Vintage razor questions

[Mink]

I've been visiting antique shops and flea markets to try and pick up some old razors to restore, or at least learn how to recover old blades (honing practice). Unless I'm missing something, I haven't had any success finding good old razors to purchase.

My first question is about the thickness of the blades. All of the razors that I've come across so far have very thin blades (and scales) and most were not perfectly straight. By thin, I mean less than 1/8". My new Dovo is well over 1/8" on the spine and heavier. Is this normal? Or have they just seen too much honing - or are they just cheap? This has been on 9 razors. Although I did find one that was over a 1/4" thick on the spine, I think hollow, and had a plastic covering on it with Elvis pictures - $5.00........

The second question is a rough approximation on price and availability. I have come across 2 that were in fairly nice condition (no pitting, a little tarnish, old - used looking scales), and they were also close to $100. For that much money I'll buy new - at least for now. So, is Ebay the place to go to get my hands on a razor I can use for restoring practice, or is that just another set of problems? Am I missing another source you could point me towards?

Thanks for any and all help.

 

[LarryAndro]

When I travel, my wife and I visit antique shops. Of course, I look for straights. However, I consider antique shops one of the worst places to look for them. They are usually in poor shape, and the owners have an inflated opinion of their worth. They have no idea how many straight razors exist, and have no clue how many straight razors are being sold on Ebay.

I think Ebay is the best overall source for deals on straight razors. You get burned once in awhile, especially at the beginning. But, the prices are enough lower than elsewhere that even the "got bitten in the butt" purchases don't hurt too badly.