I have recently learned how to hone and I'm a big fan of vintage razors. I was wondering if buying vintage razors off eBay and honing them would be worth it. Anyone know? Is there a more trustworthy site to buy vintage razors that aren't super expensive?
Also, I have loose scales on a razor and I have not been able to tighten it. I tried slightly tapping the pin as suggested on here but it didn't work. Any other suggestions?
You can visit antique malls/garage sales/ gun shows and look for vintage blades at good prices.Quote:
Originally Posted by Refused1979
Ebay can be tricky because of bad images, or if you have no experience with what to look for.
You can get vintage blades from the classifieds as well.
Thanks! Do you have any idea how best to tighten scales?
4 oz ball peen hammer, or you can try a spoon but with that it will take a lot of taps.
You need a flat smooth surface on which to peen, usually a small anvil or a block of steel is used.
We're can I pick one of those up?
Never mind. I have one of those.
you should polish the head of the hammer to mirror, it will make the pinning job look nice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Refused1979
Make sure you have read our library section in regard to purchasing razors.
A vintage razor could include a NOS(New Old Stck) razor of 120 years, a 50 year old razor used a couple of times, a 30 year old razor abused, broken, chipped & pretty much worthless,,,so answering your question is a bit tricky. What might be a good dollar value to you on a vintage razor, might not be for someone else. Some can spot a $20.00 "diamond in the rough" , where you might pass it up.
If you like vintage razors, study them some more & you will be able to spot on Ebay or anywhere else a razor that will give you the satisfaction that you want.
What is "Super Expensive" to you?
Our classified section has in it now, vintage razors at various prices. I have yet to hear of a horror story buy coming from there. The turnover in ads is often,,,so the prices must be right. :shrug:
Don't take my reply as a lecture, it's not,,,I'm not that way,,,I'm no different than you,,,I like vintage razors too & I try to learn as much about them so I can spot a good deal also.
If it still won't tighten after trying the small hammer etc. the pin may be bentQuote:
Originally Posted by Refused1979
And when tapping the pin don't tap it dead center, you will want to tap around the edger with the ball peen so it mushrooms the pin a bit more. Some newer razors are a pain for me with the lock washer style pins such as those found on new dovo's.
I believe that is why I am having so mucb trouble with this one. It is the lock washer style
On the back side there should be a tiny bit more pin sticking out of the washer you can peen.
Yeah it still really is a pain
I polished both the hammer head and the steel anvil/it was a lot of work, but they seem to work well and when I'm done tightening, they look nice!Quote:
Originally Posted by mainaman
My advice is don't get TOO obsessed about tightening scales, esp if this sort of thing is new to you. You can end up getting frustrated and bashing too hard and splitting the scales and then you get angry. Better possibly to learn how to re-pin or send the razor to someone who can do it for you...
I have never bought a new razor, all mine are vintage. Almost all were shave ready and most were bought from this site. Honing them is part of the fun, and while you DO need to read a lot and ask a lot of questions it's not ALL that difficult. With all due to respect to those who sell and buy new razors, I find them boring. I like old stuff in general, though...
The Video forum here on SRP has at least 4 Vids on pinning
The Workshop forum has at least 6 Illustrated step by step guides
The Library has all these also
At the top of the Workshop forum is a Thread stuck there in Red where all this can be found again
Off of SRP by just going to Google and typing in "Pinning a Straight Razor" brings up at least 20 vids also
The vids are probably the best way to learn it, but you need to watch and more importantly listen to the tricks that many here have taken the time to explain...
Warning: Even taking all that info into account, if you smack a pin wrong or miss a pin you are very likely to crack a scale :(
Glen speaks the truth!!:bow I know from personal experience!! :banghead::banghead::banghead:Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Re pinning isn't to hard. Glen did a good vid that explained it all and the tools and pretty sure even just tightening as maintenance. Just finished doing my first 2 pins and if you take your time it should go well. I did cheat a bit and polished them with the dremel once I finished. Unfortunately now I have a crap looking razor with amazing looking pins. Cheers for the vids Glen.
AS an FYI, I personally find the 4oz peening hammer a little too heavy for pinning. I instead bought a 2oz jewelers hammer at AC Moore, along with a tiny jewelers anvil. I put some divots in the anvil for peening, and drilled a hole straight through it for pin removal. Both the anvil and hammer came highly polished out of the package. Just go to the jewelry making section. It is a little more expensive than a 4oz hardware store hammer, but worth it to me.
Another thing that works for me is opening the razor so its straight out and tightening it with the blade there.