Modding / Restoration WIP

[cotedupy]

Thought I'd post some pics of a little razor I picked up recently in an antiques shop, with some thoughts about what I sometimes like to do with handles and why. Here's my razor:



Cracked off the plastic scales, gave a little vinegar bath and clean up:





It's a bit difficult to read in that picture but on one side of the tang we have 'Walter Otton & Sons Exeter'. On the other that it's made from 'Kayser Ellison and Co's Best Sheffield Silver Steel', which I understand is a Good Thing. And then on the tail it says 'Germany'. Walter Otton and Sons was an old ironmonger and general hardware 'n' homeware type store apparently, so I'm assuming this was Sheffield steel, ground in Germany, and branded for them to sell (?). I mostly bought it because I was staying with my sister in Exeter, and I thought it'd be cool to have a razor from there.

I didn't have any of my handle making stuff with me, so I tried bevel setting on a Washita one day when I was bored. I use Washitas a lot for knives but had never tried one on a razor before, it worked surprisingly well in quite quick time.



Or at least it would have if I had done the sanding ground work properly - there were a couple of little pitting marks on the edge that I hadn't noticed / didn't come out. So had to go back to some coarser sandpaper and start over. Hey ho, no biggie!

Handle stuff to follow in Part 2...

[p.s. Is there a way to stop some of my pictures being posted on their side? Nothing I seem to do makes a difference]