Thread: First Razors

Hi folks! I'm new to the forum and straight razors.

Based on some lurking and reading I decided to jump in with both feet. This weekend I attended the Canton First Monday and grabbed what I hope are two decent straight razors.

I'd love thoughts and opinions. I knew a few things to look for but was otherwise basing my purchase decision on a guess. I have no idea whether their condition is worth using or total junk. But considering the $10 each price tag I'm not out much if they are trash.

The first razor is marked "Hamburg Brosum Ring - Special Hollow Ground" on one side and "Ground and Made in Germany" on the reverse.


The second razor is marked "Gracie 99 4/8" on one side and "Grah & Co Solingen-Wald" on the other.


Sorry for the quick and dirty pics.

Addy,

They should both be fine shavers - most anything from Soligen in that period is.

Now, You're new to straights? Cool. These blades are gonna need restoration work you're probably not prepared to do. Note the hone wear on the Gracie. It can certainly be made a shaver, but decades of marginal skilled honing is showing. The toe appears to have been ground shorter over time, and the hone wear on the front face corresponds to the shortness. Someone had trouble getting the toe to come sharp.

To succeed w/ the straight, you need a shave ready blade. These need need some work, but will be fine shavers. Look in the Vendor section and pm some or the one of your choice to get a feel for what level of refurbishment you want, and what it will cost. The Hamburg looks like it will be quite deserving of the attention.

For the record, antique show 'finds' are generally unproductive (and more costly) for the new shaver. You can get a razor ready to go, with edges from some of the best from $35.

Best of luck w/ your entry into the old art. It will probably go very well.

Thanks for the reply. That's just the kind of advice I'm looking for.

I may just put these in my "lessons learned" bin. After looking at the vendor forum (which I hadn't visited before) I see too many good options to waste time on these two.

I really like those razors, definitely a lot of restorative work. Even if you dont restore them right away, and just stash em for a while, they both look like they could be pretty fun projects once you are more knowledgeable about restoration. I'm looking for a couple of project razors to start learning repairs and restoration on, and those are just like the ones I have been looking at. If you do get around to tinkering around with them, definitely post something. I'm really interested to see how those turn out, and how much work needs to be invested in them.