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Hi, I've joined this forum to gain a bit of knowledge about caring for the razors my Grandpa collected in his retirement. He died 30 years ago and since then his collection has lain unloved.
I would like to know how to clean and oil them so that I don't do them any harm.
Cheers
Welcome to SRP. Post up some pics of a few so we can get an understanding of what shape they are in. Just to start, a little oil on the steal is a good thing. Just to cut down rust but if they are rusty then they need cleaned first.
Be sure to read the library as there is lot of great info and will help you to learn from maintenance to restoring to shaving.
You didnt say anything about shaving so do you plan on learning the use a straight razor? Or just to keep them in shape?
There are lots of people here that will be able to advise you. They will need to know what kind of razors they are, straights or DEs...
I assume that since you have joined this forum that they are straights, but we do have lots of members that also have DEs.
Some photos would be a great help too.
Also, you are most welcome to the forum. Good luck with your collection.
Thanks Porl, I won't be shaving myself, as it is a granddaughter I am. I said that with such an Irish accent, hehe.
But I will post some pics. Some feel balanced in the hand and some are beautiful in their simplicity or decoration and many seem to be German made. Most are in good shape and a couple have the blade eaten away with rust.
Cheers J
Thank you Gasman, I will post some pics. I will clean and oil the blades I expect the restoration threads will contain some gentle methods for that.
One day my boys and my husband will do away with their beards and they will be glad to choose their own razor from this collection.
Cheers J
Granddaughters can use straight razors too.
Tell your men that beards are so yesterday and that real men shave with straight razors :rofl2:
I wish I had some of my Grandfather's razors. I hope that you can get them shaving again that would be great.
Attachment 271093
This is the razor that belonged to my Grandpa's father. It comes with a note telling of its age 137 years. It is a W.Peres Solinger
The razor you show would take very little to put it back to work. As mentioned above, there are some ladies that do use straights. I've done my wife's legs, she loves it.
The simplest way to start with restoration is simple metal polish like Maas, Flitz, Mothers...you get the point. It's not going to hurt the razor and will remove a lot of the light rust. If there is deeper rust, you can opt to have a restoration specialist work on it or choose to get more aggressive and try some steel wool. Considering your lack of knowledge (please don't take as an insult) and those razors being priceless heirlooms, please don't resort to sandpaper.
Most of all, if you choose to work on the razors, USE CAUTION as a dull razor is sharper than most knives!
That will clean up nice and easy. Still takes care but that blade could be ready to be back in the hands of its heir and looking great in short order. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by GilbysGrandie
Hi and welcome aboard. There is a member here Joan who runs a knife supply who has a lot to do with razors. She is based in Tassie so might be worth contacting. Fairly sure she could help with any restoration needs as well. Will add a link for the knife site and if can find will add one to Pm through SRP
Home
Found it
http://straightrazorpalace.com/members/renspen.html
Thank you Eddy, this is a fantastic contact for me :y
Thank you, that's good advice, I'll start with the metal polish and see how I go with that.
I'd better make sure my tetanus shot is up to date because I can be careful but you're absolutely correct about the hazard.
Thanks Scott, I think I might not start on this one because I'd hate to wreck it. Maybe I'll do this after I practice on some of the others :hmmm:
:rolleyes:
There's a great YouTube video "How to shave with a straight razor like a boss" that's a tutorial for the ladies that wish to shave their legs.Quote:
Originally Posted by GilbysGrandie
If you have some rusty razors there, it would be good to spray them with some WD40 and just leave it on until you're ready to clean them. Don't wash them with water just yet, or if you do, make sure you dry them really well. Once you think they're dry, dry your hands well and wipe them again with a dry paper towel. Get into the pivot area, stick the towel in there and get as much moisture out as you can. Then open them and let them air dry a few hours. This would be the short procedure - water+dish soap first, WD40 after they're dry, and leave them.
There's a routine I follow when I get a used, rusty, dirty razor. I will only do this if the razor's handle (scales) are plastic, celluloid, or some other man-made material. This is very important.
1. Hot water and dish soap first, scrub it down with a toothbrush, repeat if necessary, while it's still wet. Get in everywhere, between the scales, etc... until all the dirt is out. At this point, it doesn't matter what the scales are made of. Proceed to step 2 only in case of artificial materials (probably safer to say this here).
2. Dry the razor completely, and I move on to WD40. I don't skimp on it, I spray inside the pivot and work the pivot, clean off with a paper towel, then spray in again, work it again (as in opening and closing the razor), watching the black oxide/rust and dirt come out, until it comes out no longer. I'll also use a toothbrush here.
3. Then I'll wash it in dishsoap again, to degrease it. If I'm happy, I'll just dry it, again, really thoroughly, then spray some more WD into the pivot and leave it alone for a few days. During this time, WD40 will do it's thing, so once again, I'll need to clean the pivot (mostly) to get all that newly released rust out. Clean and dry with a paper towel.
After this, there are two paths: either oil the blade with something like Balistol (mineral oil) and leave it alone, or as mentioned, get some metal polish and work on the steel. Polishing after WD40 treatment will be easier and more effective, and in fact, polishers like MAAS do like some lubrication - they will be more efficient. I'd suggest wearing latex gloves, as this can get quite messy.
All this I described here is non-invasive and won't damage, or compromise your razors, just get them as clean as possible. Well.... There is the caveat of scales material - You need to know what they're made of, before you use greases and oils... and be careful, as light, porous materials such as bone, can and will discolor under influence of mineral oils.
The forum is a wealth of knowledge, this is just a very small part of it. Hope it helps! Make sure you look around, search and read some more. Welcome aboard, and I hope your men start using those razors some day (then send them here).
