Thread: Too new old stock

No...and on rare occasions yes.
As Bruno pointed out, it's a tool and should be used rather than conserved. I agree for 99,9%
But the older and rarer a object becomes the more historical meaning it gains. I would be a shame to find a rare late 18th century razor and not approach it with historical courtesy. I would consider it a loss if such an artifact was vigorously regrind and rapidly honed into oblivion by someone with a severe case of honing fury. (God knows I am honing my razors far too often).
Bottom line, if an object has real historical significance, whether that be a Roman shovel, An Egyptian hairpin or George Washington's razor, it should be treated accordingly.

Bart.

I would only say that you should take good care of it. That doesn't mean don't use it, just that you should make sure it doesn't get honed to nothing or rusted or anything. I still use my john barber razor even though it is old and I wouldn't think about stopping.

I was once outbid on ebay on a 2nd centry roman steel razor that I had every intention of restoring.
sadly, I got outbid by a curator.

I agree we should keep a record of the past, but there is not need to keep everything, just because it is old.

Last year, they excavated a minty 2nd era Roman road on a construction site. It took a lot of time to fully make an assesment of what was there. Went they finally were done making pics and inventorizing the stuff they found, they bulldozed over it and went ahead with construction.

To americans this might seem inexplicable, but you should know that Belgium is littered with things like this. Half the city of Tongeren still has giant roman walls running through it, and parts of the cathedral are from early 2nd century as well.
Over here, attics are crammed with old paintings, candelabras, books and other stuff.
the village I grew up in has ruins (beautifully excavated) from around 0BC and burial mounds from the bronze age.
If we'd have to preserve anything that was old, we'd simply never get anything done.

If things are in good shape or very special, I see a reason to hang on to it.
but I would not think twice about tossing a 150 year old chair in my fireplace if one of the legs was broken off or just badly damaged. There is just waaaaay too much old stuff to hang on to.

A US acquaintance once told me he disbelieved stories about people finding a van gogh in the attic of their grandparents until he visited Europe (paris).
That is when he found out about attics crammed with old stuff, museums with half of their stuff not catalogued and stuffed in musty basements or corridors, people still using furniture that is antique...

To most of us 'old' in itself is no more special than 'yellow' or 'heavy' unless it is accomanied by 'rare' or 'expensive'

Really interesting perspective Bruno, being from the US, I think I have a skewed sense of "old."
Now, as another poster said, if the razor was used by George Washington, or some other figure from history, then I could see not using it. Same could be said if that person was more recent, but famous, right? Then it is a historical item or a collectible.
Other than that, I say use 'em. It's what their maker intended, and what finer way to honor a craftsman than to show that his craft is still relevant 200 or 2,000 years later!

I say no.
If you didn't use it someone else will. We all will die and I think we should enjoy things while we are here. I hate to see old cars and bikes sitting not being enjoyed. If I could afford a Shelby Cobra I would drive it. May not comute to work but I would run the wheels off it. like I said if you don't someone somewhere will.

Don

I say use it. That's what it was made for and, with a little care, it will outlast you and your son as well. I love dealing in vintage razors and, though it's tempting to restore them to as-new - and in some cases they look like that anyway! - I tend to turn them over in my hand and look at the patina on the blade and the dings and nicks on the scales and leave at least some of it there. You cannot buy that look and it's damned hard to fake. My small collection are all in process of being brought back to use or are actually in use - and some do have full patina left on the blades, I just clean them and hone them. One frameback I have makes a point: scratched into the scales is a message from the days of the US Civil War. Fake? I don't somehow think so - there's enough grime grained into the scales to suggest it's good. The point is that here is a razor that may well (I make no claims!) have been used at Gettysburg or Bull Run - yet it's the man who used it that interests me. And if he indeed did scratch his name, outfit and dates into the scales then it deserves to be in a museum, but it's better off being used, in my opinion, even if it's only a couple of times a month.

Originally Posted by kevint

When we stumble upon a nice old razor that has never been honed do you think we have any obligation to future generations to conserve it as is?

If it was passed down to me not as something I purchased but as an old family heirloom or as a gift with significant meaning for future generations and if I don't know how to use it, then I think I have that obligation to conserve it as is for future generations

I don't know whether or not you have that obligation though, so I couldn't say it's one that we share

Every time I shave with one of those 1850s W&B barber's use straights I wonder what tales it could tell if it could talk. I know a few tobacco pipe collectors who won't smoke an old Dunhill or Sasieni if they get it unsmoked. I understand their point of view but to me you don't really possess the pipe until you smoke and enjoy it. The same goes for razors, guns, bicycles....... or whatever.

Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

Every time I shave with one of those 1850s W&B barber's use straights I wonder what tales it could tell if it could talk.

It would probably say 'you cannot begin to comprehend how mindnumbingly boring it is to sleep into a coffin for 100 years until someone decided I was doing a good job after all '

Ride it, Drive it, Shoot it, Shave with it, smoke it, and above all enjoy it.
I enjoy shaving with my granddads "heirlooms" more than any. I enjoy a bowl of tobacco from my dads pipes. And I am getting ready to enjoy lifting my dads beloved Jeep. He will spin in his grave when the Jeep rolls on a set of 36's. I however plan to enjoy it, use it up, and as the poem goes skid into the grave screeming whoo hoo what a ride.

A local man bought a John Wane SAA with provenance. He paid six years of my wadges for it, he then proceded to shoot the hell out of the old 44-40. I respect him for that. He could afford it and enjoys it.

Don