss.