Looking for some opinions on a new ebay find

My new (to me) razor just arrived today! The seller said this is an English razor, the tang is stamped Silver Steel Warranted. The scales are kind of beat up, and I would like to replace them at some point (once I learn how). but for now my main concern is getting this blade in shaving condition so I can learn to use it. There are some small stains scattered around, and one small rust patch at the tip of the spine.

Attachment 155990

Attachment 155992
The blade is 3/4" from spine to edge, 3/8" across the spine

Attachment 155994
Tried to get a picture of the profile but my camera wouldn't focus. It looks like a wedge though

Attachment 155995

Attachment 155996
there is a very small chip at the tip of the blade (it's almost easier to see on the shadow)

The blade feels very sharp, but I don't know how to test if it is shave ready. I'm looking for advice on how to test if it is shave ready, and how to get it into service. Also if anyone has any thoughts on the history of this razor, I would be very interested to know anything about this blade.

Thanks!

Step one is to send out to a pro honer or find a mentor near you for a one-on-one honing session so you can see exactly what has to be done to get a shaveable edge.
Step two is learning how to shave with a sense of satisfaction. Learn your face and beard growth patterns. Step three is to slowly approach learning to refresh the razor's edge when it starts to pull. And all along learning how to strop so as not to destroy the strop and immediately dull the razor.

As for the razor, if it is a wedge there is no way in hell on a roundtrip that you could successfully hone it. Many of the pros charge extra for a wedge because it presents it's own set of difficulties.

As far as figuring out if it is shave ready a thumb pad test and a hanging hair test should suffice. It's a bit of an ugly duckling but there is just something about it that makes me think it's a little older than average but not crazy old.

I think that blade is far from a resto,put her down.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Step one is to send out to a pro honer or find a mentor near you for a one-on-one honing session so you can see exactly what has to be done to get a shaveable edge.

---

Are there any mentors or pro honers in the Mahopac, NY area?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

As for the razor, if it is a wedge there is no way in hell on a roundtrip that you could successfully hone it. Many of the pros charge extra for a wedge because it presents it's own set of difficulties.

---

What makes a wedge so difficult to hone?

check the classifieds, members services section. Wedges require more material to be removed and that one looks to require a lot of gymnastics to get a proper bevel set and polished

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gkofsky

Are there any mentors or pro honers in the Mahopac, NY area?

---

Go to the members list. Right hand side. Advanced search. Type in Mahopac, NY. If not successful type in cities/towns near you. Quite a few in NY alone. A good mentor will hone a razor for you to get you started.

RezDog explained the wedge problem.

This one is not just a matter of being a wedge. It looks like there are some serious grind issues (it has been attacked by a grinder, but it's hard to see what exactly happened to the geometry - though quite a lot. Note how the two sides are not symmetrical, especially at the heel, and all the other weird grind marks). In some places it looks like the wear goes near halfway across the blade. A honer would probably have to spend many hours on this one. If it were mine I would relegate it to the parts pile.

If you're starting out, it's generally recommended that you pick up a razor that's already shave ready - there are a ton of people who sell these pretty cheaply in the classifieds.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gkofsky

What makes a wedge so difficult to hone?

---

Removing all that material and getting a proper angle on the edge is what makes it so hard to hone. If you sent that blade to me, I would send it back with a "thanks, but no thanks". I recommend sticking taht one in a drawer and coming back to it when you are a honing veteran. Find a 5/8 or 6/8 sized razor 1/4-full hollow razor for your first one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gkofsky

Are there any mentors or pro honers in the Mahopac, NY area?

What makes a wedge so difficult to hone?

---

Send a PM to Bayamontate. You will never shave with a better edge after he is finished. He is nearby. Better still or in addition join us at the March 1st meeting in Valley Stream. You can meet him and many of the others in the area. Good food, good coffee, better company and trust me you will learn A LOT. It got me going last fall when I started with straights.

Unless you rely on the kindness of strangers it looks to me like this could be a very expensive razor. Just guessing you want to keep costs down. Good luck, a lot of excellent advice from members covering a span from ditch it to giving it to a master to work a miracle.

I'd send it back and see if you can get atleast part of your money back. Offer a red tacking fee.

Looks like an amateur has tried to regrind this razor. They may have destroyed the temper in the process. This razor needs a serious restauration job to get it back to working order. I wish you luck.

For the newbs,we have on SRP Mentors,Pls link the ebay blade to them before buying,They are here to help,contact them Via PM.
Granted, you may get a beater blade on the cheap.But also realize that some are not viable Blades,They are dead,cannot be revived.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

For the newbs,we have on SRP Mentors,Pls link the ebay blade to them before buying,They are here to help,contact them Via PM.
Granted, you may get a beater blade on the cheap.But also realize that some are not viable Blades,They are dead,cannot be revived.

