Thread: Confusing the next generations

As I was at the gathering this weekend I started thinking about all the beautiful razors the have been striped of their scales in order to add custom scales. And this is where this question comes from. Should razor customizers mark the inside of their scales so that in a few generations when we are all dead and gone razor enthusiasts will have an easier time distinguishing these razors from the originals. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this issue either way.

They should be marked as "altered" and have a "certificate of alteration" describing the alteration,date of alteration, name of alterer, and reason for alteration, and you should be the bureaucrat that has to log, verify, certify, file and store all of this vital information. Have fun Doc!

No problem Like I said I welcome all opinions. I just know all the work we put into researching razors and would hate it if in a few generations people thought Double Ducks came from the factory with cool walnut scales.

I would like to see a data base of the razors as they were. So that in the future people will now what they looked like.

I'm thinking about cars here, we all see Ford Model A's with V8's in them. Disc brakes, 9 inch rear ends etc.Very few will ever see a real Model A. But to the real car guys, some will restore them as close as they can to original.

While others modify and update them. I think both trains of thought should be respected. It takes a lot of work to make it look like no work was done. It takes a lot of thought to refine something and still make serve its task.

I would like to see the restoration guys make an effort to show what it was. While the other guys show what it could be.

Just my thoughts,
Ken.

there will be plenty of examples of originals around, plenty of collectors that don't want them changed.

The thing to remember is, depending on who is doing the work, the razors we have reworked end up better than the originals ever were. back then they were simply tools, be turned out as fast as they could. I just had one rescaled in buffalo horn, you won't find any original done as well.

the materials are so much better now too.

but what do I know.

Red

Originally Posted by Big Red

there will be plenty of examples of originals around, plenty of collectors that don't want them changed.

The thing to remember is, depending on who is doing the work, the razors we have reworked end up better than the originals ever were. back then they were simply tools, be turned out as fast as they could. I just had one rescaled in buffalo horn, you won't find any original done as well.

the materials are so much better now too.

but what do I know.

Red

There are more and more people getting into referbishing them and taking an old razor and actually turning it into a work of craftsmanship and art. In the long run these razors will be worth more than the original - IMHO.

If the SRP data base lasts for the generations they will have a reference that will be hard to beat. Like Red says though, there will still be some around. We can't take them with us.

I understand what you guys are saying and I hear that stuff a lot. We are making them better, they are being improved, But gents these are not ford pintos these are items of historical significants at least to me. And as far as there will be plenty around keep in mind what is here today is all that will ever be. Everyone that is broken, altered, changed is one less in circulation. Its one less that will ever exist again.

I can relate to what Doc is saying, I have a ivory scaled 7 day set with original grinding marks and beautiful spinework, but 3 of the scales have issues, I originally intended to have them all rescaled, but they date to the 1880's and I just cant bring myself to alter their original design or historical value so I shave with them as they are

Originally Posted by oldfat1

I would like to see a data base of the razors as they were. So that in the future people will now what they looked like.

Well, we've got some 472 razors in here: Category:Straight Razor Database - Straight Razor Place Wiki - and none of them should be rescaled or reground.

Originally Posted by oldfat1

I'm thinking about cars here, we all see Ford Model A's with V8's in them. Disc brakes, 9 inch rear ends etc.Very few will ever see a real Model A. But to the real car guys, some will restore them as close as they can to original.

I must admit that some of the rescales I've seen here remind me of ricers, but as long as people love them, that's fine.

Originally Posted by oldfat1

I would like to see the restoration guys make an effort to show what it was. While the other guys show what it could be.

Indeed! I wish people would put their razors in the SRDB in their original states before enhancing them with coloured plastic, or worse.

Regards,
Robin

P.S. Anyone got a spare set of original scales for a W&B Bow in excellent condition?