Tired CARNOS straight razor

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

Well, for a bit of fun (and for about $2) I bought this beastie off the 'bay. It was quite rusty when it arrived and I've cleaned most of that off. I touched it up a little on a couple of stones I have (not razor hones, but one is a very fine slate stone) and it now shaves the back of my hand very nicely. I was surprised how little work was involved.

It's a very strange shape, as you can see the tip has been worn away into a curve, although it's still very sharp. There's a corresponding big flat on the spine, although it doesn't look like it's been ground off.

I don't own a strop, so I'm not sure whether it's worth obtaining one to see if I can shave with this thing. It seems good steel, it has a nice ring to it, but I can't find much about this make on the net.

I guess the scales are probably celluloid, although I suppose they could be horn of some kind.

Thoughts from the experts?

Thanks

Nick

 

[holli4pirating]

Based on the lack of spine wear at the toe and the immense amount of wear to the blade, I'd guess that she was either ground down or broken. It's cool that you got her to shave arm hairs, but that doesn't mean she'll give you a comfortable shave on your face - shaving your arm and shaving your face are two very different things (then again, she might shave your face just fine - I don't know the details of how you shaved your arm).

If you can shave with her and you are happy with how she shaves, that is all that counts. Personally, I wouldn't spend time or money on a blade in that kind of shape unless it had some special significance for me.

If you do want to shave with a straight, I would highly recommend getting a strop or finding something to strop on. I find I get much smoother shaves after I strop.