Gone But Not Forgotten!

Hi All!

Here's the razor I received from a 77 year old Canadian who approximately 70 years ago witnessed his father shaving with his father's razor (granddad's) at the kitchen sink when the father dropped it and it hit the edge of the sink breaking a thumbnail size 'chunk' out of the blade.

He saw tears in his father's eyes! Years later after his mother and father had passed and he was clearing their home out, he found that they had saved the razor, the broken chunk and the box the razor was in. He held onto it for sentimental reasons. Granddad had came over to Canada from England and raised his family. He had died at a young age and the owner's father inherited the razor. The family story handed down is that Granddad had brought the razor with him from England!

Long story made short, through a chain of events I was asked if I could 'place the chunk back' so that his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren etc could see something from their heritage!! I accepted the challenge and about the last of January I received the razor.

I told the owner that it would not never ever shave again, nor would it ever close into the scales and he was fine with that! At one time this was a very beautiful Boker razor! It had some gold wash on the blade and the tang was blued. 99.9% of the gold wash was gone and most of the bluing and the owner OK'd polishing off what remained of the gold wash.

Here's some pictures to help with the journey!

Here's the AWCRAP!:gaah:

Attachment 160022

Here's how I attached the broken piece back to the razor. I used JB WELD at both ends then after that had set I applied the JB in the middle and finally got it almost perfect before the working time of the epoxy was up. It is ever so slightly raised at the top and I could have sworn to GOD that it was flush when I was finished but all in all I think it came out very nice:

Attachment 160023

Here's how it looks now:

Attachment 160024

I had a friend make the display box. I've tried and tried to get the pictures to show how really nice it looks but No Go! It's got a beautiful gloss finish inside and out and the wood is much darker! The top is secured with two guide pins so it can be lifted of and the glass can be removed and allow access to the razor. There are vent slots cut into each side. I made 90 deg angled pieces of 1/16" brass rod and then polished them. The one is at the end of the blade to support it and the other two sit between the scales. That helps prevent any lateral movement. They are also close enough to keep the razor from rocking in them.

Attachment 160025

The owner has been so very patient and understanding this whole time! Once the razor had cleared customs in Chicago the USPS in all of it's wisdom sent it to New Jersey which is about as far away from me in a direct line running East to West as you can get in the States:banghead:I do hope that the owner will be pleased when he sees it first hand as the pictures really don't do either the Razor or the display case justice!

I'm hoping to have it packaged and headed home with tracking and insured today! Padding and boxing it so it makes the journey in perfect condition is my biggest worry so far!

I hope all have enjoyed the journey! :tu

Very nice job you did,, ,,,,:angel:

Interesting story Roy! Nice work on the razor, the display looks very cool, thanks for sharing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Martin103

Interesting story Roy! Nice work on the razor, the display looks very cool, thanks for sharing.

---

Thanks my friend and Thank You for helping identify the maker of the razor! :tu

Very Nice save Roy !!!

For some reason it actually makes me feel warm and fuzzy that the razor was saved for history's sake alone... :tu

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Very Nice save Roy !!!

For some reason it actually makes me feel warm and fuzzy that the razor was saved for history's sake alone... :tu

---

Glen! You Old Softie! :rofl2:

Actually it really was very rewarding to do the work for the owner! He's not a member of SRP he's a machinist and Ray (walleyeman) who's also a machinist sent him to me. I sent the owner the link to my thread/post and he said that I did indeed have the history and family legend of the razor coming with granddad from England correct! Sometimes I luck out and get it right!

I'm glad that unless it's taken out of the display case no one can see how butt ugly it looks where I bonded everything on the backside!

Attachment 160187

I decided to try to 'seal' the wood by coating everything with the JB WELD. In hindsight I think I would have gone with my original idea of sacrificing a steel feeler blade as I later realized that I had some magnets that probably would have helped keep the chunk in place! Oh Well it's done and on it's way home!

The packing went very well and now I'm not too concerned about any breakage! The bad news is I used 90% of the bubble wrap that I'd horded for shipping razors back to their owners!:banghead:

I just noticed the amount of 'Likes'! OMG!!!! Thanks Guys! I've never posted Anything that has come Anywhere Near to that Like Count! I hope you pass the link around for others to see as 'most' threads' die fairly quickly!

I'll restart this thread after the owner gets his heirloom and lets me know what he thinks of the finished product!

You did a very nice job of saving it, if only cosmetically, but I think the "likes" are in appreciation of what you did for the family in saving some of their heritage. You done good, boy!

rs,
Tack

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I just noticed the amount of 'Likes'! OMG!!!! Thanks Guys! I've never posted Anything that has come Anywhere Near to that Like Count!

