3 Attachment(s)
Thomas Turner 'Royal Navy' in blond horn
Here's just another razor i had stored in my zillion box to wait for an inspiration to get something done about it. As i got it about 2 years ago it was quite pitted and there was also rust near the pivot. Old black celluloid scales were broken for good. I wanted to restore this old lady just enough to make it a shaver but not to look too modern and shiny. At the time i got it i had no inspiration nor time so i just oiled the blade and put it away to wait for the better day.
My mother-in-law has seen me polishing and restoring old work knives and tools and she once asked me to try some old cleaning powder that has been sitting in her basement for decades. The name is 'Sampo' and it is actually an oxalic acid. It must be good stuff, said my mother-in-law, as the text in the can says 'real effective', 'since 1896', 'awarded with gold medal in Paris 1900' and yes there's even the picture of Eiffel tower :p
So i tried this old traditional stuff. I mixed the acid with little water to make it a paste and hand cleaned the blade with it. Surprisingly it took the pitting away real well, fast and easy without being too abrasive. I removed the rust with Autosol. Didn't do any other cleaning or polishing. Made the scales of blond horn and the wedge is black celluloid from the original scales. Pins and washers are brass.
Just like all Sheffields this wasn't actually a honers friend, but finally i got the bevel set with unnamed Japanese 600 grit stone and then moved to BBW, coti, and Chinese 12K. Stropped, test shaved and got surprised how good shaver this razor really is. A keeper. Not maybe the most beautiful lady in the pub but a work horse that does her job decently without making a number of herself.
Sorry for the poor pictures. The razor looks better in real life than in the pictures.
