Thread: Old Boker cleanup from rough to...less rough, hopefully a shaver

I don't have a single Boker in my collection, and have always wanted to have one. I ran across one on eBay that checked off a lot of boxes for features I like - 6/8ths, french point, single shoulder/shoulderless, and the trademark branding style looked pre-War. Problem is, it was in rough shape, with a lot of rust and pitting, especially at the edge. The seller took some very honest photos of the condition (which I really appreciated) which I've mixed in below. The "omote" side was pretty rough, but the "uma" side actually wasn't half bad, so I thought I'd take a shot with it.

I don't have the hands or skills (or patience) for a real restoration, I may send it off for that. I just wanted to stop the rot on this one, clean it up nice and try to make it a shaver. I was pleasantly surprised that the blade grind is bit on the heavier side as I like them on a 6/8ths, almost half-hollow-ish. So I started hand working with Mother's Mag Polish and microfiber cloths, cleaning up as much of the damage as I could.

After a lot of tape and bevel work on the 1K Chosera I got to good steel, and it took a really nice edge. We'll see if it holds, or if I bit off more than I could chew on this one. What do y'all think, looking at the original, do you think the pitting at the edge is too much to recover from? I got clear of it on most of the edge, but couldn't get clear all of it at the heel without removing a lot more steel than I already did. I'll shave with it in the morning and find out how it goes.

You’ve done a nice job on it. I like the french point.

Looks very good. Nice job.

French point is my favourite.

Not too shabby.!
Never knew Boker made a French point... Nice!

As for the heal. If you don't use it, shouldn't create a problem. I have a couple with pits in the bevel, but still offer a clean edge

Great work on a beautiful, unusual Boker. Every Boker I have owned has been a splendid shaver. I still see some "swiss cheese" pitting under the "GNE" part of Magnetic-you may not be able to get rid of all of it. The only way to know is to shave with it-please report back on this nice save!

Some 1k grit Wet and Dry wrapped around a synthetic wine cork will get most of it off and not remove much of the etch, it will also make the finish pop once you polish with a good metal polish. You can drop down to 600 on the other side and the tang to speed up the process then go to 1k.

Finishing on 2k will bring out a better shine and make the jump to polish a bit easier. The synthetic corks are nice because they are harder and have flat ends for getting into tight spaces.

The 600 wrapped around the cork will also get the heel cleaned up. You will have to re-hone and some heel forward strokes will hone the heel nicely.

1 and 2k on the scales will make them pop when polished with metal polish.

Nice razor, I too love the French Point.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Great work on a beautiful, unusual Boker. Every Boker I have owned has been a splendid shaver. I still see some "swiss cheese" pitting under the "GNE" part of Magnetic-you may not be able to get rid of all of it. The only way to know is to shave with it-please report back on this nice save!

Thanks! I appreciate the encouragement from everybody, it's nice. This one was a departure for me, I generally pass on these sort of razors. But this one really appealed to me, so I'm glad I tried. Boker lived up to its reputation with this one.

The first shave with it this morning was great! The balance in the hand and feel on the skin was really nice, far better than what I'd hoped. The edge stood up to a 3-pass shave plus touch-ups without going dull or harsh on me, so that was a good sign.

After shaving and stropping, I checked the edge under a loupe again in strong light. Everything except the heel portion still looked great and still had the nice haze finish from the honing, with no chipping. Even the part under the "magnetic" seemed to hold up, which surprised me, as that area and the heel were the worst parts. Unfortunately the heel just looks like hell under magnification, and there is micro-chipping there. But it didn't seem to affect the shave, I didn't feel it, anyway. I think the heel is a bit thinner than the rest of the edge, so is more impacted by the swiss-cheese pitting.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Some 1k grit Wet and Dry wrapped around a synthetic wine cork will get most of it off and not remove much of the etch, it will also make the finish pop once you polish with a good metal polish. You can drop down to 600 on the other side and the tang to speed up the process then go to 1k.

Finishing on 2k will bring out a better shine and make the jump to polish a bit easier. The synthetic corks are nice because they are harder and have flat ends for getting into tight spaces.

The 600 wrapped around the cork will also get the heel cleaned up. You will have to re-hone and some heel forward strokes will hone the heel nicely.

1 and 2k on the scales will make them pop when polished with metal polish.

Nice razor, I too love the French Point.

Thanks for the detailed tips. I was hesitant to try anything with sandpaper because I've seen so much hackery from it on eBay razors that I didn't want to end up duplicating that look. I figured I couldn't go too far off the rails if I stuck with Mother's polish. Since this turned out to be a worthwhile save and a nice piece, I think I will pause while I'm ahead and send it off to one of the forum experts to take to the next level from here. Then I'll post more before-and-after pics (before-and-after-and-after?)

The sweep of the single shoulder in combination with the French point give the razor a really nice symmetry, a streamlined look for an oldie.

As a newbie I guess you did a great job but do not get me wrong when I said I guess is because I am really lack of the knowledge to evaluate other people job, but for me I insist it look clean and solid but at the same time she (I do not know if the razor have a gender as the boats we refer as her) shows gracefully her age with proud.
I am a true believer of the nice performed DIY jobs without a show or gallery finish.
Great advice from Euclid440 on the "Wet and Dry wrapped around a synthetic wine cork" also.
Thanks guys for share