My first Ebay restore

This is a Simmons Hardware Company Barber's Pet Razor in 4/8. The seller's pictures and description were very accurate and I knew exactly what I was getting into with the only surprise being the slight smiling edge it had. I knew from the seller's pictures that the scales needed to be replaced and there was a lot of rust on the tang but the razor was otherwise very nice.
I'm thankful for the FAQ section of SRP; it made picking out a good one all the more easy. I put it in Dovo Redwood scales from SRD and it passed the arm hair shave test with flying colors. That makes this my 7th Razor giving me my first 7 day set!Attachment 110406Attachment 110407

Congratulation on your first restore Nice work Enjoy!

Technically its my 5th restore, I just meant this was the first time I used Ebay to get one to restore. I love 4/8 though and those seem to be somewhat hard to find, this one caught my eye immediately because of how good the blade looked. The rest of the razor was in somewhat of a sorry state, but fixable.

Well there plenty of 4/8 on the bay most are looking for big blades so you should have a lot to pick from!

Nice job! And I think you may be one of the first people I've seen who has given an ebay seller credit for his description AND pictures. lol. Mostly we only hear about the bad experiences. Or the lucky times when the pics were junk, but the razor turned out great. I've often thought about purchasing scales instead of making them myself. Although I don't doubt your happy, since you were dealing with SRD. I was just curious if you'd mind giving us a little review of the scales themselves. And once again, it looks really good! Great job!

I really like the red wood scales I got, especially how idiot proof they are given most of the work is done for me. The only problem I've had with Dovo replacement scales is the smaller of the washers used for pinning. I usually use a washer from my stash of pins and washers I got on ebay because of that. Its not that its a bad washer its just a hair small for the job and just doesn't want to fit over the pin without a good bit of filing, and I don't like filing that close to the wood.
Overall I think the Dovo brand replacement scales are a great buy for the money: cheap, looks good, easy to work with. Just watch out for that little washer not wanting to go over the pin without some filing work. I've entertained the idea of making my own scales from slabs of exotic wood but that's an adventure for another time. I love the exotic woods though and they're not hard to find already made for you. I've actually got something of an exotic wood theme going on in my 7 day rotation with the only exception being my Boker Tree Brand 4/8 in micarta, which is still a wood so it fits IMO.
Also yes I felt the seller deserved some praise, I was suspicious at first because the seller was only asking for 20 bucks with free shipping but the pictures clearly showed the damage and the damage was described well enough. A crack in the scales was what the seller noted and the rust was clear in the pictures. Got exactly what I thought I was going to get.

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Originally Posted by Steelstubble

I love the exotic woods though and they're not hard to find already made for you. I've actually got something of an exotic wood theme going on in my 7 day rotation with the only exception being my Boker Tree Brand 4/8 in micarta, which is still a wood so it fits IMO.

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Micarta is a wood? I must have played hooky and missed that class in shop. Can you tell me where Micarta trees grow? :thinking: As for exotic woods, Redwood, or at least American Redwood, is not customarily considered an "exotic" wood.

I really am not getting on your case. I like that you have been reading the FAQ section of SRP. After doing more research on the site, seeing other member's work you will soon come to know what is and is not an exotic wood. Not as many members use wood for their scales as other materials. If the wood is not dense enough (i.e.: exotic woods) or is not properly treated to resist moisture, the scales are going to deteriorate quickly. There are no ready made exotic wood scale blanks of which I am aware. I could very well be wrong, but I have not run across any. Heck, it is hard enough just trying to find reasonably priced raw material, let alone ready made blanks.

As you get more involved in this addiction (and that TRULY is what it is), you will look back on this post and hopefully have a good chuckle. Again, I am not putting you down or trying to steal your thunder for the love of this craft. What you did to that razor is grand and I applaud you for bringing a neglected razor back from the grave yard. I hope you understand I mean well for edification and no other reason.

Randy

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Originally Posted by WhiteLion

Micarta is a wood? I must have played hooky and missed that class in shop. Can you tell me where Micarta trees grow? :thinking: As for exotic woods, Redwood, or at least American Redwood, is not customarily considered an "exotic" wood.

I really am not getting on your case. I like that you have been reading the FAQ section of SRP. After doing more research on the site, seeing other member's work you will soon come to know what is and is not an exotic wood. Not as many members use wood for their scales as other materials. If the wood is not dense enough (i.e.: exotic woods) or is not properly treated to resist moisture, the scales are going to deteriorate quickly. There are no ready made exotic wood scale blanks of which I am aware. I could very well be wrong, but I have not run across any. Heck, it is hard enough just trying to find reasonably priced raw material, let alone ready made blanks.

