Thread: Help ID and advise on restoration

Hello. I send this message to the wrong group so I will try here for better luck. :-)

I just found this old straight razor in a flee market. There is no markings what so ever on the knife. The scales are made of some kind of bone, or ivory. I am not sure.

It looks like the modern TI.

The blade is made of silversteel, like the Dovos and inlaid with bone/ivory.

Can anybody help ID this razor? Also any advices on restoring the bone/ivory will be greatly appreciated.

Yours kindly Kristian

The blade to me looks like a Boker, more then likely it was re-scaled at some point in time.

There were loads of covered tang razors just like that, from very many makers. If the makers mark is absent or has rubbed off the tang covering, I am afraid all you can do is guess the maker, but you will never have any real proof.

Regards,
Neil

I've seen quite a few D.Peres razors looking like that, both scales and blade fit their production, so that's another guess!

+1 to what has been said above.

Di I vaguely detect some sign on the covered tang though? It might be just dirt and grime, but do take another look. Also, note the peens differ. It is a tell tale sign it has been rescaled, probably in new scales. My first guess is the scales are plastic, while the tang is bone covered.

Hello. Thanks for your input. I can see it looks a lot like the Boker blade. I think I will need to polish both scales and tang, to get a better feeling on the material.

I will try to keep as much original as possible, as in all my restorations. I've also found some threads on ivory and bone restoration, and I'll keep that in mind to.

I'll send pictures when I'm finished :-)

Not sure about the scales being plastic - on the admittedly small screen I am viewing on, they look remarkably like ivory. Very good pattern to them if they are not!

Regards,
Neil

Covered tang are usually held in place with 2 pins, one close to the blade and one on the tail. This razor doesnt have a tail pin and thats why i said it could very well be a Boker. All the D. Peres covered tang razors ive seen have a tail pin, so it doesnt apply to this razor.

Just checked a few D. Peres I have around and sure... they all have tail pins!

Originally Posted by Martin103

Covered tang are usually held in place with 2 pins, one close to the blade and one on the tail. This razor doesnt have a tail pin and thats why i said it could very well be a Boker. All the D. Peres covered tang razors ive seen have a tail pin, so it doesnt apply to this razor.

That largely depends on the age of the razor and the covering material and the whim of the maker, Martin - it is by no means a hard and fast rule. For example, when the tang has been ground thin and you can see it all the way around, the covering is usually man made - but not always. I have had examples in xylonite, celluloid and real tortoise, none in ivory though, but that does not mean there are not any.

Razors where you can see the thinly ground spine up to the tail are more 50/50 - about equal numbers of ivory and synthetic. I have some very nice old ones, mainly Rodgers, in ivory, and some 1920s - 1940s german ones in celluloid, Oddly, the completely original Boker I have like this has a celluloid covered tang and ivory scales, as do razors from other makers.

The number of pins is purely the result of function. When the covering is in two pieces of course two pins are needed to keep it in place. With a one piece covering that covers the entire tail but not the tang, obviously only one pin is necessary, although you do see two pins, just not one at the tail, indicating the tail has been cut short.


You cannot determine the maker by the number of pins!

Regards,
Neil