how to tell if vintage is worth buying

im looking at maybe grabbing a vintage sr lot from ebay. and im just wondering what some experienced people would say are things to look for when buying online from places other than srp classifieds

I have purchased and sold German, English, American, Italian, French and Spanish vintage blades. I look at the quality of the blade. How much work or condition is it in. Original scales in good shape increase the value. If you can restore the razors, you are ahead of the game, if not, you need to see the total cost to bring the razor up to your expectations. There are some very good razors for great prices. The main thing is to keep an eye out for the right razor. I really like Sheffield razors like Kropp and Bengalls. They shave great. Shaving blogs and ebay are good sources but buyer beware. Check the edge carefully for rust or pitting.

The list can be long depending on
Chips
Cracks
Rust
Frown
Pits
Blemish
Hone wear
Scale condition
Regrind
These are the obvious flaws.

Harder to see
Photoshop pics
Pics taken to hide some of the above
Refusal to send more pics
Denial of a possible flaw
Outrageous price
Outrageous shipping fees

Hope this helps

yea thats kinda what i was under the impression of. but i saw a lot of 12 for like $20 and was thinking even if half were worth it would still be a good deal. with that being said, what would go into restoring a blade?

Go to the Workshop forum here. There is a a ton of info on restoration

I was very fortunate with a few of my eBay finds but sought the advice of a mentor here before I pulled the trigger on them. Lately, I have found several others that he's advised me against purchasing. I finally tired of hassling him for expert advice over my RAD tendencies and figure I will purchase razors that don't need purchase advice and/or restoring once I'm able to.

For now, I live vicariously through guys such as 'rolodave' above. (He's an unabashed Bruno blade hoarder. :brunoisright)

For restoring it helps if your already outfitted with a garage full of bench style power tools, buffers mainly. Plenty of 1k to 5k W/D sandpaper. Some 3M marine metal polish and restorer. Small ball and peen hammer with a tiny anvil for setting new pins. Common parts like 1/16" brass rod with related hardware. There are several sellers on the bay that sell razor restore kits that have all the little washers and stuff, shop around though because some of those sellers are a lot more expensive than others for the same thing. I start all my restores with a heated 5 minute chemical bath in an ultrasonic cleaner, this will remove anything that is easy to remove, like mainly the grunge in between the scales.

And then for picking razors to restore I take a quick glance at the blade to look for any chips out of the edge or broken scales. Unless you plan on making scales or collecting a bunch of them for future use if those two things are ok then I will look closer at the blade for a rust free and straight edge. Then if that is acceptable I'll determine whether or not I want to spend the time sanding the rust out by hand, I do not use a buffer, makes the job several times easier though. Black metal is a bear to deal with by hand, I buy Matador 1.2k, 2k, 3k and 5k 11" X 9" sandpaper and cut it into 6th's. I've started to use disposable blue latex gloves to keep my hands clean.

Here is a good read from a few years back


http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...eb-2011-a.html

Read through this section;

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...traight_razors

The best advice i could give you is dont buy "alot" from a seller that sells Razors, Not always the case but there either not worth restoring, cracked, chipped, 4/8 in width. Just my opinion, Ty

I generally avoid buying straights from eBay or antique stores. I don't have the skill to restore them (I don't even have hones...) so it would cost me $50 or so to mail it to someone to get the edge to a usable state--if it can be (yep, I made that mistake once).


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I think I read somewhere "why pay $20 for a razor with pitting and rust when you can find good razors for $20 without those things"?

If you buy a razor in decent condition to began with a little Mother's aluminum polish (found in auto supply stores locally) and the occasional use of a little wet/dry sandpaper and you are well on your way.

Get some inexpensive hones so you don't have to send any razors out for honing and as mentioned above get a small ball peen hammer and a few pin/washers from Ebay for razors and you can fix most things.

All of my razors have come from Ebay. The supply is virtually unlimited there for good vintage razors. You just have to know what to look out for.

I bought some 4/8" razors initially because they were inexpensive and it was something to get some experience with. Later, I found that I prefer 6/8" razors and now that I know what to look out for they are easy to pick up inexpensively as well.

There really is little reason to have to do major restoration work unless the razor is rare and it's worth buying it in less than decent condition in the first place.

Chances are, if you enter into any form of collecting, you're going to learn some lessons the hard way. Read up on your subject, and try to find some experienced soul to help you out.

2 big things I would say to look for and look for hard is hone wear and cracks. Cracks can be hard to see in ebay photos, generally but not always a chip is a good indicator that a crack may be present. Hone wear is a not a horrible thing to deal with but can be a problem if it is so bad that it makes the blade difficult or impossible to hone.
Chips are not a big deal but the first time you deal with one it is nerve racking. Now if the chip runs way up into the center of the blade don't even waste your time I say but small chips can be honed out and still make a usable razor. There is plenty of info on here in the work shop and other links the others have shared to lead you down the road to restoration so read up and ask questions. Start hanging around the work shop lots of great stuff going on there and lots to learn.
I do dabble in resto and it is a fun hobby takes patience and the ability to walk away when you get frustrated so as to not cause more damage/work for yourself. Restoring razors is a rabbit hole of sorts and you can get in as deep as you like. Hand work is a great way to get started and still how I do all mine. Its amazing what a bit of elbow grease and metal polish can accomplish. If you have any questions shoot me a pm and I will try and give you any info I can to help get you started.

So, are you looking for a razor to shave with and looking to save money, or looking to getting into vintage Straight Razor Restoration?

If looking for a razor to shave with, buy a good shave ready razor from a reputable source, like the Classified’s here or other shaving forum, you will be money ahead and have a known quality razor.

Restoration, while a lot can be done by hand with a few tools, but be aware it is also a rabbit hole that leads to the purchase of tools and supplies, that are more expensive than the cost of a quality razor.

Restoration, begins at purchase, buy the best razor you can afford.

When starting out, spend the time to shop and purchase in person, where you can inspect the razor or buy from a reputable source. Do read the posts listed especially the Wiki threads.