As you get more involved in this addiction (and that TRULY is what it is), you will look back on this post and hopefully have a good chuckle. Again, I am not putting you down or trying to steal your thunder for the love of this craft. What you did to that razor is grand and I applaud you for bringing a neglected razor back from the grave yard. I hope you understand I mean well for edification and no other reason.

Randy

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If I am not mistaken micarta is simply layered material laminated by resin.
I have made micarta from paper, denim, leather (failed) and I am sure it could easily be made from wood veneer.
That being said, his scales are likely not wood micarta, but they could be.

Eric.

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Originally Posted by epd

If I am not mistaken micarta is simply layered material laminated by resin.
I have made micarta from paper, denim, leather (failed) and I am sure it could easily be made from wood veneer.
That being said, his scales are likely not wood micarta, but they could be.

Eric.

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Eric,

Thank you for clarifying the matter. That's what I thought, that Micarta was a man made lamination of materials. I did not know wood was one of the materials used for lamination. If that is what Steelstubble used then I owe him a huge apology. He did say IMO, so as you suggest, I should give him the benefit of the doubt.

I do wood lamination using 1/32nd" to 1/16th" strips to build various items. I guess Steelstubble could have done the same. At the very least, you have given me a great idea for my next lamination project. Thank you for your post.

Randy

Randy

Constructive criticism well taken! I have a saying about myself, "I've never claimed I was smart." I was under the impression that micarta was resin laminated wood pulp. I just wasn't thinking on the exotic wood thing being a concrete definition though, aside from the red wood I'd never heard of most of the woods in the scales I saw for sale and assumed that woods that weren't things such as oak or maple were considered exotic. As far as the blanks go, try typing in "straight razor scales" into Ebay. All kinds of wooden blanks pop up of various woods in the listings. Since you know more about this then I do I'll leave judgement on those blanks to you, because I really don't know much about wood working.

Keep up the good work, of bringing old razors back on line.
Thank you for sharing yours.

Just checked on the description for my store bought Boker Tree Brand, it says Canvas Micarta. Oops, that isn't made of wood at all. It's still one of my favorite razors though. :p

Congrats on your first ebay restore. Always nice to grab a blade off the bay that isn't total trash!

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Originally Posted by Steelstubble

Constructive criticism well taken! I have a saying about myself, "I've never claimed I was smart."

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Smart has to do with intelligence. I have no doubt you are smart. Ignorance has to do with education on the subject you want to learn about. Everyone on this forum is ignorant about the subject of brain surgery. See the difference? That is why I believe with time being on this forum, you will learn and be every bit as capable as the next guy.

As for woods on eBay, I have indeed tried my luck there. I purchased five different wood blanks. Of those five, only one turned out to be worth the purchase. If I can give some input, it is not only the appearance of the wood, which some can be very beautiful, but it also has to do with how the wood will stand up in a moisture rich environment. Soft woods, with large pores, like Redwood, unless treated with proper sealants, are not going to fair well. Exotic woods like Cocobolo, as just one example, are dense and have not only very small pores, but also have resins that help the wood to repel water.

At any rate, I am so glad you did not take me in an offensive manner. All of the members here are trying to help one another. I am still ignorant of so many aspects of this craft I can not even count them. But I keep plugging away and some day, maybe, I will have learned about 10% of what I need to know.

Randy

No worries! As I've gotten older I've mellowed out a good deal and even welcome correction now. Its a good thing to be corrected and informed especially if you're really doing something boneheaded. If I had humbled myself and sought out real help when I first started with straight razors it would have saved me tons of grief and things blowing up in my face in general. In fact the first and most important thing I learned here was that newly made straights are usually not shave ready. I was under the impression for nearly a year the factory edge was as good as it got! I sure felt silly shaving with that dull razor for so long and not knowing better!

If I could make money off of the boneheaded things I do every day, I would be a zillionaire! Two days ago, I complement a user on his razor pinning. Turns out they were not pins at all but mechanical fasteners. :shrug: In my defense, the pictures were small. :rolleyes: Another example is when I complimented a member on the fine file work he had done on the spine of a razor. Turns out the spine work was done by the manufacturer. There is no emoticon for embarrassment, so just think deep red faced.

I am just as green as you are in the area of straight razors. I am certain I will make many more faux pas as I venture along the road of learning this craft. I do know wood though and the reason for my reply.

Like you, I have mellowed out as time has passed. I now have a good hardy laugh at my miscues and learned to gain experience and knowledge from them.

Randy