Thread: Yet another flea market find...

Hello everyone !

I have been lurking a bit here, since a friend invited me to switch to straight shaving. I did not take the plunge yet. I read a lot... but I'm on the lookout for a decent used straight (I guess I'm going to order from whippeddog to be sure of the quality). But I err...

Last Sunday, I found a 5/8 straight razor at a flea market for 10$. Obviously, since I'm new to the sport, I want to know who's the maker (history concerns). Also, to me it seems in decent shape (no chips on the blade, scales unbroken), but you may think otherwise...

Some images follow:



This is a full view of the razor



Here is a part of the blade. It says "Acier" ("steel", in french) and a bit of "Magnet..." which I could only relate to "Magnetique" (the length of the blade indicates there is space for more letters, but they are gone, probably after a less than gentle buffing with a small steel wool I suspect).



OK. The blade speaks french, but the razor has been produced in Solingen. Puzzles me a bit...



And then there's this logo I could not find in the cutlery marks thread. I at least tried to do my homework before resorting to ask you all.

So my questions are:

a) Who's the maker ? Date of production ?

b) Is it usable after a cleaning and a hone ? Is a full restoration necessary ?

c) If I buffer it, will the golden marks on the blade disappear (and is it important for them to stay or not, since they are uncomplete) ?

I thank you in advance for any information that may help resolve my issues with this razor.

It looks to be in pretty good shape but it does have quite a bit of home wear but that doesn't mean it won't hone up and shave. And if you want to keep the etching but clean up the blade I would use a clear coat of nail polish to save the gold but I would clean by hand if it were me and looks like a great find indeed

Most likely it is magnetized in the etching, i've seen a few that had magnetized steel advertised on the tang or blade

You'll "be assured of the quality" of the blade if its vintage and stamped Solingen...have it honed properly and you'll be just fine

The Solingen factories made razors for _everyone_. There are lots of "American" razors that were made in Solingen for US sellers -- department stores, hardware stores, and so on.

I agree with previous posts - the blade looks like it's in good shape. Have it honed and start shaving.

. Charles

PS -- _somebody_ should recognize that horse-and-trident trademark -- come on, guys!

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

PS -- _somebody_ should recognize that horse-and-trident trademark -- come on, guys!

If you look closely on the shank closeup, the horse seems to be a unicorn...

Interesting razor, I like it. No doubt the gold wash on the blade is advertising Magnetized Steel, which was a gimmick. As mentioned already, it should be a fine shaver after a little hand polishing and honing. Clean it up by hand, theres no need to use a buffer or dremel. Saving the gold wash seems a moot point to me, as half of it is gone anyways.

Good luck on the restore.

Just my two coins, but it wouldn't bother me in the least to buff off the gold etch. It's mostly gone anyway and not very attractive anymore. Good luck with the restore. It should polish up nicely and give a fine shave.

Judging by the hone wear I would fair to guess whoever owned it before really enjoyed the shave it gave and enjoyed for quite some time. I would send it off to be honed and see if you enjoy the shave. If you do then you can decide if cleaning and re-honing would be something to consider.

I'm on the lookout for a decent used straight (I guess I'm going to order from whippeddog to be sure of the quality). But I err...

You just acquired a Whipped Special for $10 at a flea market. It looks like a whipped clunker and all it needs is honing. If you want a high gloss shine and possibly new scales then send it off for restoration and honing just note the gold wash will be removed during the buffing process.

If you are ever curious about a razor and it's possible quality do exactly what you just did. Post it with pics and SRP will give you all the information about it.