Thread: Bought a Straight Razor, How did I do? (Boker Vintage)

Originally Posted by gugi

Yeah, nice razor and $40 for it is quite a deal. I probably would've paid the original $69.
Most definitely practice on the chipped blade.

umm, both are chipped... the elliot is very very very minor... the Boker is a bread knife (I'm sure a 200 grit could take care of that though lol)

That Boker is one sweet blade. I would have probably paid the list price too, 40 bucks is AWESOME! You should get some really messed up blades to practice restoring and save that one for the sweet razor pile. Send it out for honing, then later, when you have more experience, depin it, clean up that rust spot, and repin it.

Those Boker's are nice shavers and that worked spine looks awesome. You got a steal.

Personally, I use one of those steel dremel wheels. It will knock off that rust, and the hub prevents it from eating the scales, if you use the lowest RPM setting.

Originally Posted by Ditch Doc

That Boker is one sweet blade. I would have probably paid the list price too, 40 bucks is AWESOME! You should get some really messed up blades to practice restoring and save that one for the sweet razor pile. Send it out for honing, then later, when you have more experience, depin it, clean up that rust spot, and repin it.

I'm thinking about doing a very slight restore on the Boker (using a Dremel Buff 180-320, 1-2k sandpaper)
^ for the blade
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pa....aspx?pid=512E
(tape the handle, and leave the pin because repining is too much lol)

I haven't figured out the rust in the other part yet... lol

Then send it out to a honemaster


Then practice honing my elliot. Worst case I trash a $30 razor (and not my expensive $40 one )

great blade... great price... i would have and in the past have paid more for that blade style


that rust is not that bad... a brass or steel dremel brush will clear the stuff up near the pin and for the rest if it what you have proposed is a bit aggressive

clean it first with either maas or fltz or turtle wax rubbing compound on a rag first to see the true condition then head to the restoration forum!

again great steal!

Originally Posted by mademperor

I'm thinking about doing a very slight restore on the Boker (using a Dremel Buff 180-320, 1-2k sandpaper)
^ for the blade
512E EZ Lock Finishing Abrasive Buffs 320 Grit (2 Pack) / Model: 512E
(tape the handle, and leave the pin because repining is too much lol)

I haven't figured out the rust in the other part yet... lol

Then send it out to a honemaster


Then practice honing my elliot. Worst case I trash a $30 razor (and not my expensive $40 one )

HOLD YOUR HORSES!

From the pics, there is no need for sandpaper that I can see (except for the two pivot rust locations). Don't start out getting all crazy with a dremel and sandpaper! That goes for the comment about setting the bevel using 200 grit!

Dremels can catch an edge and break your razor. They can easily overheat a localized area and ruin the edge holding temper of the steel, etc, etc.

Take a breath. That razor is a beauty.

Get a rag and some polish and rub that thing till it shines. If that doesn't produce satisfactory results, then, and only then can you begin to think about getting aggressive with it.

hear hear!!!!

Restore + Dremel + razor = bad Mojo

There are very few parts of the restore process that really require a Dremel. In fact some of the hardest restore work I do consists of removing previous Dremel work....

Now Dremel + experience+ polish pads (after restore)= shiny razor...

Restoring a vintage razor and keeping it vintage to me is actually harder then just tearing the whole thing down and starting from scratch....
You need to start with the least aggressive system first then increase the process until you get the results you want...

Absolutely a beautiful Boker there BTW, been looking for a worked back spine Boker for myself lately...
That is a nice old gal ya got there be gentle with her....

How should I fix the rust then? Is there anything I can do about the blade not being shiny and such? Lot of dark areas.

As Holli mentiond earlier use cotton swabs (Q-Tips) tooth picks with Maas. You can find Maas in Walmart. I found it in a Super Walmart in the grocery section with the other cleners and metal polish. You'll be surprised with the results. Also. as everyone else mentioned, forget about the dremmel for a while. It will not improve the shave. Lastly, when an edge is shave ready it is really really thin and will get damaged very easily. Even the slighest bit of pressure will 'dent' the edge. After your friend kept fingering the edge on our blades at the meet they needed to be touched up. This may be why the blade Karen and Holli fixed for you is dented again. Holli noticed a chip on one of my blades that I needed to use extrene magnification on to see so I highly doubt the dent was in the edge when they finished honing it for you. Also, too much pressure will roll the edge on the blade and make it appear dull. If the edge of the blade hits your finger while stropping it may get dented.

If you would like to reduce your frustration I suggest you take a deep breath and relax. Take smaller steps towards the ultimate shave experiance. Get some good shaves under your belt before you try to improve the looks of your blades. If you are really hungery to try restores and re-grinds go back to the antique shop and buy a $2 - $5 straight to play with. Everyone here is trying to give you good advice and I am sure many have experiance behind what they are saying.

In the end, the straights are your's to do with as you like. Experiance is always the best teacher.