Thread: What Is Your Restoration/Mod Philosophy For Vintage Razors?

To the uneducated buyer it's rust,,,,

To the heartless S.O.B. who sold it to you,,,it's Patina.

I mostly fall under the restore it like it was made kinda guy. HOWEVER :<0) I have some Ducks that you just can't get the old stuff and while you can imitate the old with the new in some cases I feel the manufacturer/supplier would have loved what I do to his razors. Given the fact that the originals used as much bling as they could given the material they had at that time in history.

Hence



Now if you look at the restore threads on these you will see evreything from patina to swiss cheese blades. Like others have said, the blades condition will dictate how much you restore and how. As far as I am concerned that scales can be original or wild as long as everything winds up functional when it's done. A pretty razor is one thing (even if it's only pretty in your eyes) but a pretty razor that actually works is the only kind worth a dime.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

To the uneducated buyer it's rust,,,,

To the heartless S.O.B. who sold it to you,,,it's Patina.

Patina?? Oh you mean dirt, gunk and dried up old hair and soap, blech...

No ,,,no,,,

in that case it would be, "a vintage razor with lots of character and Patina."

Pimp my Blade!

Not really. The razor has to speak to me.
I have one that I don't want any of the patina of the blade changed but I do want a modern scale material. A blend of old and new.
Some I want totally traditional.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

It isn't Patina, Patina is made through years of care and attention to the steel not years of neglect...

Originally Posted by JP5

Uh oh, now I'm wondering which category my recent purchase fall into....

Ahhhhhh see it is a rather self fulfilling statement...

To have true "Patina" the steel must have been lovingly cared for, not tossed inside a box wet, and left for years.. So in general if the razor has real Patina it normally doesn't need much in the way of Restoration


(There are exceptions to most every rule in razordom)

Good points! However you like them , they must shave and be CLEAN! A prerequisite which is important to me, as I feel it should be. Some people have a crappy 'throw down' city car. Ain't gotta wash it often. The clear coat is going. I do!
Still, an old blade should be clean, no crud between the scales. A tight pivot is a must and a fine bevel is paramount. It should shave better than some pretty razors, it has to to earn it's keep. I have some of those, like Jimmy, so I can respect that.
The old 'throw down' car should also have a fairly clean interior, cold air, and every feature working and run like a bat outa Hell!
My nice car is kept from the sun, washed and pampered often. Never run up to the red-line like the 'throwdown car'! My analogy, I suppose.

What Is Your Restoration/Mod Philosophy For Vintage Razors ?

7 years ago I'd attempt restoring something off the Titanic. But I've done very few restorations the last couple of years.

I'd say my philosophy has become more ruthless. With today's costs for buying & then restoring, my belief is that the razor must be 99.9% able to shave & be maintained at the end of the process.

Most of the stuff I see people buying especially with heavy "patina" doesn't fall into that category .

10Pups:
Wow, you have whole flock! Those DDs are definitely some of the flashiest I've seen online. Do you find yourself holding your pinky out when you shave with them?? jk A DD is on my 'list' for sure.
I just started collecting though and I've already spent a lot more than I should, so I'm going to focus on fixing and honing the ones I have.

I did a little sanding on the blade I just bought and fortunately the pitting isn't deep. It is too bad I'm going to lose the etching when I do the other side.

Is the etching on the older razors photo-etching???

Do any of you like forced patinas? I know some people like to do it with their nonstainless knives. If so, what medium do you use?

Originally Posted by JP5

10Pups:
Wow, you have whole flock! Those DDs are definitely some of the flashiest I've seen online. Do you find yourself holding your pinky out when you shave with them?? jk A DD is on my 'list' for sure.
I just started collecting though and I've already spent a lot more than I should, so I'm going to focus on fixing and honing the ones I have.

I did a little sanding on the blade I just bought and fortunately the pitting isn't deep. It is too bad I'm going to lose the etching when I do the other side.

Is the etching on the older razors photo-etching???

Do any of you like forced patinas? I know some people like to do it with their nonstainless knives. If so, what medium do you use?

Well, let's see............................................... .................................................. .......................................