Thread: Antique store finds- Advice Requested

Hi guys, I had my first successful (well, moderately succesful) straight razor shave friday morning, and so to celebrate I hit up a few antique shops to see what they had. I think I did pretty well, but two of the razors have some edge issues, and I was hoping some of the more knowledgeable (than me) folk hereabouts might chime in with some recommendations. So without further ado:





The first is a pre 1890 Wade and Butcher 6/8 hollow grind (somewhere between half and full hollow). The blade is in great shape and should clean up pretty easily, only a few very minor (or so they appear) rust spots. The handles seem to be junky bakelite, but that's the only negative and they are replaced easily enough. I'm really looking forward to shaving with this one.



Next up is probably my favorite find, an old old school heavy near wedge with horn handles- stylistically it looks to be about 200 years plus. The tang is stamped CAST STEEL, and the spine has what appears to be I. D. English. I'll do some more digging on this one later, but if anyone can tell me more about it that would be great. But as you can see, the blade has a few chips, one of them is even pretty nasty. SO the million dollar question is do I hone them out (I'd really love to shave with this razor, but Im worried the blade doesn't have enough real estate left to remove the chips), or let it sit as a collector piece. And if I dare to restore it, what would be the best way to go about it?



Lastly is a dubl duck satinedge. This thing shows heavy hone wear (not a lot of real estate left) and a real nasty frown. I wasn't sure it was worth it for $32, as I'm a little worried that the only way to remove frown will be excessive toe wear (the heel is getting pretty close to the stabilizer), but there seems to be such a craze for these things I thought I'd give it a try. You guys think it'll be worth the trouble to reign in that frown?

Originally Posted by UrEnki

And if I dare to restore it, what would be the best way to go about it?

Personally on restoring these very old razor less is better, clean the razor rust etc, re-finish the horn, remove chips hone and use frequently!
Certainly a special feeling to shave with a razor that old Enjoy!

FYI the marking on the spine probably says "Old English". That was common on a lot of razors of that style and period.

Well, taking out the chips was a lot easier than I thought. I honed through a few sheets of 150 grit sandpaper, then switched to 400 when the chips were almost gone. Then a soft ark followed by a trans. Unfortunately I'm still pretty bad at honing, and it isn't shave ready just yet.

Originally Posted by Martin103

Personally on restoring these very old razor less is better, clean the razor rust etc, re-finish the horn, remove chips hone and use frequently!
Certainly a special feeling to shave with a razor that old Enjoy!

That sounds like a good plan.

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

FYI the marking on the spine probably says "Old English". That was common on a lot of razors of that style and period.

I do believe you're correct. I found this, which, with the exception of the missing O, looks pretty much identical to mine:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...tml#post761569

Next up is the dubl duck!