Thread: Imperial Razor acquisition

I just made an e-bay purchase of an Imperial Razor. $24.00. A picture should be attached below.
The seller claims it is clean and in very good condition. Although the blade says Germany, it is my understanding that they were made in New York state.
I bought it as a backup to my new Dovo, and maybe as a project (although hopefully not too much of a project).
An comments would be appreciated.

Well, if it says Germany then that's where it was made. Can't help you any more.

Looks good , for a razor that's around 100 years old . Clean it up and hone it . It looks like an excellent "project razor" , and should be an excellent shaver .

I just picked up one of those myself over the weekend. Looked to be in the same shape est..I paid 9.00. Antique malls are great place to find.It'll shave nice for ya.

I think there are a lot of razors floating around that were made in Germany for import companies in the US. They are normaly marked with Germany or Made in Germany and also the name of the company they were manufactured for.
Also, in my experience, if it says it was made in Germany, or has Germany stamped on it, it will be a good to great shaver.

Those imperial razors are some of the best single grind razors out there, once you get it honed right, the first shave will convince you never to let it go.

The razor arrived in the mail yesterday. It is exactly as in the picture. No pits, chips, or other defects. Only a little tarnish.
Any suggestions on how to remove the tarnish without removing the etching on the face of the blade?
I'll need to hone it before use. The razor is dull and does not pass the thumbnail test. I'll try to set a bevel with a slurried coticule.
Any tips or advice for a newbie?

I use Flitz to clean my razors , it won't hurt the etching , and cleans the scales up real nice , too . The Norton 1k works well for setting bevels , as long as the edge is in good shape . Works for me , should work for you , too .