Thread: Should I try to restore

I am fairly new to SRS about 4 months green,But i am addicted
Needless to say . But today i went to a antique shop that has been around
town since moby dick was a minnow. And found a strait that I just fell in love with .
Plus i talked the guy down to 10 dollers so i could'nt say NO.
Ok I dont know alot about old razors
so here it goes
Says MANUFACTURED BY
FREDERICK REYNOED
SHEFFIELD
On the face of the blade I think it says UNEQUALLED with some other etchings on the blade
And is it possible to save these markings
Dont know how old it is
there is some rust
but no chips in the blade
well my question is should I go for it . Or just leave it in the box in my den
Any thoughts would be helpful and appreciated
Thanks

absolutely,
hand sanding is a slow process so there isn't much damage you can do. there's only one way to get an idea what's involved. i'd suggest starting at 500-600 grit sandpaper, even though i think it should be much lower. try it for a bit and if you're not happy with the progress go to the lower grits.

pretty bad honing on that one though, i don't know how i'd fix it if it were mine, i probably wouldn't have taken it in the first palce, but you love it so enjoy the process.

I agree with Gugi on the restoration points....

Not sure if it is just the pic, but that edge looks to have like a partial frown (under the eq) and a badly honed toe (in front of the U) which leaves the edge with a wave in it.. IMHO this cannot just be honed around, well I guess you could but I wouldn't want to shave with it... I would straighten the edge before I even started on the sandpaper then proceed from there...

yeah, that frown is the main problem the pictures are pretty clear about it (the smile is just a pain hone but i kinda like those) and the edge is already inside the shoulder, so yeah straighten it out first. so much better to sand a dull blade - at least that's what my fingers tell me

I agree with my bro's suggestions (big surprise, two of the most experienced dudes on here), go for it. It looks like a great razor to practice on.

Thanks guys
every little bit of knowledge helps me
plus i see what you mean about the frown .
I drew straight line on a piece of paper and well you know the rest
but next time ill know what to look for .
i think ill shine it up and put it in a shadow box

Not to rain on your parade but you may need to reshape that heel flange too after straightening up the edge.
Its do- able , just a challenge for a first.

A beauty of an old Sheffield!
I agree as far as setting the edge straight but I'd leave some of the patina and just get rid of the rust.
(personal taste - 200 years deserve some respect)
If you intend to sand the blade, put something solid under the sand paper.
Maybe you can save more of the etching this way.