Navalha Magnetica w/ Ivory Scales

[LordBlah]

So I picked up this sexy beast on a Dutch EBay-like site, and I was wondering if anybody knew anything about the brand? It says Navalha Magnetica 800 on the blade. The scales are made of ivory, or so I've been told; I wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway. On the box it says 'Silversteel Extra Hollow Ground' with what seems to be a signature of a 'Jan Mens' (maybe the owner?). On the other side of the box it says 'The Pandor Razor'.

So, does anybody know anything about this brand of razor and how old it might be? Also, how could I confirm that the scales are made of ivory? And finally, does anybody have any advice on how I should go about restoring this beauty? There are a couple of small surface cracks on the scales, could those be reinforced or something?

Thanks a bunch!

[Martin103]

Navalha Magnetica is not the brand, it means Magnetic Razor. Its definately a German razor from Solingen, i dont think the scales are ivory but you could do a pin test.

[JimmyHAD]

Scales are celluloid IMHO. The blade has more improper hone wear than it would be worth the time for me to fix if it were mine. YMMV.

[LordBlah]

Navalha Magnetica is not the brand, it means Magnetic Razor. Its definately a German razor from Solingen, i dont think the scales are ivory but you could do a pin test.

Thank you for your reply! I figured it was the brand name as it was so boldly printed on the blade itself. Any ideas on what brand it might be? Could the 'The Pandor Razor' print on the box be the brand? I've tried google, but can't seem to find much... Also, any clue on what age the razor might be? The owner told me it has been in the possession of his father-in-law for at least 30 years, but other than that, he didn't have any information for me.

Scales are celluloid IMHO. The blade has more improper hone wear than it would be worth the time for me to fix if it were mine. YMMV.

I'm away from my razor at the moment, but I'll try to apply some of the tests I found on the interwebnets to see if it is indeed celluloid. I hope not, I was rather pleased with myself that I had scored something cool for cheap, would be a shame to find out it's just plastic... Though I still very much like the look of the razor and it feels great, so I'm not devastated. The razor still has a decent edge, actually, not really sharp but not dull, either. Honing it up wouldn't be too hard, but I'm more concerned about the discolouration on the blade; is it rust, or something else? I know next to nothing about these things... Is there a nice guide or a 'razor restoration for dummies' out there you could recommend?

EDIT:
Also, if it is celluloid (or ivory), is there a way to remove the scales so I can restore them and the blade separately and then put it back together again without destroying the scales? Or is there a better way to clean the scales and blade?

[gssixgun]

At the top of the Workshop is a Sticky in red

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...wers-here.html

Honestly it has the answers to just about every question you might have about restorations but you do have to look and read

Here is what I see from the Pics, keep in mind the analysis from Pics is NOT accurate it is at best a guess

The scales are Celluloid or some form of it
They are shot
As soon as you try to remove them, or work them the pivot cracks will most likely give up the Ghost
Also looking close at the pins I am not so sure that the scales are original to the razor

The razor needs cleaning how far you take that is a balancing act between the razor and what you want
There is quite a bit of uneven hone wear on the razor
The edge is off because of the hone wear
The active Rust at the pivot needs to be removed oiled and stopped



This is what I see, with a fair bit of an experienced eye looking at it

The fastest test for the scales is to just take a rag and rub the scales briskly if there is the slight smell of Camphor released they are Celluloid, a tiny bit of Polish often helps this process

[LordBlah]

Thanks for the detailed answer! Though I'll admit, they're not the answers I was hoping for... I guess my inexperience in these things has led me to buy a razor that was better left alone. Oh well... I'll be sure to give that thread a good read before stubbornly refusing to accept the facts and try my best to salvage something that will shave decently. Looking on the bright side, I at least have a razor that I can use to practise my honing on without worrying about destroying a nice blade.... Bummer.

One last question though... Why do you think the scales are not the original ones, judging by the pins? How do you tell?

[seacaptainchris]

if the scales are indeed ivory they wont burn ,you can heat a straight pin till its red on the tip, if it penetrates the scales then im sorry its not ivory.this is how sailors have tested ivory for a few thousand years and it worked for me on more than a few occasions.i have a lot of it ive bought over the years ,from different countries .you just have to find a inconspicuous place to do it.

[Neil Miller]

I have a few razors with those scales - in black though. Exact same design. They are 100% not ivory - ivory doesn't bend like that, it doesn't crack across the grain like that, it usually is not pinned like that, it usually is used with lead wedges, and it isn't usually decorated like that - it isn't ivory. Celluloid of some form is what the scales are made of, cast into a mould.

It looks like it has been re-pinned because of the circular indentation around the pivot pin - caused by a washer that is no longer there. The pin used to repin it doesn't look like brass, doesn't look like it has a washer and looks like it is slightly larger in diameter than the wedge pin.

Regards,
Neil

[LordBlah]

I have a few razors with those scales - in black though. Exact same design. They are 100% not ivory - ivory doesn't bend like that, it doesn't crack across the grain like that, it usually is not pinned like that, it usually is used with lead wedges, and it isn't usually decorated like that - it isn't ivory. Celluloid of some form is what the scales are made of, cast into a mould.

It looks like it has been re-pinned because of the circular indentation around the pivot pin - caused by a washer that is no longer there. The pin used to repin it doesn't look like brass, doesn't look like it has a washer and looks like it is slightly larger in diameter than the wedge pin.

Regards,
Neil

Thank you for the reply. Oh well... At least I'm learning stuff, so I guess it isn't a complete loss. Since you have razors with the same scales, do you know anything about the make of the razor?

[Neil Miller]

The scales are not an indicator - I have seen these scales on several C. Friedrich Ern razors (one of which was my first razor, and which I still have - an Ern "Ski" brand razor), H. Boker and other makes. They were produced indepentantly by plastic moulders and sold to whichever company wanted to buy them.

I don't know the particular mark on your razor, but like Martin says, it looks like a Solingen razor made for an overseas Spanish or Portuguese speaking market.

Navalha Magnética is not really a mark, like Martin says - it just means magnetic steel in that language, however it was registered as a mark in Brazil in 1917 by an american trading company called M. Wellissch & Co:



Google translate has provided the translation ('by order of the Board of Cake' - what a hoot!).

Elsewhere in those papers it mentions that Wellisch & Co also dealt in perfumes, haberdashery, flour, etc, and there was a company of that name in Louisville, Kentucky from the 1860s onwards. Maybe they also imported german razors in 1917. That still does not give us the maker though.

Your razor make appeared on this site in 2009, but no-one knew much (ie nothing) about it then:



And there are other varieties, one of which has the same scales as yours, but in black:



Regards,
Neil