Your brains kindly...

[andrewmurray86]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have acquired a Birko No 50. It's not bad for $15, very small amount of surface rust that does not look anything like cell-rot, some wear on the blade as the toe is shorter than the heel and some wear on the scales but perhaps the worst bit is the "F. Small" engraved into the scales, at first I quite liked it as it was the original owner, the box also has F. Small written inside it too so that's nice they have stayed together. I have decided to restore the razor and was hoping that someone might be able to help me out with some information.

For example: Are Birkos like Bengalls in that they are common here in Aus? Has anybody else seen one before and/or used/owned one?

There are other questions to but I will save them for the workshop forum.

Cheers

[nipper]

I have a Birko, quite like yours but with a worked spine. It's a fine razor indeed. I think when you clean yours up and hone it you wil be very pleased.

[baldy]

I've come across 3 of them in antique stores. I've restored 2 of them and they're very nice razors.
One of them looks a little different now compared to how it came out of the factory...



Have fun restoring yours.
Grant

[andrewmurray86]

Those scales look awesome! Well done indeed. Cheers for sharing that one, I am very keen to my one back to its original glory.

[andrewmurray86]

I cracked the scales I was unpinning them and the end nearest the wedge cracked on the rear side Now I am not at all sure what to do. I really wanted to keep the Birko logo with the eagle but I'm not sure how it is attached to the scales. May some careful operating will release them from the celluloid and I can attach it to a new set. Gosh I feel so disappointed.

[rodb]

They make really thin brass (so thin it cuts with a scissors), you can usually get it at hobby stores. Use that to line the inside of the broken side and glue it in with CA glue. I've done that with good results

[Maladroit]

I cracked the scales ..... Gosh I feel so disappointed.

Don't take it to heart; we all make stuff-ups, I drilled a hole in some scales the other day in the wrong place - after a couple of hours work shaping them too.

BTW, while I've not owned a Birko, my father used one. He felt it was inferior to his Bengall, but that might have been just personal preference. I'd say most genuine Solingen razors without too much hone wear have the potential to be good shavers.

As regards repair, JimmyWetshaver's advice seems good - just watch it with the cyanoacrylate, that stuff can join your fingers together real fast

[scs1980]

I've come across 3 of them in antique stores. I've restored 2 of them and they're very nice razors.
One of them looks a little different now compared to how it came out of the factory...



Have fun restoring yours.
Grant

They look great!

[MickR]

Don't take it to heart; we all make stuff-ups, I drilled a hole in some scales the other day in the wrong place - after a couple of hours work shaping them too.

BTW, while I've not owned a Birko, my father used one. He felt it was inferior to his Bengall, but that might have been just personal preference. I'd say most genuine Solingen razors without too much hone wear have the potential to be good shavers.

As regards repair, JimmyWetshaver's advice seems good - just watch it with the cyanoacrylate, that stuff can join your fingers together real fast

The stuff was invented for doing that sort of thing. Saved time over putting in stitches sewing up the soldiers in Viet-Nam .


Mick

[Havachat45]

Glen (gssixgun) has a video of removing and replacing an inlay on celluloid scales IIRC