Thread: Help with straight razor #1

Some people love shorty's. I can see the advantage and I have a couple myself.

Razors of that brand are good, perfectly acceptable razors, if undamaged. While yours is damaged and repaired by removing the heel which was probably cracked or broken, it "could" still be made to shave. So no point in restoring, but if it is properly honed BY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO HONE RAZORS AND WHO SHAVES WITH STRAIGHT RAZORS DAILY, there is no reason why it can't become your daily driver if you are interested in learning to shave in the manly way. However, it does appear to be the victim of quite a lot of misuse and abuse. It may take basically a complete re-grind to make it a good shaver, as I see it. The matte gray patina is probably the result of an application of Ospho, Naval Jelly, or some other acidic rust converter. No biggie, it will polish right off. The scales are nice, though, and worth saving, but be aware that old celluloid scales can off-gas as they deteriorate from age, and this can eat up razors in a condition known as "cell rot". That doesn't mean it WILL happen with those scales, but be aware that it COULD happen. You can mitigate this by keeping any razor you put between them, well oiled, in storage, and not closed up in an airtight container. Those are likely celluloid scales.

What I would do with that razor for now is apply a coat of petroleum jelly and store it in a dry, temperature controlled environment until you are comfortable with the idea of honing it yourself, or pinning the scales on a different razor. Due to the probable work required, the cost of having someone else hone it will most likely exceed the value of the razor, which value would be driven mostly by the scales alone. Just my opinion.

Thank you for your detailed response! I plan on selling the three straight razors and hard case that I picked up but the information you provided is very useful. Thanks again and God bless! Mark

Here's a pic of a shorty on each side of a normal sized razor.