Thread: Hello from Oregon!

Coming from NE Oregon, and I am just getting into shaving with straight razors. I have a kickstart from having a few straight razors from my great grandfather and great great grandfather, in total four and one replaceable blade, straight razors, along with a few strops of similar, but good quality. Any and all help in the coming would be very welcome, and if anyone know of a guy who can sharpen and restore blades near here, I would very much appreciate that. Looking forward to posting here!

Welcome. Sounds like you have a good start. Heirloom razors and shaving tools are always inspiring. Probably my most cherished (although certainly not my best) razor came from my father and I think from his father. I personally sharpen my own so I don't know of anyone in your area but I'm sure someone will chime in. You can also check in the vendors section. You should find someone there.
Again welcome. Look around. Read some posts. And do plenty of searches about things you have questions about. Make sure to check out the library. There is a wealth of information there as well as in the general forum. Also don't be afraid to ask questions as everyone here is very helpful and quite friendly.
Enjoy your stay.

Welcome. Post some photos of the razors. Being able to see condition will help others give advice on what to do. As said read the library and ask questions. Good luck.

Originally Posted by Amist

(snip)....... if anyone know of a guy who can sharpen and restore blades near here, I would very much appreciate that. ........(snip)

First,
Welcome to the forum. Lots of information already here if you search for it. If the information you seek is not here already, there are plenty of helpful folks ready and willing to answer your questions.

Glen, gssixgun here on the forum, can take care of all your needs. See his website at Welcome GemStar Customs - Gem Star Customs. Distance doesn't make much difference to USPS but he is only four hours from you in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Welcome to SRP from WA, and I will second the recommendation to use Glen's services for restoring your heirloom razors. You will be far from disappointed with his work.

Welcome.
Please do not use your heirloom razors to learn. It’s is a dangerous time for straight razors.
Glen is probably the most experienced restorer I know of.
You are going to need to shop for a nice soap and brush.

Thank you all for the generous help, these are the pictures of the razors in their current state. I removed some of the rust on them to see who they were manufactured by, and two of them were pretty hard to read. The Geneva Cutlery Corp. and the H. Bokers(?). They all need a pretty good restoration to them for sitting in a tin for so many years, I will definitely look into Glens services for these. Any good personal suggestion as to what kind of brush and soaps I should get would be much appreciated I tried my best for high quality pictures, if you want a better look at any, just say and I will send.

Hello and welcome to SRP.

Great advice given so far...Glen is the man.
Look in the buy/sell/ trade thread for anything razor related that you might need.
I do recommend an inexpensive razor that is properly honed from one of our members to start off with.

Enjoy your time here on the forum!

Pete <:-}

Welcome to the forum!

As mentioned above, I wouldn't start out shaving with an heirloom razor. It is extremely common to bang up/break your first razor during the first month. It is better to break one that you are no emotionally attached to. I would pick up another razor from the buy/sell/trade pages on this forum to learn with.

I would recommend separating those razors. The third razor (with the bow tie bolsters) looks like the scales may be out gassing and eating away at the metal. If it is, the acidic gas will rust anything metal that is nearby. The other razors have a large amount of hone wear, but a good honer can overcome that. As mentioned above, Glen is a good choice for this.

For soaps and brushes, there are a million choices. I usually recommend that beginners pick up a VDH set at WalMart. Soap, bowl, and brush kit for around $20. There are definitely better soaps and brushes out there, but there are also a lot worse and for $20 if you hate it then you haven't lost much.

Feel free to ask us questions, we are here to help.

I agree with Cris. Van der Hagen is inexpensive, easily accessible and pretty darn good quality for the money. I have a Van der Hagen brush that I've been very satisfied with. Their soap is also acceptable. A set is a good bet.
You're very fortunate to get some very nice heirlooms. Boker, Imperial and Dubl Duck are all good maker's. They may have some hone wear but they don't look that bad to me from the pictures. Certainly a restoration would do them a world of good. If you send them to Glen you won't believe it when you see them again. It will look just like brand new. It's also good advice to get another razor to learn with. You could get one on eBay but it's hard to know for sure that you're getting a good one if you're still not that familiar with them. I have several JA Henckels that I've been very satisfied with. They are easy to use, not that expensive and wide enough without being too bulky. That's always a good bet but first of all, I would get a carbon steel and not the stainless. Second, I would buy one from someone on SRP. You're more likely to get something in good usable condition without paying full retail price or more. Since I've got three or four Henckels I may even be willing to part with one if you don't find something else that you like.