Thread: Newb seeking info about a Razor.

Hi there, my name is Jason and as you can see I'm new here. I've been reading through the forums and I'm amazed at the mountains of info here. It's going to take a while to sift through it all. I need some info about a straight razor I saw in a second hand store today and would appreciate any help I could get here. I just want to know if its worth rescuing and reconditioning or if its junk and should be left alone.
The reason it caught my eye was because of the scales. They are an unremarkable white plastic (micarta?) but what is interesting to me about it is that they are shaped like a scimitar. Unfortunately I dont have any pics to show. The scales have the words "Marke BUR Regd." embossed on it in black lettering. The blade appears to be 5/8 with a round point. To my uneducated eye (I've never bought a used razor before) it appears to be in fair condition. It doesnt have any rust and doesn't look pitted or chipped but could use some polishing up. It has the word "PRIMA" with some kind of design around it etched on the full hollow ground blade and "BUR Regd." on one side of the tang and "Solingen", "Made In Germany" on the other side. I have no idea how old it is but I'm sure it's an old'un. They wanted $35 for it but they were closing and I didn't want to make any hasty decisions so I left it there. I have a bad feeling I should have bought it. Anyway, I'm not interested in buying it for display only. I want a usable razor I can shave with. I've been using safety razors for a few years now but I dont have much experience with straight razors so any info and opinions I could get from you guys here would be greatly appreciated. Sorry about the lack of any pics.

Thanks!

Hi and welcome to SRP!

I'm not really that up on Solingen blades, but I do know Dovo makes (made?) a 'Prima' razor. I would expect however that Dovo would be stamped on the tang as well as etched on the blade if that's what it was, so methinks that isn't what this one is.

Hopefully some of our resident experts on German blades will see this.

Is there any way you could go back to take some pics?

Sounds like a neat razor!! Tough call though. I bought my first razor in an antique store before I knew much about razors, and it wasn't a good purchase I've come to realize. If I were you (and I had the 35 bucks to burn), I'd pick it up and just hold on to it for a while. Then maybe get a shave ready blade from the classifieds, and as you learn more about straights, you'll be able to tell if this scimitar razor is worth saving. If it is, then you can send it out (or hone yourself if you are daring), and if it's not, then you lost out on 35 bucks - things could be worse.

It's a gamble when you don't have too much knowledge (I had practically none when I bought my first, and I lost on my gamble), but if it pays off, it sounds like it could be a neat razor. Tough call, but it sounds like it could be a neat one!!

If it's made in Germany it's quality. The next issue is the condition of the blade.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

If it's made in Germany it's quality. The next issue is the condition of the blade.

That's hitting the nail on the head right there. It's the condition of the blade I'm most concerned about. It's not rusty or oxidized black. Even though it is definitely an older razor in need of a polish it's not worn to a sliver from years of sharpening. I've been reading everything I can in this forum that could be helpful. Lord Thunderin' this is a ginormous forum.
I think Toadq5 is right. There's nothing to it but to do it. I'm going to go get it. I have two other straight razors but I bought them new. This is my first time buying a second hand blade. I'll take a couple of pics of it tomorrow when I get it home. That is, if it's still there.
Thanks!
J

for like 12 bucks (or so i forgot) you can buy an illuminated 30/60x "loupe". i forgot i had one, but just pulled it out now that i'm learning the straight, and mine is 101 years old...

magnification is a wonderus thing wrt edged things yo.

a high-quality blade may have become a huge chore to restore (low-quality), depending upon what sort of handling and care or not that it has received over time. high-carbon steel has a particularly bodacious propensity to rust. knocking a little pitting off an axe is no big deal, but there's way way ho-lot-less metal in the edge of a razor.

i'm so glad i refound my magnifier, now i can cruise the antiques mall with confidence. confident i won't buy a basket case-most of which the naked eye can see.

back to the loupe- the 30x is pretty easy to use, but you have to work at using the 60x. the 30x will tell you plenty, the 60x is for sicko metallic porn.

oh boy, now i'm going to go look at my DE blades...

similar to whatigots:

Well I did it. I bought that razor. I had a bit of a let down at first when I got to the store. It wasnt there! The woman that opened the case noticed my disappointment and asked what I was looking for. When I told her she asked me if it was the "light" colored one. When I said yes, she told me it was up at the cashier desk. The guy that was going to buy it changed his mind and bought something else instead. Lucky for me. I was happy about that and bought it.
Anyway, I've just spent the last two hours searching the web trying to identify this razor and have had some luck in getting closer to identifying it. I came across a list that I'm sure has been brought up on this forum before called "Razor Makers".
On one side of the razor's tang it says "WALD - SOLINGEN". On the other side it says "BUR". BUR is also embossed on the scales.
According to the Razor Makers list this may be an Ern razor made by Carl Friedrich Ern sometime after 1922. Exactly when it was made, I still dont know.
He also made a "Crown and Sword" razor and I notice that some of the Ern razor models that I saw online often have a very particularly shaped sword stamped on the tang or engraved on the blade or embossed on the scales. The shape of all the sword emblems is the same. They are all shaped kind of like a scimitar. Which kind of explains the interesting shape of the scales on my razor. The sword emblem is not embossed on the scales. The scales themselves are shaped like a scimitar type sword! They also have "Marke BUR Regd." embossed on them on one side. The blade has "Prima" engraved on it.
If anyone out there has any info about this that they can share I would sure appreciate it. I'd like to find out more. Including the age.
I will post pics as soon as I can. I'm afraid I'm not very good with these here computer thingys.

WadePatton's advice is good. Look most closely at the edge and make sure there's no micropitting. That's one that can sneak home with you.

Sounds like a good blade you brought home. Good luck with it.