Starting my first restore

[johnmrson]

Well I've selected and bought the razor. It cost me the princely sum of US$19.31 which included postage.

The blade is going to need a good clean up and it's going to need rescaling but I think it's a good candidate for the first try.

I'll post updates as I move along the journey of my first straight restoration.

 

[Noswad]

Looks like a fun project. Looking forward to seeing the finished results.

Are those horn or wood scales on the razor?

 

[Luc]

I hope you can do something with that one John. The pitting on the edge is never a good sign...

 

[DavyRay]

I agree with Luc. That one is a challenge. The good news is: you can't hurt it. The corrosion might just be a fatal flaw. I can't tell from the photos if the corrosion is actually pitting. Let us know.

 

[wazazzle]

I would have passed on that razor. Since you already overpaid $19 for it... you might as well get some practice restoring.

 

[johnmrson]

Ok, can I ask what makes this a poor razor to restore?

 

[honed]

Ok, can I ask what makes this a poor razor to restore?

I believe they referred to the rust on the very edge.
That can sometimes be a "fatal flaw"
But you won't know for sure until you try. Good luck!

 

[Greybeard]

Rust can go deeper than just the surface. The edge of the blade is the thinnest part. When you remove the rust at the edge of the blade you may find that you have also removed pieces of the edge. You will then have to grind away the edge until you reach an even line of good metal to bevel. Grinding and re-setting the bevel is a lot of work. If you have to grind away enough metal you may also change the character of the blade.

It looks like some spots of rust may be right through the edge from one side to the other. There is one larger spot in exactly the same place on both sides of the blade. It also looks like some pitting extends up a fair amount from the edge of the blade both at the heel and at the toe.
Deep pitting, usually characterized by dark spots can require a lot of metal to be ground away.

Light brown rust is better than dark brown rust. Even then you can't be sure what's underneath the rust. Light and dark grey spotting has had the brown surface rust cleaned off. Some light grey spotting may be water spots. Light grey spotting is better than dark spotting. But then the dark spotting may have been cleaned up and deep pits may show as light grey spotting. It's hard to identify how deep the pitting is unless the pictures are very detailed. A lot of razors on eBay are a crap shoot. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes not. You may be lucky.

 

[johnmrson]

Thanks for the information everyone. I grabbed a couple of more cheap straights off the bay last night to have a go at. These look like better candidates.

and

 

[Legion]

I'm going to be the guy in the Adam Sandler movies who shouts "You can do EET!" All the time.

I don't think that the first razor is necessarily a write off. It is certainly worth hitting with the rougher paper to see how bad the pitting is.

I actually think all three of those razors will be a goer but, while you're waiting for the second two to turn up, roll up your sleeves, give the first one a good sand, and then post some more photos for us to have a look at.

The razor that I restored was written off based on photos. But it came up well in the end. Sure, it probably took more work, but I figured even if it proved to be no good, it was still practice for the next one.

 

[DavyRay]

I also think that the first razor photos seem to show the kind of pitting which goes deep. But, you just have to try it. There is a certain sort of freedom which comes with "restoring" a real piece of junk which you can't actually damage. So go at it with the glass plate and a piece of wet-or-dry sandpaper, say, 800 grit. Wet, of course. See what develops. That is way better than worshiping at some historic shrine of a razor that you are not willing to put to sandpaper.

One of those commie guys said it best. To make an omelet, you have to break some eggs.

 

[Luc]

Yes, what was said, if there's pitting or rust on the edge, there's a chance of it being deeper than you think. If you want to have a sharp edge back on the straight with pitting on the edge, the straight will need to be re-grinded. At that stage, it might not be worth it...

The other 2 seems to be perfect candidates!

 

[DavyRay]

Oh No!
I just realized, you will have to buy some hones/stones to do this.
Which way are you leaning? Jnat, coticule, Nortons, antique barber hones?

 

[johnmrson]

I've got a 1k, a 5k and a 12k stone along with a balsa strop.

 

[W_B_K]

Ahhh, Philly, I was born there! Let me know if you decide to part with that one. I'd really like to pick that up. . Or if you are up for a trade....