Thread: got my thiers issard from france here she is after a long restore

Well you guys all told me it was a major risk buying a thiers issard 69 frameback for only 22 shipped from france with the paddle strop also and i may have learned my lesson or i may not have. There is still pitting and staining and you can still tell its old but pitting and staining is minimal. This thing didnt have as much of the black stuff along the cutting edge it appeared it did in the pictures from before but it was covered in rust like bad this was my hardest restore yet. i started at 500 grit but it wouldnt do the job so i dropped to 400 still didnt work too well unfortunately i had to drop to 300 i took it easy and really slow i took a few hours on each grit and this restore probably took around 7 hours or more total. There was a small chip near the edge off the blade and most of it came out luckily. Only thing that sucks is i didnt unpin the razor to sand the blade under the scale where it connects since i dont have the means to repin or the expierience i wish i could repin it and sand the rust i am sure i missed since this is probably my most valuable razor but maybe some other time. Do you guys think its worth trying to find someone to hone this razor? Or do you think that with all the work i did and the shape its still in that its a waste of time? Let me know and if you guys think its worth it i need to find someone to hone it and a few other razors fairly inexpensively i have extra money but not much right now i didnt get much for my other razors i sold one of which was nos bummer :/ thanks guys took all your advice on this restore as well and they come out with less scratches left at the end as well just wish i could of gotten away starting at 500 grit. Thank you all everyone has helped me so much on here and i truly appreciate it. Any info om thiers and year this was produced appreciated as usual.-john (before then after pics)

That is a good looking restore on what looks to have been a real bear of a job.
If you are confident you can hone it to a great shaving edge then go for it.
Otherwise, I say send it out for honing to one of our dedicated honemeisters
The pins could tightened at the same time if needed.
It will be worth the expense to get it done by a pro, you may even find one nearby.
My 2 cents worth anyways.

Hmmm. It looks very nice in regards to the finish, but the shape of the edge is a little strange; it seems to really drop off towards the heel. However, it depends on what part of the razor you normally actually use; the belly of the edge (the middle) looks nice; and you may be a shaver who doesn't use the heel a lot (I use the heel a lot myself).

An option might be to remove the smile (more of a cheesy grin on this one) and straighten the edge; but that would take a good deal of work and of course you'd end up with a narrower razor; but that might still be OK, though it'd be a very stiff blade. I myself would be inclined to remove that curve (smile) in the edge, but it'd be a major task and you'd need to do a LOT of work to re-set the bevel.

I feel for ME it'd possibly be beyond my capabilities to get the shape (and edge) right, but a professional could possibly do it. If you're saying it cost 22 buckeroonies, if you contact a honemeister and they say it can be done, depending on the agreed cost, it may very well be worth it. They may be able to unpin the razor to clean up the pivot and re-pin it for you too.

Just my opinion, I'm no expert on restores or honing...

BTW, if you update your profile to include your location, it makes it much easier for guys to step up and offer help/mentoring etc.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...er-2013-a.html

I just had an example of why on my hones last night, spent a ton of extra time trying to get past a Swiss cheese edge, that somebody had "Restored"...

If you don't check the edge first you guys are just practicing your sanding abilities, did you at least look at the edge under well lit magnification ???? If you don't have a stone, with just a bit of practice and skill you can cut a bevel on sandpaper to test it.

ps: I highlighted the word skill because doing it wrong will wreck the razor.. see Restoration Rule #1 "Rush a Restore, Wreck a Razor"

So its wrecked? I took a long time on this restore like 7+ hours and did evertthing everyone has been tellibg me minus the unpin... my arm is even killing me from this one. And I wrecked the razor really? If this is true im really done with restores since I seem to screw everyone I do up even if I take everyone's advice.

Or it was already wrecked and I just spent alot of time on a razor that cant be made shave ready? And what do you mean swiss cheese edge? Is this a term for incorrect shape of the cutting edge or what? I thought that this style frameback generally were supposed to be round were the cutting edge was at am I wrong? If this thing is just garbage just let me know honestly so I can sell it or give it to a buddy because if so its gonna be a slap in the face everyday to have a thiers issard sitting around that is farbage and cant be made shave ready since its probably the most sought after razor I have.

>>it was written:
>>If this is true im really done with restores since
>>I seem to screw everyone I do up even if I take everyone's advice.

In my opinion, if you enjoy restoring, then you should restore.
Perhaps not every restore will come out the way you would prefer
- but that should not stop you from restoring.

I have been known to paint & repair Coleman gasoline appliances.
To non-collectors, the time spent making junk work will seem like folly.

Jody

Originally Posted by 2010johnjef

So its wrecked? I took a long time on this restore like 7+ hours and did evertthing everyone has been tellibg me minus the unpin... my arm is even killing me from this one. And I wrecked the razor really? If this is true im really done with restores since I seem to screw everyone I do up even if I take everyone's advice.

Originally Posted by 2010johnjef

Or it was already wrecked and I just spent alot of time on a razor that cant be made shave ready? And what do you mean swiss cheese edge? Is this a term for incorrect shape of the cutting edge or what? I thought that this style frameback generally were supposed to be round were the cutting edge was at am I wrong? If this thing is just garbage just let me know honestly so I can sell it or give it to a buddy because if so its gonna be a slap in the face everyday to have a thiers issard sitting around that is farbage and cant be made shave ready since its probably the most sought after razor I have.

Seriously that is what you gathered from my post ????

How the heck would I have any idea if you wrecked the razor, or if the razor was bad to begin with You never tested it or checked it you just rushed right into polishing... The link explains how YOU should test your razor FIRST so you don't waste time putting lipstick on a pig...
I have no idea whether the razor is good or not and neither does anyone else here from the info given...

I think GSSIXGUN is referring to the cutting edge where if there is or was rust can end up pitted. Sometimes it is impossible to hone past, depending on how bad the rust was in the first place. A good tool is a jewellers loupe so you can see the edge under magnification. If the pitting is bad, it will look like swiss cheese, alot of little holes and pits. Hope this helps.

I get confused super easy im sorry I have always been that way. So your saying I need to tape the spine and most of the razor and try to make a soft imitated cutting edge with 325 and 400 sandpaper amd see if I can make one and have clean steel withiut taking away too much of the blade correct?