Thread: Help with razor identification please

I would have to see some HD pics that are in better focus than the ones Kecklc has offered up but I have seen worse take a good clean edge after some work.

Originally Posted by guitstik

I would have to see some HD pics that are in better focus than the ones Kecklc has offered up but I have seen worse take a good clean edge after some work.

Really? that blade is toast

Very nice bone scales. I like them.

I'm a sucker for lost causes. Send that razor to me and let's see what I can do with it, if anything.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Really? that blade is toast

You may be right but you never know until you try
Such as here;

http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...n-cleanup.html

As you will read the owner thought that her Great Grandfather's razor wasn't worth saving.

The edge looks pretty ragged - hard to see why from the low-res photos. If it is due to tarnish/corrosion, then even after it is straightened up there is the possibility of bad, crumbly, pin-holed steel way above the bevel, so possibly a lot (I mean a LOT) of metal might have to be removed.

If the markings are S. H. K. & Co then it was probably sold by S. H. Kress & Co. (after Samuel H Kress who started the empire in 1887) and who had a chain of cheap '5 and dime' chain stores from the late 1890s. Genesco took over the chain in the 1960s, but the early days of this chain coincide with this type of razor and handle material. The chain certainly had knives, penknives, etc, marked S. H. K. & Co.

Regards,
Neil

At the very least,see if you can set a bevel before any resto work and get to good steel.
May save you many hrs of needless work.

Thanks Neil, that is most likely what this razor is, an S.H.K and Co. I think I have some fine grit sand paper laying around, I will try to clean a little of it up. Even if it doesn't hold an edge, this will be a great one to practice cleaning up rust on.

Originally Posted by Kecklc

Thanks Neil, that is most likely what this razor is, an S.H.K and Co. I think I have some fine grit sand paper laying around, I will try to clean a little of it up. Even if it doesn't hold an edge, this will be a great one to practice cleaning up rust on.

You are very welcome.

And you are correct - if nothing else, you can get some practice and hopefully learn a thing or two from the razor which will change the way you see razors - with a little practice you get to pick more winners than losers!

Regards,
Neil

You all have brought up some good points. I look at this razor as a chance to learn a little about honing and see if I can make some progress. If I mess up, it was a cheap blade and I get to learn. If it works out with a good hone, then have learned that art and can try to clean and restore the blade. Again, if I mess up, not too big of a loss. Looking forward to this over the next week or so. Thanks for the interest and ideas, I'll post some better photos once I get a little work done after the holiday weekend.