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Hi,
With a fancy type of razor such as this, does more care have to be taken when sharpening one of these beauties? I mean because of the heavy gold plating along the back and on the blade itself. Does this not wear off in time? Or do you have to take extreme care and know what your doing.
What sort of shave does this razor give?
Thanks
John :)
I heard it gives great shaves. It's made from Eskilstuna steel, which is usually top notch. I would say you need to tape the spine if you want to protect the finish, but one way or another it would wear off - just not sure how fast
Others might be more helpful
Cheers
Ivo
I have one of these and when it's honed properly, it gives a very nice shave.
I bought mine several years ago and like the idiot I can sometimes be, I neglected to remove it from the bathroom (when I was living in Georgia) and it got rust on it. :(
THEN, I made an equally stupid mistake and used some polish on it. Good bye gold plating!:cry:
If you get this fancy, expensive razor be very, very careful with how you store and don't use any polishes on it as they will wipe that gold plating right off of there.
Heh, I actually think it looks better w/o the gold, and this holds for pretty much any razor I have seen. Of course, many / most would disagree, just another data point
Cheers
Ivo
Ivo, I'll agree with you in MOST cases but the gold really looks nice on the Filly 12. Which goes to prove that there are exceptions to every rule.
Right on, Ilija!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT
I have rubbed / polished the gold off a razor or two, but just do not have the heart to remove it from my Fili 14. So pretty, and she's probably my best shaver for now. It goes so well with the light blue scales it came with :cool:
Cheers
Ivo
Just out of curiousity, did the rust mainly form on the gold platting?Quote:
Originally Posted by spacetoast
I've noticed this on older gold platted razors (d.duck, Puma, Dorko, Birko.....)
I was wondering if it was true with modern razors (your's might be the test I was wondering about :D)
C utz
Fellas,
Thanks for your responses, I must say I do like the look of that razor, but now you have me intrigued with what do you mean by a Filly 12 or 14? What is it?
John :)
Hey C utz,Quote:
Originally Posted by C utz
It formed on the gold plating of the tang, a little on the spine (also gold plated) and a little on the blade itself. I used Maas polish when I did the deed.
The rust did not take long at all to form, I remember. I think I had used it, dried it off, put it back in the case and then took it out again several days later. We are talking Georgia, in the summertime. Humidity was only higher when I lived in Miami. Glad I wasn't into straights then. There would be a whole lot more upkeep!
Living in Colorado is really nice for the razors. It is dry as hell here. I actually leave my razors in the bathroom here and I also store my brush on its base after I shake it out. That thing is dry within minutes. If I don't put lotion or lather on my face within 3 minutes of leaving the shower, it actually starts to dry out. So I moisturize my forehead and cheeks, then whip up my lather and get it on my face ASAP.
Maybe I'll take a picture of it if I can remember to do it. There is still some rust on the tang that I need to take care of.
I’m not a metallurgist but I don’t understand rust on gold. Gold is almost inert. Rust is iron oxide (Fe2O3). It almost sounds as though the steel is showing through the gold plating or the plating didn’t bond to the steel (most likely).
Rick
Those are Filarmonica razors from a Spanish manufacturer that went out of biz recently. The numbers are just model number that ROUGHLY correspond to the blade size. I didn't get around to measuring my 12 spike (just honed it and shaved) but it looks to be about 5/8. Classicshaving.com carries a couple of their models, Doble Temple 10 (3/8 round) and DT 13, which is a 7/8. Even though I don't generally like to buy new/NOS razors, the Filly that I got is a highly valued member of my rotation.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmw1
P.S. Doble Temple = Double-tempered
I think they etch the blade where the gold wash is going, the pitting from the etch then allows the rust to form. I just de-golded my first razor. I think the gold is painted on rather than plated.Quote:
Originally Posted by rickw
Quote:
Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT
Thanks for that Firestart.
I had a quick browse for some fillies, but the only ones as you say, were at classic shaving, and they don't seem too fantastic. There were much more ornate ones apparently, but not any more.
John
So overall would this razor be worth considering, if it has a tendency to rusting?
My climate here is very hot and dry, but if people have problems with rusting even after drying the razor, surely there is some thing wrong with the blade.
I really like the look of it, but if there are problems with it rusting, perhaps I should just keep looking.
John
Sniff the scales. If there is an off-smell to them, it could be the celluloid deteriorating and that causes corrosion. If you have any doubts, take them off and put on another set.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT
I was under the impression the problems with the rusting was the blade, do the buffalo horn scales have issues as well?
John :)
I should have read the earlier posts lol. Buffalo horn scales are usually ok as long as they're well treated (neatsfoot oil) so they don't trap moisture. Also check that the razor isn't resting next to a razor with rotting celluloid scales (some are more succeptible to that problem than others).
Many ThanksQuote:
Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT
John :D
I have a 6/8 TI Blond Horn Silversteel, 5/8 TI Egyptian Ltd., 5/8 pre-Dovo Bismark, and a 5/8 Dovo Bergischer Lowe. All are great shavers, but right now if you really twisted my arm and asked me which one is the best I think I'd have to say the Dovo Bergischer Lowe. It might have a slight...uhhhhh, edge. :w :roflmao :rolleyes:
Tom
Quote:
Originally Posted by straightman
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the reply. I really like the look of the Bergischer Lowe, but I get so confused with what else I should be aiming for.
I have recently purchased a DD Wonderedge which I think is 5/8, I'm not sure yet because I haven't seen it yet.
I'm thinking I should be buying something in a different size, so as I can decide what suits me.
