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I found this razor at the local antique store. I overpaid. I was bored. Plus I wanted to practice hand-sanding razor steel. The blade is a nice 400-grit satin finish, but it has some pitting. And I doubt it would be good for shaving. (But I'm a newbie. Who knows?) So what can I do with it? Windchime? Keychain? (Dulled, of course.) Lucky necklace charm?
(I apologize for the blurry photos.)
Thanks,
Christopher
Your teasing us, right?
Put scales on her, hone her up, and have the best shave of your life!
I think you are right it is clearly junk... send it to me. :D
Mike
Agreed....
It looks like a complete POS waste of useless metal and it should be sent to me ASAP to safely dispose of it! :tu
v/r
Allen
Actually, I was serious. Maybe it's hard to see the pitting in the last photos. (New photos without the blur.) I'm sure it would matter to the shave. Right? (Of course, most of the pitting is on the surface, not below, more like pitting stains, so maybe not.)Quote:
Originally Posted by JMS
I'm just a lost little newbie.
Me
Pitting or not, you hone her up and get to new steel, and it will be a fantastic shave. Pitting will not affect the bevel once you get past the oxidized steel. The pitting, away from the bevel, is purely cosmetic. A couple of laps on a 220, a few more on a 1000, a whole bunch on the 4000, and a whack more on the 8k and coticule, and you could circumcise a gnat with one of those things!
Better yet, send it to me, and I'll hone her up, and have the best shave of MY life! Ha!:roflmao
Mark
LOL circumsize a gnat. Yeah man throw some scales on that baby, hone her up, and it should be a great shaver.
That's an excellent line. =)Quote:
Originally Posted by Milton Man
Thank you, everyone. You guys are great. Maybe I'll order some scales and try my luck.
Me
I think that it is from "Uncle Buck" in reference to a hatchet, still a great line.:tu
Don't order scales/handles for it. You have come this far ...make them yourself. It is not very hard at all, and there are several tutorials on this most wonderful web site. :)
That's an idea. I'd have to order the pins, tho. (Removeable maybe.)Quote:
Originally Posted by 1adam12
Thanks,
Christopher
Looking good so far. If the pitting bugs you, just keep sanding until it is gone (you may want to move back to 320 for a while for faster removal). Simple hand sanding will eliminate pitting eventually, just time & effort.Quote:
Originally Posted by CJBianco
Or, just hone it up as-is and you'll be psyched!
I'm also going to offer encouragement for you to try honing that razor up and bringing it back to life. Encouragement with a caveat........
Yes, naturally, honing to good steel will get you the necessary shaving edge you need. But....does that razor have good steel that's accessible across the entire edge? Before those quick to answer with a "Yes" answer that question, in my experience, pitting on an edge can make or break a razor. Others disagree; I recall someone within the last few months who said he has no problem getting great and comfortable shaves from at least some restored edges that are pitted in places (trouble is I don't remember who said it).
To me, good steel on both sides of the bevel (resulting in good steel across the entire edge) is crucial for a consistent comfortable shave.
Here's a pic on 40x of a pitted edge on a razor I had some time ago that was pitted on the edge (type/name of razor doesn't matter for the pic, I'm posting to illustrate my point):
Attachment 11806
Note what looks like a chipped area on the edge to the left of the pitted cluster not yet affecting the edge. It's not a chip. It's a pitted area "opened up" or revealed right at the edge. Now view the pitted cluster to the right of that "chip"; honing into that cluster will reveal more "chips" (again, not chips, but you know what I mean). Honing would have to be past that whole cluster. While not an impossible task by any means, over the entire edge, that's still removing a significant amount of metal. And, were there other pits further up the past the bevel that after honing past the cluster in the picture would have been revealed along other places on the blade's edge? I don't remember, but it's possible. That would mean essentially chasing the pitts up the blade farther and farther in search of a truly even keen edge removing more and more steel.
I think of pitts like bubbles in swiss cheese. If the bubbles are revealed at the point of an angle (the edge) they become jagged serrations. I argue that these jagged serrations compromise the razor's edge, fold over easier, and provide overall for a less than comfortable shave. That's been my experience.
I've had some other razors that I bought early on in this hobby that were very rusted/pitted. Even after cleaning up the rust, the edges of those razors were so pock marked and pitted, they were really worthless as shavers.
