My second razor (several images)
A few weeks ago, I decided to hit the local "antiques row" in search of straight razors and assorted paraphernalia. Only one store had any selection, most of them from King Razor, although there was one made in Solingen. All were pricey ($45-65), and he didn't seem willing to move much.
One of the stores wasn't open, so when I was out doing other things yesterday, I stopped by. The results of that visit are below.
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...tuna/Front.jpg
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...Bladefront.jpg
I recognized "Eskilstuna" from some ads in the classified section and some discussion on the boards, so I thought it would be worth a shot.
You can see there are some very light scratches on the blade. I tried buffing them out with a 3" cloth wheel and CrOx on my watchmaker's lathe at fairly low speed. It didn't really have any effect, so I'd probably need something a little more aggressive. However, it did clean out the gunk nicely. (Pictures are pre-buff.)
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...rontdetail.jpg
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...Backdetail.jpg
Now, I'm a rank beginner at all this, having shaved with a straight for all of two weeks. However, even right out of the cabinet, the blade was pretty sharp, and I thought I might be able to manage a light hone myself. It was marked at $33, but he was discounting everything 20%. I didn't bother bargaining.
The grind is rather more hollow than my current razor, a King "Czar". (Yes, this is only my second.) It makes a really nice "zing!" when I rub it across my thumb.
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...tuna/Grind.jpg
Now, there are a couple minor issues with the scales. The blade doesn't center quite right, and the pivot pin isn't particularly tight. I'm not all that concerned about the off-centeredness, because I can deal with it easily when closing the blade. I'm thinking I might be able to tighten it with a light touch in an arbor press. Any thoughts on this?
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...una/Scales.jpg
I pulled out a 1000/6000 Japan stone, also used for watchmaking applications, and began honing, scrupulously following the videos I've watched of Lynn. I was wishing I had an 8k stone, but since I didn't, I figured more time with CrOx would probably suffice. I finished with CrOx on the Filly strop, then the strop itself. Tried it on my arm, and the hairs were popping off!
I'm going to try it out tomorrow morning. Did I do okay?
Cheers!
Fred