Thread: What can we know about this razor?

I picked up this razor at an antique store in GA. There was no box or any real identifying features that I recognized. It was more rust than razor, but with some sandpaper and steel wool I got it to a decent shine. Are there any gurus out there that might be able to shed some light on it's history? Much appreciated!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/968676/DSC04233.JPG

sure

it was made and ground in sheffield, england
if you ask me when, most likely after the last decade of 1800

could've been the inspiration for the hart steel razor

pretty sorry pinning job though, could be a rescale.

Welcome to SRP. Check out the SRP Wiki beginner's guide here if you want to get started shaving with it. Looks like it would hone up to be a good shaver. You can find members who provide that service for a nominal fee here.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Welcome to SRP. Check out the SRP Wiki beginner's guide here if you want to get started shaving with it. Looks like it would hone up to be a good shaver. You can find members who provide that service for a nominal fee here.

After cleaning I gave it a canvas stropping and then used a 12K grit polishing stone. I assume this is insufficient for a decent honing?

Originally Posted by pculp

After cleaning I gave it a canvas stropping and then used a 12K grit polishing stone. I assume this is insufficient for a decent honing?

Well I don't know. Depends on what kind of shape it was in to start with. I would suspect you would need to set a bevel on something like a 1k waterstone and then progress from there on something like a 4k to 8k before you went to 12k. There is a section in the SRP Wiki (linked in the previous post) on various methods of honing and tests you can utilize along the way to determine your progress. The only way to know for sure is to shave with it but I doubt if it is ready for that.

It appears to be a regrind, and yes it does look surprisingly like a Hart.

It will almost certainly need a real honing unless you were very lucky. Should be a good shaver though; it's possible that this is the reason the previous owner had it reground instead of buying another one.