---

Words to live by for a newbie. It is not easy to get a good blade on the bay especially when you are starting out and not really aware of what to look for. Take all the help you can get before you buy.

Bob

I agree that blade has been seriously compromised. Of course you can only tell so much from a photo however to someone starting out that's a bad beginning point.

Based on the idea that, at some point, no one had an expert to go to, and so had to figure it out for themselves, and using the info I've gathered from the wiki; I've tried to put a new edge on it myself. I have a set of micro mesh pads from 1500 grit to 12k, and a block of polished granite tile so I have a perfectly flat honing surface. I've also had a lot of practice honing wood carving knives and chisels. I know they aren't razors, but I've also almost cut off the end of a finger with a freshly honed knife and didn't feel it till it started to bleed (sorry if that was a little graphic).

The razor seems to have taken a good edge, though I haven't tried to shave with it yet (I did do the other sharpness tests from the wiki). I'm waiting for my shaving brush to arrive (an omega pro boar bristle) and the soap from Bumblewood (My fiance got some stuff from them and really liked it)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

For the newbs,we have on SRP Mentors,Pls link the ebay blade to them before buying,They are here to help,contact them Via PM.
Granted, you may get a beater blade on the cheap.But also realize that some are not viable Blades,They are dead,cannot be revived.

---

I spotted the blade when there was only a half hour left on the auction, so it was kind of an impulse buy. And it also only cost me $15. But I will definitely remember this for the next time I go trawling the bay.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GC7

Send a PM to Bayamontate. You will never shave with a better edge after he is finished. He is nearby. Better still or in addition join us at the March 1st meeting in Valley Stream. You can meet him and many of the others in the area. Good food, good coffee, better company and trust me you will learn A LOT. It got me going last fall when I started with straights.

---

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely send him a message. I'd love to come to the meeting but I don't know if I'll be able to, my schedule is pretty crazy. If you could PM me the details of when and where, I'll definitely try to make it.

Looks like you've chosen to take the expensive road - it's your money and your work though, so it's up to you.

I'd say cut your losses while they are still small and buy a nice already honed razor.

Given the condition I don't think it makes any sense to spend the hours it's likely to take to hone this one, especially as old as it is it may not even take a good edge.
The horn scales are the easiest to fix - dump it in neatsfoot oil for a week and then 10-15 min of sanding progression should get them back to nice and pretty.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Step one is to send out to a pro honer.

---

Getting that thing honed will be more expensive than what it cost to begin with. There's only so much we can do without a total regrind. And honestly, that razor is not worth it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GC7

Send a PM to Bayamontate. You will never shave with a better edge after he is finished. He is nearby. Better still or in addition join us at the March 1st meeting in Valley Stream. You can meet him and many of the others in the area. Good food, good coffee, better company and trust me you will learn A LOT. It got me going last fall when I started with straights.

---

Thanks for suggesting Bayamontate, I just got the razor back from him and he has managed to put an incredible edge on this blade. I now know who to send my future razors to until I learn to hone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gkofsky

Thanks for suggesting Bayamontate, I just got the razor back from him and he has managed to put an incredible edge on this blade. I now know who to send my future razors to until I learn to hone.

---

Yes you do!!

Have fun

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gkofsky

Thanks for suggesting Bayamontate, I just got the razor back from him and he has managed to put an incredible edge on this blade. I now know who to send my future razors to until I learn to hone.

---

Yes! Bayamonte's edges are legendary! Anyone who can hone that one has my hat off :chapeau Glad you found a home!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gkofsky

Thanks for suggesting Bayamontate, I just got the razor back from him and he has managed to put an incredible edge on this blade. I now know who to send my future razors to until I learn to hone.

---

You are very welcome. Please come to our next meeting and watch him at work along with other true craftsman like Bill and Michael who will mentor all comers. Bayamontate told me you sent him that blade and he managed a good edge. It's a great community here including our historian Joe and many enthusiasts. We met this past Sunday and with their help I managed to actually hone an edge to a practice Gold Dollar that will pop hairs in the HHT with ease. That's a first for me so there is hope for all. The key for me was Bill showing me exactly what the TNT felt like with a true bevel set and compared with a dull blade and seeing the pressure needed to remove steel.

I'm glad you're enjoying the edge on your razor. Looks can be deceiving, the hardest part of honing this razor was figuring out how it tape her. The spine is all over the place in thickness and symmetry. Once I got her taped up (Super 88, 33 and regular electrical tapes in different lengths along the spine) she honed up rather quickly.

Enjoy your razor.