Thread: I found a "new" A.J. Jordan razor under the Christmas Tree!!

Christmas was pretty good for me from a shaving perspective. My wife got me a Tweezerman badger brush with Bigelow cream. I LOVE THIS CREAM! The brush is really amazing too.

But my grandparents gave me an A.J. Jordan straight razor. My grandmom bought it in Florida on their last trip. She had my grandfather take it to his barber to be sharpened, but I'm not certain it's really shave-ready. I'm going to give it a try next time I shave, but my gut says it won't shave without a proper honing. I know some about the razor, but there's a lot I don't know, so I'm going to throw it out there for everyone.

The tang stamp says A.J. Jordan St. Louis. I tried to date it and the closest I can get is 1890-1910. Blade seems to be 4/8. There's some pitting, but it's clean and shiny with a little bit of a smile. The pivot is dirty but I cleaned out 90% of the gunk. The scales *might* be horn. I don't know. I think it's a 1/4 hollow with a barber's notch. The scales themselves are in so-so shape. They are worn, and someone carved "3446" into them. There's a crack on them too, through the bottom pin. They have a pretty awesome patina and are functional.

Pictures in a minute, but I have a question or two for the denizens...

1. Can I apply a drop of thin superglue to stabilize that crack? I don't want new scales, that would ruin it for me.
2. Is there anything I can do to seal and protect the scales? Perhaps apply a layer of tung oil? Shaving is a very wet event for me and I'm worried about water getting into the microcracks and what not.

So here are some photos. Sorry for the quality...I used my phone, and I'm typically an outdoor landscape/architectural photographer and I have no idea what to do with items this small...