Thread: A few recent finds

Stopped by an antique store last week and found a box of about six razors at a reasonable price. Two in particular stuck out:

I knew the first would be a good find based on the blade profile and sure enough, I begin scrubbing the rust off to reveal a stamp:
UNITED STATES RAZOR CO. WARRANTED
Score! [emoji1]


I haven't been able to find much info on the history of United States Razor Co., does anyone have any info? Likewise the frameback I've been searching but can't quite pin down a date. It just says "Sheffield made", but through my research I believe it is a John Watts. Found this thread:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...ches-head.html

I love learning the history of these old beauties so any help or links would be appreciated. Thanks!

There is a lot of rust on the first one. I would scrub it really well with WD-40 and steel wool and then see if you can set a bevel on that. It is the only way to find out if you can save it or not.

IMO the first one is suffering from a very bad case of Cell Rot. It needs to be taken out of those scales immediately and replaced with different ones.

Yup cell rot. Save that razor

Originally Posted by RezDog

There is a lot of rust on the first one. I would scrub it really well with WD-40 and steel wool and then see if you can set a bevel on that. It is the only way to find out if you can save it or not.

I am not experienced at honing and wouldn't trust myself trying to set a bevel on this razor yet, I like it too much haha. I'll leave that to a pro. Please take note of thread:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ml#post1636771

Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY

IMO the first one is suffering from a very bad case of Cell Rot. It needs to be taken out of those scales immediately and replaced with different ones.

Thank you for pointing that out, I'll remove the scales today. That's too bad, I thought they were beautiful. Is there any way to seal the scales for reuse and prevent further outgassing?

As far as I know there is nothing that will seal the scales to stop off gassing. Personally, I am not willing to take that gamble with any of my razors. Cell rot can literally eat the metal until there is nothing left.

With a blade that rusty the risk is that you invest a ton of time and elbow grease to make it look amazing only to find out that the steel has micro pitting that runs deep and the blade is never able to hold an edge worthy of shaving. If there is any doubt the first step in restoration is to set bevel.

It is unfortunate that there appears to be cell-rot, but I have seen some nice wooden scales that look very similar to the ones on there now.

It might be best to seek out a mentor through PM's to people in your area, I know there are quite a few in CA, just not specifically where.

Here is the US Razor Co after about fifteen minutes of cleanup.
So does anyone know the history on either of these manufacturers?

I suppose I should have mentioned, also in that purchase a Shumate #012 (which I found plenty of history on) and a Gebr Herring #57. The Gebr Herring appears to be of lower quality than the other razors. That's not to say poor quality, I just see some things about it that aren't great. For example the lower jimps are crooked and of uneven depth, and don't flow into the heel nicely (IMHO).