Thread: How to sharpen this safety straight

I recently bought this safety straight and I can't figure out how to disassemble it to sharpen it. It appears that you have to just sharpen one side and shave with one side. It doesn't pivot or come apart that I can see. It looks like they screwed the safety part together and then crimped it at the top permanent.

ROFLMAO!!! What is that a chastity belt for a straight razor?

Sorry not to be a jerk, never seen anything like it!

good luck,
David

is there a locking mecanism in the heel pivot?
is the guard pulled off?
is the blade removable?

as you probably see i got no ideah about this one
but im looking forward to finding out

It appears that you would push down on the part of the guard at the heel of the razor to release it , and then it should swing away from the blade , and possibly drop out of the collar at the point of the blade .

I have put penatrating oil on it and it does not pivot.
There is no locking mecanism that I can see and the blade is crimped in with little dimples.
Wish I could get it apart. I want to sharpen it and try it out just once. I have seen some that the blade pivots to either side but this one dosen't appear to.

The end of the tang (monkey tail) pivots on the the pin. Holding the blade carefully in one hand pivot the endmost part of the tang upwards. The part of the assembly nearest the heel will then rotate downward. This is the locking mechanism that holds the guard in place. When the guard is unlocked it can then be rotated to the other side of the razor. When it is rotated directly upward it can be slid forward and off of the razor. The razor then can be honed or stropped like an ordinary straight razor (similar to a frameback).
I hope I described the process so that you can understand it. If not, PM me and I will try to make it clearer.

Regards - Walt

Heck of a coincidence!

I just saw this picture earlier today... Here's what it would look like with the guard removed:
(it appears that, as walt noted, the monkey tail is attached to the release mechanism. Notice that the catch at the end of the jimps extends all the way through to the monkey tail, which is clearly a separate piece from the frameback)

Walt ! IT WORKED ! Thank you sooo much. I never would have figured it out. I tried everything, but was afraid to put too much pressure on it for fear of breaking it. You are the MAN !

I got it apart and sharpened and back together. I tried shaving with it but I didn't like it. It would be almost as easy to cut yourself with it as a regular straight and when you have to pivot the guard to the other side with wet hands. Too slipery. I had to dry the razor completely and my hands as well before continuing. I don't think they would have been particulary popular. Also it is not easy to trim around a moustache or beard because the point is hidden. Probably why you don't see many of them. It is a nice collecter though. I put it on display in my bathroom.