Hey folks!

Hey guys! My name is Josh, and I'm a knifemaker from Maryland!

I started on my first knife when I was 15, I made it from a file that my great grandfather used in the steel mill before retiring with 35 years under his belt. Needless to say, it was absolutely atrocious looking, and I later messed it up beyond repair. After making and selling a few blades to friends and family, I picked up a 2x48 Kalamazoo grinder and some bar steel and the rest is history.

Almost a year ago, I went to an estate sale that caught my eye because of the massive amount of machinery that the deceased gentleman possessed, and just as I was about to leave, I spotted three straight razors for sale. A William Bocking(anyone have info?), a Keen Kutter, and a third one that I didn't open because of the rust. I thought that it was too forgone.I payed the nice lady $15 for the Bocking razor, and was out the door otherwise empty-handed.

Since getting a steady income (I'm only 18), RAD has really nipped me in the rear, and the lovely people here are only making matters worse! I buy razors to restore/refurbish, hone and use. It's easily been the most expensive hobby of my life, but also been the most rewarding. Nothing feels better than taking a turn of the century W&B from gross and grimy to shiny and sharp.

An intro wouldn't be an intro without some pics, so here goes.. My first "restoration".

It's a mid-20th cent Genco razor that I got for $3.00 at an antique store.

Attachment 176815

Blade was chipped as you can see, and the scales had started to off-gas, so I unpinned them and ground the blade down.

A few hours of work.. Annnnnd...

Attachment 176816

Attachment 176817

A pretty sporty little "chopped" razor.

Still has some stain spots from the rust that I need to buff out, and the edge is near butter knifed, but I'll have her shaving lickity-split!



Thanks for looking, and I hope to be more active!

Welcome on board, if you have any qusetions, feel free to ask, nice save on the genco too.

Welcome to SRP

Cool little razor

Thanks gents!

Cornicus,

Welcome to Straight Razor Place. That appears to be a good restoration of a broken blade. The scales look striking, too. and I like the design. Overall, I think it is a handsome razor. My only concern is the perceived — mine — imbalance in the razor: I assume the blade is a 5/8 that is sawed off, but the scales look big and, I assume, heavy for the size of the blade.

Thank you for your greetings and feedback!

Believe it or not, the balance point is right in the pivot point, and it's a pretty decent shaver from what I've tested - with only about a day's worth of stubble. It's definitely the smoothest opening razor I've ever put together - usually with my builds, the inner washers are gritty. I polished them and the inner micarta and it's silky smooth. It holds closed when upside down, but opens with the lightest touch.

I made sure to balance the weight of the handle so that it wasn't much more than the weight of the blade, and took the daunting task of thinning out the micarta liberally with medium-grit paper. Really this wasn't a test of practicality, but rather a project that I threw together willy-nilly in an attempt to test the boundaries of my abilities. What I can say is that SRP has already taught me A LOT.

I almost want to buy a chopper with shot scales and use the same pattern for those. I think the curves would look better on say an 8/8 or 15/16 than a run of the mill 5/8 - just finding a blade that thick that isn't a wedge or that doesn't cost over $50 is a problem..

Tomorrow or Saturday I should be getting some Outer's gun blue, which I'm going to use on the hollow of the blade. Should give it a pretty cool look. If it turns out well, I'll post a picture here.

Thanks again for your reply and constructive criticism. :)

Stay sharp!

Welcome to the forum! Looks like you are off to a good start on that shorty. Looking forward to seeing what else you come up with.

Matt

Hi and welcome. Nice work on the restoration.

Hi there & a warm welcome to the forum. Great job on the broken blade. Keep that up & no telling what you'll be up to next!

I hope your next one is even better with a good blade that wasn't chipped. I made knives from files way back when I was your age!!!

Hey engine!

After the great grandpa file was a bust, the guys at Knifeforums told me a few good names to use, and I worked my way up to the bar stock. Why waste good 1095 when I can use a chewed up old $3 Nicholson? I didn't really think about it, but it's almost the same cost. Woops. :boohoo:

Got about.. 4 razors or so here that need a "restoration", one I know nothing about; maybe you or someone else can shed some light? It's a W&B, horn scales, looks old. No arrow trademark or anything, just "Manufactured by Wade & Butcher Sheffield". My first thought was frameback, but I don't know. It looks and feels much sturdier than the frames I've handled. The clerk that sold it to me seemed to be selectively educated on SRs and she told me she was thinking 1880's-90's. My guess was late 19th - early 20th. Crude yet refined, ya'know?

I'll post a pic if you think it'd help?...

Of course it will.. Here's a few.
Attachment 177103Attachment 177104Attachment 177105



Thanks for your feedback though, bud!

That frameback W&B of yours is likely to be pre-1890 since after that date most British razors carried the name England as well as Sheffield. It's not an infallible rule since technically it only applied to items imported into the US but it's a reasonable first assumption. There are experts here on all things British who may chime in with further info.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cornicus

Hey engine!

After the great grandpa file was a bust, the guys at Knifeforums told me a few good names to use, and I worked my way up to the bar stock. Why waste good 1095 when I can use a chewed up old $3 Nicholson? I didn't really think about it, but it's almost the same cost. Woops. :boohoo:

Got about.. 4 razors or so here that need a "restoration", one I know nothing about; maybe you or someone else can shed some light? It's a W&B, horn scales, looks old. No arrow trademark or anything, just "Manufactured by Wade & Butcher Sheffield". My first thought was frameback, but I don't know. It looks and feels much sturdier than the frames I've handled. The clerk that sold it to me seemed to be selectively educated on SRs and she told me she was thinking 1880's-90's. My guess was late 19th - early 20th. Crude yet refined, ya'know?

I'll post a pic if you think it'd help?...

Of course it will.. Here's a few.
Attachment 177103Attachment 177104Attachment 177105




Thanks for your feedback though, bud!

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Cornicus, Here's one I have that is very similar & it is indeed a frame back but it has a brass frame back to it! I'd say it's pre-1890's but I need to look in my references for a possible date it could go back to. Yours appears to have jimps on the bottom of the shank while mine is plain due to it being brass. They would wear off sooner because of the brass being softer than steel.

Awesome!

Hopefully one of them find their way here.

I remembered about the Madrid Agreement for the country of origin thing, but looking at my WB's, almost none of them have an England marking. Perhaps W&B didn't stamp it?.. Or maybe they're all just old as dirt. :rofl2:

Very cool!

Looks like a spitting image! I like the brass, and for some reason the toe of the razor and its smile on both look really grim.

I hit it with some Flitz, a little oil, and it's back in the case.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cornicus

Very cool!

Looks like a spitting image! I like the brass, and for some reason the toe of the razor and its smile on both look really grim.

I hit it with some Flitz, a little oil, and it's back in the case.

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Yes, I don't think it needed restoring but to be kept in the shape it was in other than just cleaning it up a little. I would have done the same thing. I love my brass frame back. I also love the way yours looks plus it has the jimps on the bottom side of the tang. If only they could talk!

Oh yeah man, you know it. When I get a razor from a barber shop closeout or something, I always think how many faces it's shaved, or the story behind the chips and dings - especially on some of those stub-tails.

very nice job.

Attachment 177328

Bluing done! Several buffings and almost a full bottle of Outers. ;)

That looks really cool Cornicus. You did a great job on that!!!

Thank you!

I just wish the finish was more durable.. I'd blue all of my razors if it was.

Yeah, I know what ya mean. You probably have to be careful with it because it might come off easier than real gun blue. At least you have more for touchup.