Thread: Herder 30

As I mentioned, I have been on light duty for a few weeks.
Figured to get LOTS of razor stuff done. Not too disappointed, really.
I got some stuff shipped-off to some friends finally and fixed-up my old GB.
Honed several as well. I wanted to do another razor anyway, so I drug out a nice 8/8 Marx & Co I had contemplated doing. The blade needed lots of work and the bugs had all but eaten-away the scales at the wedge end.
Really need some scales...So I found a nice set of black horn my buddy Tarkus made a long while back. So nice. So much work here. I wanted to be done fast!
Had a light-bulb moment and retrieved a never-used Herder 30 blade from the drawer and kicked the other poor razor out of the Que.
Oh well. Here it is. 8/8, 17/16 total width, pre-WWII, F Herder 30.
Complete with cruddy pics, fingerprints, dust and all........





Some poseys for Glen!



Now for the rest of the story....

F. Herder survived WWII, their factory is now a museum. They were insolvent in 1993 whereupon the name became a GMBH and it's products were then made on the Maylay penninsula.
All of the old stock, much of it pre-war, was bought-out by SMKW in Tenessee and has seemingly been sold in parts to other concerns. Lots of knives and razors are hitting the bay on occasion. I have been lucky enough to obtain some.
This is the last one for me, I think. It was on a display board from the factory for 80+ years similar to this one.



One can see where the string was around the scale in this pic..



I paid what I thought was a lot for it and then the seller worriedly messaged me.
He told me he had taken it off the board and put it in plastic and the scales had gassed and stained the blade. Honest dude!
He offered to send it and if I still wanted it, he would give me a hefty discount.
OK sez I....Never saw old hard-rubber do that?

So it came, blade-open and in cardboard. Stubborn me, what did I do?
Took the generous discount and closed the blade and put it into the drawer for a few days. I remembered to check on it and WOW. It was turning blue!
Not like cell-rot, but a thick blue coating. Chopped-off the scales and tried Maas, Blade Bling, the buffer. Stubborn stuff! Finally some green and red compound on the buffer got it cleared pretty good. Check your hard-rubber scales, Men!


So you see, this is a brand-new razor, really.
New scales, collars, pins, wedge, and unused blade! Honed-up like it really didn't need it!



The old Marx & Co will have it's day....Just not today!



I shall see you all back here in about a Month!

Love the story and that's quite an impressive razor! Very nicely done.

Yep. That a beauty Tom. I'd be very happy to have something like that in my collection.

Go look at the bay, Jerry. Spend twice as much as you want to and get one of those 49's, 76's or 25's they are dumping. They are 15/16, so 7/8 blades....New.
There WAS a #28 that was 1 1/8....It went for 5 hun-something....

Nothing like having the correct geometry, Jerry. It's just better!

They are putting them in bone scales some which will need some work, but not too bad.
Just unpin the thing before you open it. No spacers.....Bone gnawing the tang!
I have bought several. Phrank got one. All have been perfect except one blade I got had no bevel-set! Was easy to do, though. So seems Doc scaled one here last week?

Both the razor and the story are awesome. What’s this about back in a month?

That’s a big one!

Got to hold off on spending. I got carried away and it's catching up with me or id be looking for those razors myself. And yes, Whats with the back in a month thing?

Originally Posted by RezDog

Both the razor and the story are awesome. What’s this about back in a month?

Thanks, Rez, Jerry!.....I charge by the word.

It'll be a month before I will want to work on razors much after all this..

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

That’s a big one!

Yup.....There was one bigger....Could be more coming, I suppose? (Seller's photos)
Mine....
Attachment 294592
The one that got away really quick!
Attachment 294593

An excellent razor.
Finally some big Herder showing up.