Thread: 7 day set arrived, how'd I do?

I'm gonna start with the one that you already can't see it on. by "considering the condition of these razors" I'm guessing you mean the almost gone wash? are they a nice enough razor to justify spending the money getting them marked again?

is it better to keep the handles as is since they are there, or in the long run go ahead and change them? I originally envisioned a 7 day set with handles from same material but with the tips changed, some round (like for saturday and sunday mornings when a long night might be affecting your hand ) to spanish and barber points etc. but I'm a big dreamer and many things that go through my mind never make it further than that.

Red

There aren't enough pictures for me to answer for sure, but here is my evaluation:

I would only use a machine to polish out deep pitting and rust--and this is problematical, because it will often show in the bevel.

Dangers from machine polishing:

1. If you polish deeply in one place, that part of the razor will be thinner, and the bevel will be narrower there. So? Well, if you hone, a very uneven bevel makes it difficult to get a nice edge, as the razor slides unevenly over the hone, hanging up where the bevel is thicker, sliding too fast where it is thin.

2. Polish too fast, and you can easily overheat the extremely thin steel on a full hollow razor, and then you have completely ruined the razor.

Another way of saying this is that I only use a machine on something that is close to junk. The exception is big fat 19th century wedges as they are thicker, so less problem with overheating, and they already have uneven bevels, so it is easy to polish and even grind them without making them worse.
Others may have a different experience, this is mine.


The razors I see in your pictures are NOTHING like junk. They are actually very nice looking and there is no need to approach a machine at all. I don't see any need for anything except a little clean-up with M*A*A*S. The gold wash is the place where you always have to be careful. On gold wash, I use a soft cloth and some sewing machine oil and it usually cleans up the gold nicely. Then I just leave at that.

Regarding the scales ("handles"), if you replace the handles you will ruin any collectible value. When you go to resell, most collectors will not be interested. These 7 day sets really get their value as collectibles.
It is the one situation where you can get more for a group of razors together than you could by selling them separately. Therefore, collectible value in this set is something you should take seriously.

Some SRP people will pay MORE for an antique that has been re-scaled if it looks really good--because they care more about function than collectibility--but I don't think this applies to 7 day sets.

My opinion is that if the original scales are functional, i.e., not cracked, broken, bitten, etc., clean them up and leave them as they are. Your's appear to be black celluloid. The stuff lasts forever if taken care of. Keep it away from heat and strong chemicals, and you should not need to replace the scales.

However if the scales are very loose, i.e., the razors pivot too easily, you should consider replacing the pins. Lynn and others have suggested tapping the pins with a hammer to tighten them.

I actually disagree with this. The reason: it tightens the pivot is because it BENDS the pin. This can work sometimes, but it can also cause the scales to go out of alignment with the blade, causing the blade to hit the scales when you close it. This DAMAGES the edge requiring the razor to be rehoned every time it happens.

The other problem with tapping the pins is that the bent pin gets so short and distorted that one tap can cause the end of the scale to break. I JUST DID THIS with a beautiful set of Boker scales. I did NOT tap anything but the pin, yet the end of the scales broke. The pin inside was bent to nearly a right angle. You can't tell by looking how many times the pins have been tapped in the past.

Therefore, if you have razors you really care about, I suggest removing and replacing the pins if the pivot is too free.

Just my opinion, but this is a nice set you have, and it is definitely worth restoring and maintaining correctly.

Paul

Thanks for the advice man, I'll do that. they are in really good shape other than the wash being so light. hopefully this weekend I can work on them, I have physical therapy tonight then tomorrow go to frisco, but saturday night should be able to get some time in. thanks a lot.

Red

+1 w/toolarts, very good advice concerning the cleanup as well as collectibility vs. practicality.

what is the benefit of having a seven day set, over say a single blade?

I don't know if there is any benefit, but in the bad ol' days I don't suppose people were bothered with collecting all the nice makes and probably just wanted a decent shave. So a 7 day set of good razors was the business back then.
I think people chase them these days because it's lovely to see something old that is obviously meant to be together, still together.
I'd love a seven day set, even though I doubt I'd use it as it was intended

Originally Posted by MadManuel

what is the benefit of having a seven day set, over say a single blade?

Used in a rotation you will go 7X longer before you have to break out the hone. Right now I have 3 blades, but I randomly pick one, so my favorite has to be retouched more often. If you have 7 of a razor you like then at no point do you have to shave with a blade that you don't like quite as much. I'd imagine there's 7 because it makes it simpler to keep your rotation straight. All you have to remember is what day it is.

Come to think of it, how about a 31 blade set with a day of the month marked on each .