Thread: Good evening

Hello,
My name is Richard and my family and I now live in North Carolina. I work for the government and my new hobby is restoring straight razors. I have a loving family and care for them deeply! My daughter is 14 months old and she is the light of my life!

I have been shaving with a straight for the last year and a half and feel like I can do it as a daily ritual and not as a painful exercise in futility. I started with a "Shave Factory" razor with replaceable Derby blades. Today I use a F. Fenney Pre 1890's and I'm trying to become a master of my morning ritual.

I recently purchased a lot of straight razors from a new friend and it included the following:
Geo Wostenholm & Sons X 2
F. Fenney
Joseph Elliot
B.J. Eyre
Joseph Rodgers & Sons
Clauss

All of them are free of rust and most have beautiful patina, but I was surprised when I found a piece of shaving history. A 9/8 "For Barbers Use" Chopper with all the markings (1890 or prior), no rust, pitting and in beautiful condition. I want to restore it and feel like I have the know how, but any last min. advice would be well appreciated.

Hi and welcome. Lovely looking razor. Most of the restoration information will be found in the workshop forum. One of the stickies (red ones) has a lot of how to where to information and is a great place to start. Good luck and any questions just ask the guy's here are more than willing to help

Personally, I would pull it out of the scales and give both a good cleaning. Then put it to use. It would be a shame to lose the patina on that razor. Find something else to restore.

Another option, I could send you a razor that needs a ton of help and take care of that one for you

As stated try here

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...wers-here.html

Welcome from Nags Head, NC! Sounds like you're off to a great start on all fronts! Haven't done any restoration myself, but look forward to following your efforts.

Hi Richard, and welcome!!

Hello Richard. Welcome to SRP.

I love this place (straight razor place). You have given me a nice start for my research and I feel like I will get all the expertise one would expect from true professionals. I respect your offer to take this "worthless" razor off my hands and provide me with a real project, but I must decline (I say that with all the respect of a new member and just trying to have a little fun with my first posts). I am going to pull the scales off and have already started shaping a set of Buffalo Horn scales for some authenticity.

Thanks Harold and Walter and I'll keep everyone filled in on the progress.

Welcome to SRP!
I agree with ss502mc, just try a light cleanup with some Maas, Mothers, and/or steel wool.
Beautiful razor.

I think that it'd be a shame to polish that one to a mirror finish. To me, the patina adds to it and is part of it's story.