Thread: HELP! Where to start? (Phil Eisemann Inland City Razor)

Hey all,

I'm new to straight razors and totally clueless about restoration. At the moment I'm not in the position to drop the $ for the Bill Ellis dvd, and i've seen people claim that there are enough resources available here and on other sites to get started in restoration without it, but i seem to be having trouble finding them. Does anybody know if there's a simple, step-by-step guide around? For my first project I want to restore the old razor below, which i picked up at an antique store. I have norton stones on backorder at rockler that should get here in a few weeks, but by that time i'd like to have everything else done on this razor so i can focus on learning to hone it. I've already polished it a bit with brasso (can't find maas yet), as you can see from the before/after shots below. From what i've gathered, the next step seems to be sanding the blade/scales? Is this right? If so, what types and grits of sandpaper do i need to pick up to do the job correctly? Also, i think the scales are bone but i'm not sure, can anybody help me out with that? Do the scales need to be sanded or just cleaned/polished/buffed? And finally, i've now learned what hone wear is and this blade seems to have a fair amount--is it too much? will i still be able to hone the blade to shavability or has it been sharpened past its usefulness?

I know i have a ton of questions so i hope somebody can help out a clueless newbie :-) As a side note, this razor is apparently from the Phil Eisemann company in lancaster (where i live and found it), but the only reference i can find to phil eisemann anywhere online is the fact that he made shave mugs. I'm wondering if anybody has any more info about this company or the "Inland City" line that this razor apparently belongs to (inland city is another reference to lancaster, as it is the country's oldest inland city).

Thanks in advance for everybody's help!

The scales look great, a bit of MAAS would be all I'd do to this one. The blade has quite a bit of hone wear so I wouldn't go to crazy trying to get it up to a like new polish. Go for it if you want the experience though.

Eisemann (sometimes Eiseman) operated from 616 N. Queen St., Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And was in business between about 1906 and 1934. That's all I know.

There's also a P Eiseman strop and ACME Hair Vigor, prepared by Phil Eisemann on ebay. So I guess he sold all sorts of shaving items.

thanks, that's great info. i live about 5 mins from that address, maybe i'll go down and see what's in that building now.

another question i have is whether i need to apply any kind of oil/grease to the blade and/or pivot and if so, what kind should i get? the pivot pin seems slightly loose, is there any way to fix this without replacing it?

If the pivot pin seems loose you can tighten it up by GENTLY tapping the pivot with a very small jewelers hammer or even a spoon will do. Just tap lightly on one side then the other until tight. It may take a while so be patient. If you hit hard enough that if it was your finger and you felt pain thats too hard. As far as oil goes you don't need it for lubrication but if your not going to be using the razor on a regular basis you should coat the blade and pivot pin with a protectant of some sort. There are many on the market.