People have different sensitivities to things. What makes for a less than comfortable shave for me may not be an issue for others. For me, I don't like pitts on edges at all. I have not found a razor that has been good enough to be in my rotation that has problems that I talk about here.
Chris L
Wow! Thank you for the information. I'll take a close look at the blade tonight.
Christopher =)
If you DO see pitting at the edge, to be clear, I'm not advocating with my previous post that you forget trying to hone that razor. I think it's true that different people have different experiences depending on their sensitivities. Even with pitting, properly honed, that great example of Sheffield steel absolutely may serve you well. You don't know until you try.Quote:
Originally Posted by CJBianco
Guys that DO have uncomfortable shaves from vintage razors for no apparent reason may want to examine the edge closely and look for the microchipping.
Chris L
Can't that edge pitting be simply remidied by more aggressive honing? Similar to honing out an edge chip. Sooner or later you will hit "virgin steel", and it will be all sweetness from then on out.
Maybe. I say that because it depends on the razor and a razor's degree of pitting. I agree with you, hitting or honing to "virgin steel" across the entire edge would definitely yield a great edge. I was trying to explain my point as best I could; IF the random placement of pitting on the bevel area and just above is such that you hone past one pitting cluster but in the process bring another one to the edge on another part of the edge, you're chasing those pits back and forth back and forth. Again, depending on the razor, absolutely you could finally get to a point where you'd have fresh uncompromised steel across the entire edge. I've found, for razors with rusty edges (actual rust rather than patina has always revealed significant pitting for me underneath) prior to restoration that I've never been able hone past the pits left behind. The sides of the razor and even the faces of the bevel (even though they contribute to cutting) don't shave whiskers, it's all about that amazingly thin line, the edge. Pits on the edge are the absence of steel, a jagged serrated area.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
Chris L
You could always send it up to that guy in Connecticut and have some really cool laser etching done on it...:DQuote:
Originally Posted by CJBianco
Ray! It's great to see you here, man!
Awesome!
Me =)
Thanks Chris, I was over looking for pictures of you and your honoing/shaving trip when I came upon this post...Quote:
Originally Posted by CJBianco
A signature would look great on this piece....:w
99% of the time yes, if you are willing to do the work, you will eventually get to good steel. However keep in mind just like a chipped blade there really is a point where it just isn't worth the effort.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
The blade pictured above will need some careful honing to make sure it has virgin steel all along it's edge, but there is no reason not to, and once honed properly, that should be an awesome shaver.
Ya know Christopher if yer not in a hurry to get it back, I would kinda like to take a crack at this one.... If you haven't decided to have the work done by someone else shoot me a PM "IF" yer not going to restore it yerself..... It is always better if you gain the experience personally and hands on....
Actually he dumped it in BST and some fool (me) paid him way to much. It is now mowing down arm or leg hairs like no ones business. :) I think I did a sucky job getting a bevel (rather uneven). Now I just need someone to make me some scales for this bad boy. You up to it SixGun?Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
I apologize for taking so long to reply to this thread, I forgot all about it. :o
Please forgive me. I am still a noob, and the pricing game is all fog and mist to me. (I don't wish to sell for profit, but I also don't want to undercut anyone here and make enemies. I am sure you understand.) I am always happy to refund whatever amount you feel is fair. (And that goes to anyone for anything I sell on the BST.)Quote:
Originally Posted by megabit
Thanks,
Christopher
No problem, I didn't have to buy the blade. You said that you paid to much for it and sold it to me for what you paid. We are good, hopefully it makes a nice shaver when I get some scales for it (on order). :)Quote:
Originally Posted by CJBianco
Mike
LOL I totally forgot that was the razor I overpaid for myself! (I'm an absent-minded dork.)Quote:
Originally Posted by megabit
(But the policy still stands.)
Me =)
Here it is and it shaves good. I think it could still use a bit of work but it certainly gets the job done.
Thank you Old Blades for another great set of scales.
I do have a question about putting scales on, should I put the larger washers next to the blade between the scales and the blade or on the outside like I did?
Mike
Generally the big ones go inside, but i think it looks good on the outside in this case, so do what ever tickles your fancy:)