I have been on ebay all day today and been beaten by a matter of $s or cents each time on some really nice razors . I am now of the opinion as to whether I want to get into any more bidding wars just for the sake of owning a decent razor, as opposed to posting in this forum WTB :confused:
John
I have one of these razors, and it's among my favorites. It's a great shaver.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmw1
With a special looking razor like this, I take great pains to keep up the gold. I tape the spine whenever I hone, and I'm careful not to use any kind of abrasive on it. Just the same, the gold fades with use, and it will be gone with time.
I haven't noticed that it rusts more or less than any other razor, but if you want to preserve the looks, you will have to be extra careful.
Thanks Joe,
I do really like the looks of this razor a lot, and I wonder how it would compare shave wise with the DD Wonderedge. So I'm not real sure if it would be a wise purchase buying something that maybe very similar to the DD. I truly don't know.
John
New wonderedges are difficult to come by, and quite expensive when you find them.
Hi,
I recently purchased a wonderedge, but as yet I have not seen it. I have recieved an email from another member here who is shipping it together with some other goods that I have on order. He tells me I have a very special razor.
John :)
Well, they're not making Wonderedges anymore. If you could find one in mint condition it would cost you twice as much as the BL.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmw1
They're also very different razors. You can tell that just by looking at them. You really can't compare a rare antique and a modern, commercial razor. I'm really not sure what you're looking for: a collector's item, a fine quality, stylish razor, or just something that'll give a great shave.
The Wonderedge certainly is. As I said, it's an antique and it's pretty rare. The BL is commercial. They both give a great shave, but it's not the way I would compare them.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmw1
How would you compare an antique Rolls Royce to a new Porsche?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Lerch
Joe,
I'm primarily looking for something that will give me a great shave, but also have the looks to go with it. If it happens to be a collectors item such as the DD I have just purchased, am I being silly in thinking of using it, as opposed to putting it away in the drawer. In other words am I devaluing it by using it?
John
I think you may be asking the wrong guy. I believe in using every razor I have. But if I were a collector and had a mint Wonderedge, I would probably just keep it on display. For a collector a razor loses value if you degrade it's condition. So, if you used a mint razor and put hone marks on it the value would decrease a lot.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmw1
The BL will give you a great shave, and it looks beautifully stylish, but there are other commercial razors that IMO shave better. For example, the premium quality TIs. The SRP razor is a perfect example, and it's also a collector's item. Some of the TIs also look very stylish.
Joe,
I'm sorry I have to call it quits now, I have my works xmas function to head off to.
I shall be back on line in about 11.5 hrs time.
Many Thanks
John
I just got one of the BL's a few months ago and I really like it, except that I think that, for whatever reason, full hollow razors don't work well for me. It is a wonderful razor and much better than my others but I think full hollows are too flexy for my face.
anyway as for the rust this is a carbon steel razor and is much more prone to rusting than a "stainless" razor. It rust spots super easy and must be dried very carefully, but my problem is that I can see some rust developing in the hinge (just a little red oxide residue when its pivoted, but since I can't get into the hinge to clean it that's not good; it will possibly eventually eat out the whole pivot area under the gold and break off, since rust is self-propagating due to the anodic effect resulting from the oxide layer.
gold plating and coating in general are great for protecting things, but if rust starts forming under a plating you're way more screwed than if it were bare metal because you won't really see it and you definitely can't strip it off without removing the coating.
anyway this is a razor that must be THOROUGHLY dried after use and kept dry.
I have a lot of pocketknives and carbon steels are much preferred for this because they hold and edge better and are much harder than stainless steels, but for a razor which will get wet all the time the jury is still out for me.
but, generally speaking, carbon steels make much better blades than do stainless steels. i would NEVER buy a stainless pocketknife, and indeed the blade steels I like most are the hardest tool steels that are available, e.g. M2HS, S30V, S60V, and my personal favorite D2. These are the hardest and therefore most brittle and prone to chipping of steels (and typically more expensive), but they are tool steels and are hard enough (and intended to) cut other steels. If you are even sort of nice to them they won't chip or break, and they'll stay sharp well over twice as long as 'softer' steels like 440C or 154CM (which are both very hard carbon steels and are fine blades in their own right) and several times longer than stainless steels.
D2 is a martensitic steel, for those of you that know what that means. It's the hardest material phase of steel but is also the most prone to breakage, but if you don't abuse knives it's worth it being able to keep a razor edge for several months of normal use. someone really should make a tungsten carbide or boron carbide straight razor blade. i don't have the machining resources (or heat treating resources) to do it myself but I would buy one. no rust, edge holding superior even to D2 (carbides are actually metal ceramics) and it would probably never need stropping. But it wouldn't be possible to make it a full hollow without it being uber-fragile.
Aren't 440C and 154CM stainless steels?Quote:
Originally Posted by profeign
Even rare antiques were once dirty, filthy commercial products... if you could imagine that.
The BL and the Wonderedge have more in common than most people think. The BL is a Sweedish steel Dovo as is the Wonderedge which was also made by Dovo in the days of Fritz Bracht who insisted on using the best tempered Sweedish steel available in his day.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmw1
What is known is that Dovo does not use the exact same steel source nowadays however this same old steel quality is not restricted to DDs. Fritz Bracht used the same steel to manufacture many of the models sold under his name as well as for several other of his US importers such as Hess and C-Mon. So if you are unlucky finding your Wonderedge remember that there are other choices.
Cheers
Kal
I found the Mountain Lion easy to hone and no damage done to the gold wash, which seems pretty durable (and damned well should be at the price). One good looking razor and now with a nine-month lead time! Great to use and looks well too.