Thread: Two Restoration challlenges -- Need advice

I picked up two razors today...for $5 each...and I need some advice on how to restore these SRs.


The first is a Geo. Wostenholm & Son that was a square point, but now it is a diagonal. I would like to round this off and make it a round-ish point...or at least remove lethal edges. I work with hand tools only. Any advice on how to round the diagonal into a roundish edge? The blade is tarnished, but the blade generally looks good and I should be able to put a nice edge on it.

The second is a H. Boker razor. The tang and tail are covered in either ivory or bakelite (not sure which). The blade is in rough shape...there is some rust and I won't know until I get it on the bench to see if I can salvage the edge. There appears to be rust under the ivory/bakelite as well. I am not going to even try to remove the ivory/bakelite...there is already one crack on one side and I know it will probably go to pieces if I try to remove it. My question is...it looks like I won't be able to get rid of the rust under the tang and tail, but I would at least like to stop it from rusting more. I think I may have answered my own question as I type this...it may just end up in a shadow display box on the wall as an interesting find that was beyond salvage.

Sorry for poor picture quality. Any thoughts on either of these?

If all you have is hand tools, then a 220 grt. or courser stone, will be your friend for "awhiiiile" when reshaping the toe, on the Wosty.. As for the Boker, the pics too fuzzy to judge, or tell.

First, come up with a pattern and mark clearly on the razor with a sharpie.

Pick up a 140 grit diamond plate from CKTG, ($30), or glue some good 60 or 80 grit, wet & dry strips, to a 5-gallon paint stir stick, (use yellow wood glue). Put the razor in a vice, with wooden jaws and a couple pads, of 6mm craft foam, (a dollar or two, for a 8X11 sheet, from a craft store) leave about a ½ inch of the tip above the vise.

File the tip with the diamond plate or your sandpaper file, change the sandpaper as needed or make a few, with paper glued to both sides.

It will actually go pretty fast, once you hog off the majority of the material, move up in grits and slowly, shape to final profile. Be careful with the edge, it is very thin and can be remove easily and quickly.

You can remove the covered tang, they are probably just pinned on. Drill the pins and tap them out, go slow. Use the old, for patterns of new ones. Epoxy and pin in place.

There is no way to stop the rust under the tang, without removing the tang cover.

from the picture, the Boker looks very salvageable. I personally wouldn't want to remove the tang covers unless I absolutely had to. The pins on those usually sit flush. That makes it really difficult to drill them out without damaging the surrounding material. New pins would have to be filed flush, risking more damage. The markings are usually very light in those, so sanding or even polishing can take it right off. I've restored a handful of blades with covered tangs and I've had no issues with rust under the covers(not to say it doesn't happen). I would suggest removing the rust from all the steel that contacts the covers and reevaluate the situation befor doing anything drastic.

Don't get me wrong. The covers can be removed, but I think it's a much more delicate task then some realize. I also think it may not be needed for this blade. As always in restoration, you've got to weigh your options.