Just inherited 2 80 year old razors!

Hello everyone,

My name is Alan, I am new to the world of straight razors. My father gave me two razors that my grandfather used to use back before WWII and I would like to restore and use these razors. Both are hollow ground and have what looks like bone handles. The blades are in good shape with exception of some minor imperfections that look like they can be honed out. I really want to get these back to shaving condition and learn the art of straight razor shaving. Doe anyone have any ideas?

Alan

Some pictures would be really helpful.

If you want the work done, there are a bunch of members that do resto work; you can find their ads up in the classifieds. If you want to do the work yourself, there are tons of pages on the wiki, or you can stroll through the resto section.

Step one, read this.
Step two, read the rest of the forum.:D

Welcome to SRP ! That is really cool having your grandfather's razors. If you get a chance to post photos we would love to see them. Utopian steered you in the right direction. There is everything you need in the SRP Wiki. :gl:

Welcome to the forum for sure! Most members here would kill to have a few straights with which they have a family history. What a treasure for you! Restoration can be simple and it can be involved depending on the condition of the razors. ALL OF THE INFORMATION YOU NEED IS ON THIS FORUM SOMEWHERE.

As far as restoration, start here:

Category:Restoration - Straight Razor Place Wiki


There is also a restoration chat on Tuesdays where you can ask any question you like.


Good Luck!

-Rob

I recently restored my grandfathers razor, too bad I had to give it back to my uncle. I was smart enough to shave with it a few times before I sent it back. It was an old Griffon Carbo-magnetic, and a great shaver. Show us some pics it would really help, Do the scales need to be replaced or does the blade need a good cleaning and honing or all of the above?

Welcome to SRP - you'll find a lot of great information here, and the members are all really knowledgeable and friendly.

Incidentally, I initially read your title wrong and thought it said "Just inherited 280 year old razors!" and thought, "Wow! That's a lot of razors!" :rofl2:

Mark

Here is a picture of the razors.

Those look in nice shape. A little general cleaning and some time on the hones. Nice to have heirlooms!!!!

It is fantastic that you have those two from inheritance. Very nice.

Handles look like horn rather than bone

80 years by itself is not that special. Many here have razors of 150 - 200 years old.

But what makes your razors special is that they have a personal history that you can trace along your bloodline into the past. That is a very special, personal and unique thing. And if you take good care of them, you can pass them on to your kids / granddkids and you will be a part of that legacy too :tu

Welcome to SRP. As others already indicated: everything you need to know, you can find here.

The razors are in reasonable condition. The W&B barber notch looks like it has some hone wear but it is not too bad. I often restore razors that are heirlooms. The connection with the family is much more valuable.

This is one such razor, and brush that I restored.

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...nsRazor025.jpg

This is the razor alone.

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...nsRazor003.jpg