---

Like, you are gonna' have to watch the movie Valley Girl in like honor of the like count :popcorn: And yes, that is Nicolas Cage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSX4YgdKKMk


Nice job on saving a family heirloom.

I'll say it again.

Ya done good, Roy! :tu

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wullie

I'll say it again.

Ya done good, Roy! :tu

---

Thank you my friend from the Lone Star State! I'll be honest! This is probably the most stressful project that I've ever done for someone! I could just imagine the scales breaking while I was working on it or another chunk coming out of the blade!

While I got the edge of the chunk to align with the rest of the blade there were many tiny chips in the edge especially toward the toe! I could leave them or I could take them out! After a lot of thought I took them out! Can you imagine how stressed I was while I semi bread knived the blade!! I also 'rolled the edge from side to side while I did. I figured that way if someone was to handle the razor the edge would be rounded and thus totally dull! That blade and the JB WELD really came through for me!

I'll be so glad when it gets home and hopefully in the condition I sent it in! Then I can stop being stressed about it and concentrate on being stressed on something else! :rofl2:

I certainly hope it doesn't take the 'Round About Way' that it came to me! Really it took almost a month to get it after it was shipped!!! I've received and sent razors to my mate Tom in the UK and they usually take around 10 days!

Great job! It is a great piece and a great thing that you have done for the family!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I certainly hope it doesn't take the 'Round About Way' that it came to me! Really it took almost a month to get it after it was shipped!!! I've received and sent razors to my mate Tom in the UK and they usually take around 10 days!

---

I just checked on the tracking and the project had been sent from my hometown of Walla Walla WA to Spokane WA which is about 110 miles from the Canadian Border! It has since been sent to and received at LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA!!!!! :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: :banghead:

Great looking work!

Wow, brother. Simply, wow. Thumbs up here too!

I just got this in from the owner of the broken razor! I guess that Glen was right about the warm and fuzzy feeling that a razor was saved so that the history of it could be preserved even though it will never shave again!

QUOTE:
Hi Roy

Your package arrived safely moments ago. I'm stunned with the presentation case and the handy work, well done my friend and to the chap who did the woodwork. I'm sitting here in my office admiring my father's razor as I knew it way back when. Wow!!

And to think when we cleaned out my mother's home in 2006 my older brother was going to trash it. Thank goodness I had the forethought to say no I'll take that.

Bill

Nice ending! Great job and thanks for sharing. Faith in humanity restored

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by badg3r

Nice ending! Great job and thanks for sharing. Faith in humanity restored

---

Nice Ending? I hope NOT!! This Razor was 'saved' so that Generations to Come could see and learn something of their heritage! I'm hoping for a 'Never Ending Story'!

With that said; There is always Hope for Humanity! And Hope that there are those who will do what they can to keep it or restore it!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Nice Ending? I hope NOT!! This Razor was 'saved' so that Generations to Come could see and learn something of their heritage! I'm hoping for a 'Never Ending Story'!

With that said; There is always Hope for Humanity! And Hope that there are those who will do what they can to keep it or restore it!

---

I do hope that you didn't take my post the wrong way as neither statement that you have pointed towards and responded to with exclamations was intended to be negative.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by badg3r

I do hope that you didn't take my post the wrong way as neither statement that you have pointed towards and responded to with exclamations was intended to be negative.

---

It was probably me that came across wrong with what I'd posted! I meant no offense to what you posted! I'm just so jacked up that after having done so much testing and planning and having the owner so pleased that a family heirloom would be able to be viewed for generations to come! I want the story to Never End:tu

My apologies if I've offended you in any way! That was not my intention in any way shape or manner!

Sanfte Rasur, mein Klingenbruder!

(Smooth Shaving My Brother In Blades)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

It was probably me that came across wrong with what I'd posted! I meant no offense to what you posted! I'm just so jacked up that after having done so much testing and planning and having the owner so pleased that a family heirloom would be able to be viewed for generations to come! I want the story to Never End:tu

My apologies if I've offended you in any way! That was not my intention in any way shape or manner!

Sanfte Rasur, mein Klingenbruder!

(Smooth Shaving My Brother In Blades)

---

WHEW!!! I thought that I had been taken completely out of context and by someone who I had great admiration for based on your actions on this thread and elsewhere in the forum. Cheers :bow: :beer1:

WOW! That's all I can say, just WOW! :)


Mick

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I just got this in from the owner of the broken razor! I guess that Glen was right about the warm and fuzzy feeling that a razor was saved so that the history of it could be preserved even though it will never shave again!

