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I just picked up a George Wostenholms & Sons straight razor for $18.00. It is from Sheffield England with original coffin box. The cap of the box has IXL embossed in it. The razor has a cream or off white scale. On the tang is " IV GEO WOSTENHOLMS & SONS" SHEFFIELD ENG on the blade is R.H. Macy & Co., New York 960. It has a rounded tip, with some superficial rust. Is it a good find or did I get ripped? I think it should clean up nicely.
Wosties are (generally speaking of course - tough to say without pics...) great shavers. Get it cleaned up and honed and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
It depends on the condition of the blade . We will need good pics , to determine that .
Odd. Pics not showing up for me. :p
Here are some pictures.
Attachment 115799Attachment 115801Attachment 115802Attachment 115803Attachment 115804
I think you did okay . I don't see a frown or any serious damage to the edge , although it does look a little rough , the bevel can be restored . some hone time on a 1k will fix it . If you can't do it yourself , look in the classifieds under "member services" for someone who can do the job , for you .
Any idea of age, and what the scales could be made of?
Looks to be in very good condition. No appreciable hone wear. Light tarnish with an occasional spot of devil's spit. It should clean up easily. I'd try cleaning it first, scales and blade with just light polish. The blade etch should be preserved. It should make a wonderful shaver. As others have mentioned, Wostenholms are excellent quality razors. I believe the scales to be made of celluloid, but I'm just guessing. The age? Again, just a guess on my part, but perhaps 1920 to 1930. More knowledgeable members please feel free to comment.
Nice find at a nice price. Post pics after cleaning and honing and tell us how it shaves.
Not bad. That's a lot better than most people do with their first razor purchase.
Rubbing alcohol will take that permanent marker right off.
I think the razor was made around 1890-1910 . The scales appear to be celluloid .Quote:
Originally Posted by lolomike
BTW , the 'IV" is actually "IXL" , that wasn't completely stamped into the tang .Quote:
Originally Posted by lolomike
My mistake.....................
Just my take on the matter..a nice blade for sure!
~Richard
A very nice find for a first razor. You did not get ripped off. :-)
Get her cleaned up and honed by a pro and get started is what I would say.
Good luck with it and remember... This is your first, but by far not your last. :-D
My first razor was a dovo that I purchased from SRD, that is what I have been learning on. But I cannot keep spending that type of cash for more razors. I saw other razors at the antique malls some were completely useless (broken or cracked), some look like they had been used for knives. But a few did catch my eye, one had a broken scale at the pivot point. A few had NY on them, and one had masonic markings.
I just purchased a 2 stiched buffing wheels and some polishing sticks at harbor freight. I did clean up the blade with some MASS, but it needs a bit more work. But gentlemen, I'm having fun, I'm learning about razors, I'm learning how to shave with the straight and I'm learning how to restore and sharpen them. For now I am and peace.
I have damaged razors and self a few times. Please read the Wikis before starting a project!
Category:Repair & Restoration - Straight Razor Place Wiki
There are a lot of good notes and threads in "The Workshop" and "Customs and Restorations" also!
~Richard
I'm making sure that I'm taking it slowly. I've been watching videos, dvds and anything else I can find. I've read the SRP Wiki, and anything else I could find on the web. I already had a variable speed bench grinder that I use for other types of projects, I will just put the buffing wheels on it and run it at slow speed.
This way it is less likely to jerk the blade from my hand, as long as I concentrate and pay close attention to what I'm doing. In my job Safety Always Come First. But I thank you very much for your concern, and kind thoughts.
I would say you got a good buy!
I don't own any modern razors for this reason. I'll buy one eventually, but for now it's way more fun and much cheaper to find and clean up vintage blades. Vintage straight razors have more character, imo.Quote:
Originally Posted by lolomike
