Thread: Is this razor worth having restored?

I just found this forum today, been thinking about trying shaving with a straight razor for a long time. Of course it looks like it isn't cheap, and since i have expensive taste anyways it seems the new razors I like are the more expensive ones.

I have one though that was my great grandfather's that I am wondering if is worth sending off to somebody to have brought back into shape. ONt he blade it says "extra hollow ground (after the "u" it's unreadable) fully warranted" on the tang it says "Harris Goar mfg. co." then under that somewhere in whatever state is abreviated MO.

handle looks to be plastic with a flower and a lady on it. Here is a pic

what do you think? something to start with?

Red

Naw, to far gone, send it to me and I'll "dispose" of it for you

Seriously, Nice razor there. From just the one pic I'd say you don't need to do much but clean it a bit and hone it... (you can still send it to me if you like )

I would leave it as is, clean and tighten it up, hone it and shave for a long time with it. I love vintage razors and ones from family are the dearist. You have a keeper there.

Welcome to the site Your on your way to the good life and have a dandy razor already

it seems like a nice razor - some hone use, but you should be able to shave for decades with it. and if it belonged to your grandfather how can you not at least try it.

Originally Posted by gugi

it seems like a nice razor - some hone use, but you should be able to shave for decades with it. and if it belonged to your grandfather how can you not at least try it.

+1 - Actually a really nice razor with what appears to be a lot of life left in it, even with the bit of hone wear on the spine. Doesn't look to be a prob. Congrats and welcome!

Very little hone-wear and I don't see any deep pitting on it, so it's very restoreable. I'd consider rescaling it because celluloid is prone to rotting, gassing and corroding metal. I'd recommend Joe Chandler for cleanup, re-scaling (cocobolo looks nice) and honing.

Not bad at all. I wouldn't take me much over an afternoon of hard work to get that thing back to a nice shaver. you might lose the blade etching though in the re-polishing process

Another possibility for rescaling (if you think that is necessary) is Gary (Traveller). He does cast plastic or epoxy scales and could probably make a mold of the existing scales if you want to preserve the fancy naked girl. Gary can also clean it up for you and hone it so it will be returned to you ready to shave.

I tell you what, surfing around last night I saw a pic of a razor Joe Chandler had made, wow that was nice. I couldn't find any listings of his or prices, but liked the one I saw. how would I contact him? It is a little blade heavy right now, (I was reading about how they should balance at the pivot pin) I am guessing that if it were rescaled the balance could be shifted a bit? probably just going to wood versus plastic would do it.

I will keep the scales but am not worried about having them duplicated right now. I will keep them so that I can pass them down if I live long enough (I have two daughters so guess I have to wait till they have kids 20+ years from now).

You guys are awesome, thanks for the help and encouragement. Hopefully I don't go crazy, I could easily start snapping up razors and get totally out of hand.

Red

Red, my concern over the scales is that they're celluloid. Once it starts to go, it starts gassing and the gas corrodes the metal. You could have a well-balanced blade made of celluloid as well, but I'd go with wood because of the aesthetic value and because once it starts to go, it won't damage the metal of the blade. To contact Joe, you can PM him (his nickname here and real name is Joe Chandler).
Gary is a viable option as well when it comes to scales. He sent me a few and they look great. The resin that he uses should be gentler on the metal if/when it starts deteriorating. I just don't know if he offers a blade resto/honing service.