QUOTE:
Hi Roy

Your package arrived safely moments ago. I'm stunned with the presentation case and the handy work, well done my friend and to the chap who did the woodwork. I'm sitting here in my office admiring my father's razor as I knew it way back when. Wow!!

And to think when we cleaned out my mother's home in 2006 my older brother was going to trash it. Thank goodness I had the forethought to say no I'll take that.

Bill

---

That's so awesome to hear! It deserves another back to the top bump

That was a wonderful story Roy! I very much enjoyed the history and can relate to the passing down the line of men in the family. Truly great! I hope my boys will be equally willing to use and pass on my blades some day. You've done something wonderful for that family. Anyone who hadn't read it yet, read Roy's story on the Iwo jima razor!

Great job. Just wanted to ask If it would have been possible to forge weld a new piece in and work it down.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ryan81

Great job. Just wanted to ask If it would have been possible to forge weld a new piece in and work it down.

---

You did an awesome job! Regarding Ryan81's question -- I wonder about this too. My knowledge of metalworking is zero so I'm just curious.

A truly awesome job as it was done!

Bob

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobCochran

You did an awesome job! Regarding Ryan81's question -- I wonder about this too. My knowledge of metalworking is zero so I'm just curious.

A truly awesome job as it was done!

Bob

---

I thank you for the compliment!

Regarding placing the broken chunk back in. As Far As I Know, hammer forging would destroy the blade!

You must remember that you are talking about a razor that is a few thousandths of an in thick at points.

Since it's my thread I'll hyjack it a bit! Check out this link. It's in German but you will get the understanding about how razors are made. This is more of a modern way but the Basics are there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4tkfN8tAJE

Hi Roy!

Thank you very much for posting the Dovo video. I did indeed watch it. I watched two other versions of the same movie, too! I guess the Dovo people wanted to get as much mileage as they possibly could from filming the movie and had a couple versions of it spun up. Would you believe I also watched the entire 1 hour video of Charlie Lewis making a razor and it was just amazing. It really riveted my attention. I don't know how Charlie can use belt grinders like he does with bare hands and no protection at all. One little shake and he could be minus some fingers. Or more. He has really rock steady hands and reflexes. Also, I've been noticing the pretty long thread on Mastro Livo products. I have not watched his movies yet, but I'm sure I will.

I do totally appreciate the challenges you faced with this project and I think you really did well with it! I can also understand the stress level that you experienced with the project. I'm a software developer by profession and also run a small sideline business, of repairing electronic devices, which I hope will grow larger. (I'm going to develop a business plan for that soon because it is time for me to think about something like that.) Each and every time I have someone else's property in my hands, the stress level skyrockets. I get worried sick about losing someone's pictures on a phone for example. I do not want to disappoint the customer. So yes I know what you mean and how you feel.

All is well!

Bob

Great job Roy!

Hope your good deed comes back to you ten fold.

As for repairing the blade to a usable state - kinda iffy. Maybe a Tig welder could do it - I've seen a friend Tig 2 razor blades together cleanly but you do run the risk of metal that thin warping while welding. I know I wouldn't trust myself to attempt it. Also, if it got out of alignment in the welding process it would be worse than when you started. The temper would be different in the welded area as well so even if you did get it back "perfectly" in place it might not hold an edge.

Thank you for referring this thread to me Roy, I really enjoyed reading it. It is such a shame that so many of these old razors were simply discarded and ended up on some obscure scrapheap over time.

It is encouraging to know that some still make an effort to preserve if only just a little bit of our own history. I thank that the personal stories attached to these items make it so much worth while.

My Privilege John,

I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

While we are seperated by the Big Pond, if there is anything that I can do for you, please let me know!

If the online translator doesn't get this right please forgive me.

Glad scheren van mijn broer in Blades
(Smooth Shaving My Brother In Blades):tu

Roy

Good job Roy.............& history goes on to tell it's story & to make this the happiest ending that can ever be.

