I dove right in! Thoughts on this lot of razors?

Well, I'm very, very new here and to the idea of shaving with a straight razor. I've tried using a Paker straight w/ replaceable blade, but it just doesnt seem sharp enough. So, I saw a guy with a lot of 6 razors for sale locally on craigslist. So, are any of these decent razors? The more I'm learning and reading, the more I'm concerned I just bought a bunch of junk.
Lots of pics here:

Flickr: dazedforever's Photostream

List of what I got (what is stamped on the Tang)

Woodpecker.
G.G. Thomas OTTUMWA, IA, Made in Germany
-notes - scales are broke. Might clean up pretty well-



Barbers Choice Hollow Ground
N. SHURE CO Germany
-notes-scale broke on this one too. Not sure how this one will clean up.

KROPP
Made and Ground in Sheffield, Eng.
-notes- This is a pretty big and hefty blade. Some staining, but not much major pitting. Hopeful this one can be restored to a good razor-


Uncle Sam
Germania Cutl Works
Germany
-notes- Rust will probably clean up fairly well. The edge has some pitting and will need to be redone.


Fox Cutlery
Fox Trademark Logo on one side
66EH, Fox Cutlery on the other
notes-alignment with the scales is a little 'off'. touches when closed. Seems like it'll clean up.


North Star?
It has 'North' and a pic of a star one side.
Made in Germany for Alfred J. Krank, St. Paul Minn
Seems pretty clean, not much rust to clean up on this one.

Are there any that you'd definitely keep and restore? Any that are total junk and shouldn't waste any time?

I really appreciate it!

havent heard alot about most of these but the wade and butcher is one of the best and most sought after razors i know of i have one and it is the best razor anyone could ask for my scales are cracked but the old razor is great. so id say that razor makes the lot worth while as long as it dosent cost 2 arms and a leg because then you cant shave lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deerhunter1995

havent heard alot about most of these but the wade and butcher is one of the best and most sought after razors i know of i have one and it is the best razor anyone could ask for my scales are cracked but the old razor is great. so id say that razor makes the lot worth while as long as it dosent cost 2 arms and a leg because then you cant shave lol.

---

Thanks Deerhunter! Which one is the wade and butcher?

I've had a few North Stars and a Fox that honed up really well. They all look pretty good, the Kropp has some pretty bad hone wear, but should be ok.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rodb

I've had a few North Stars and a Fox that honed up really well. They all look pretty good, the Kropp has some pretty bad hone wear, but should be ok.

---

Thanks Rob. What are the tell tale signs of the hone wear? I'm trying to learn how to 'read' these blades and figure out if they've been abused or have any life left in them. Thanks for the comments on the Fox and North Star. I figure if I get 1 or 2 good razors out of this lot, it will be worth what I paid in terms of actual 'value' as well as just the learning experience.

sorry i looked at the pics again and none of them are w&bs but looking at the pics all of those razors are vintage stuff so it is all good but there not gonna be pretty without some work. i thought the barbers choice was the w&b. id say get them pretty dosent cut whiskers. again sorry i mis took that one razor. none of them look any worse than what i have and mine does good.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deerhunter1995

sorry i looked at the pics again and none of them are w&bs but looking at the pics all of those razors are vintage stuff so it is all good but there not gonna be pretty without some work. i thought the barbers choice was the w&b. id say get them pretty dosent cut whiskers. again sorry i mis took that one razor. none of them look any worse than what i have and mine does good.

---

Cool. Thanks Deerhunter. Yeah, I'm more interested in performance than making it pretty. I will definitely be cleaning them up w/ some Naval Jelly and such to help get them looking better, but basically I just want them sanitary and sharp! :)

This one the spine is worn and flattened

Kropp_before4 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

This one is very thin and has lots of life left
North Star_before6 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I think you did ok. I would send a few of them out to get professionally honed so you can get a feel for what a shave ready razor is. Then you can start trying to hone them yourself. Thats the best part to me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bloodhoundman

I think you did ok. I would send a few of them out to get professionally honed so you can get a feel for what a shave ready razor is. Then you can start trying to hone them yourself. Thats the best part to me.

---

Cool. Thanks. And, that's precisely the direction I was thinking myself. So, now the next big question....how do I figure out who to take them to for honing? We have a couple of knife shops in the Austin area, but they don't really specialize in straight razors. One shop had a grand total of 1 razor in his case and in talking to them, I wasn't convinced they knew much about straight razors. If I needed my hunting knife fixed up...they seem like the place to go. So, how do I find a 'honemeister' who knows how to treat these razors?

Go to the classifieds section of SRP, vendor services. That way the farthest you have to travel is your mailbox.

most definitally. there are plenty of good memebers on here that will take good care of your razors. most local shops treat them like they are a knife and they very very rarly come out sharp and in the same shape they went in in.

DO NOT USE NAVAL JELLY!

Active ingredient is phosphoric acid, and it will ruin your razors very quickly...

You want a jewelry or stainless polish, a soft rag or 0000 steel wool, and some patience.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

DO NOT USE NAVAL JELLY!

Active ingredient is phosphoric acid, and it will ruin your razors very quickly...

You want a jewelry or stainless polish, a soft rag or 0000 steel wool, and some patience.

---

Well fiddlesticks. You live and learn I guess. I did a quick search on it before I did it and found somebody who recommended it (not sure where). I see now that if I would have searched more thoroughly, I would have found all the 'don use Naval Jelly' threads on SRP! Luckily, these are not 'coveted' razors, so it's a good time to learn. I didn't use too much and they are not damaged, so I get a free pass on this one. I'll give some good ol metal polish a try. I see Fritz and Maas recommended alot. Has anyone tried Wenol? I only ask because I have some.

Amazon.com: Wenol Metal Polish 3-oz.: Home & Garden

Thanks again everyone!