Roy
It very well may have been flush when you put it together but after setting up, the JB Weld may have shifted during the final curing process. You have the epoxy itself plus then you mix the hardener with it & the chemical process more than likely shifted it just a tad. I have worked with JB Weld before & I think it was that, that even had a temperature change after mixing the hardener to the epoxy so when it was mixed together, it gets a little warmer, kinda like Bondo does. When you mix the hardener into the main part, there is a temperature change & it gets warmer until it is finally cured.
Steve

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. While I've worked with the JB before it was never on anything 'precision' only on things like having an ear broken on my vintage cast iron table saw and then I could make a primitive form and then shape and file to fit and make flush to the original surface and finish with drilling and tapping a new hole. It's worked well as it's still holding after about 15 years. :shrug:

As I said it was 'just ever so slightly raised' and then it smoothed out very well when I was just using 2000 grit W&D to start polishing the blade. With that said, I think that I would have had a better alignment if I'd just sacrificed a steel feeler gauge and used the powerful magnets if for nothing else to resist the suspected expansion from chemically generated heat but as I also said, it's finished and the owner and his family are very pleased. All but one of his extended immediate family got to see the display about a week after he's received it. :tu

Wow - what an amazing repair job!

Roy, great work, and a wonderful story! One of the great things about wet shaving, is finding stories like this, and the great history behind the vintage tools we use.

Маn good job . I also crye , with tears for 20 minutes , when i break one brand new SiGi Solingen 6/8 razor . I break his point / american point/ with a Dremel and i shortenet it with 7 mm down . now it is a shortie .
Breaking a good razor is a reason to cry .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Hi All!

Here's the razor I received from a 77 year old Canadian who approximately 70 years ago witnessed his father shaving with his father's razor (granddad's) at the kitchen sink when the father dropped it and it hit the edge of the sink breaking a thumbnail size 'chunk' out of the blade.

He saw tears in his father's eyes! Years later after his mother and father had passed and he was clearing their home out, he found that they had saved the razor, the broken chunk and the box the razor was in. He held onto it for sentimental reasons. Granddad had came over to Canada from England and raised his family. He had died at a young age and the owner's father inherited the razor. The family story handed down is that Granddad had brought the razor with him from England!

Long story made short, through a chain of events I was asked if I could 'place the chunk back' so that his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren etc could see something from their heritage!! I accepted the challenge and about the last of January I received the razor.

I told the owner that it would not never ever shave again, nor would it ever close into the scales and he was fine with that! At one time this was a very beautiful Boker razor! It had some gold wash on the blade and the tang was blued. 99.9% of the gold wash was gone and most of the bluing and the owner OK'd polishing off what remained of the gold wash.

Here's some pictures to help with the journey!

Here's the AWCRAP!:gaah:

Attachment 160022

Here's how I attached the broken piece back to the razor. I used JB WELD at both ends then after that had set I applied the JB in the middle and finally got it almost perfect before the working time of the epoxy was up. It is ever so slightly raised at the top and I could have sworn to GOD that it was flush when I was finished but all in all I think it came out very nice:

Attachment 160023

Here's how it looks now:

Attachment 160024

I had a friend make the display box. I've tried and tried to get the pictures to show how really nice it looks but No Go! It's got a beautiful gloss finish inside and out and the wood is much darker! The top is secured with two guide pins so it can be lifted of and the glass can be removed and allow access to the razor. There are vent slots cut into each side. I made 90 deg angled pieces of 1/16" brass rod and then polished them. The one is at the end of the blade to support it and the other two sit between the scales. That helps prevent any lateral movement. They are also close enough to keep the razor from rocking in them.

Attachment 160025

The owner has been so very patient and understanding this whole time! Once the razor had cleared customs in Chicago the USPS in all of it's wisdom sent it to New Jersey which is about as far away from me in a direct line running East to West as you can get in the States:banghead:I do hope that the owner will be pleased when he sees it first hand as the pictures really don't do either the Razor or the display case justice!

I'm hoping to have it packaged and headed home with tracking and insured today! Padding and boxing it so it makes the journey in perfect condition is my biggest worry so far!

I hope all have enjoyed the journey! :tu

---

Just noticed the item under the box. Is that a shear blade.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rhensley

Just noticed the item under the box. Is that a shear blade.

---

I really don't know what it Originally Was, but before I got it, it was my father's 'Hand Held Portable Field Anvil' While in the winter he was a machinist for Green Giant Co during harvest he rotated in and out of the shop and field.

He often re-engineered things for his use. I still have large solid brass valve stems that he re-purposed into punches and they work just as well as a fancy new store bought brass punch.

Once I decided to learn to pin a razor, I had two opposite sides milled to remove the many deep dings. I then filed and then sanded the one side up to a near mirror. When I was done I took it to the machine shop that had milled it and showed the owner my results. He had the entire shop stop their work and said; "Hey! Come and see what this guy did"! Loved it.

Even with those two 15/16" holes drill through it, it still weighs just shy of 4.75 Lbs.

While this doesn't answer your question I do hope it will give you a little background. :shrug: