Thread: Minor restoration on this Pakistani Straight?

Today with my luck, I stumbled into an antique store and while I was leaving I saw a box for a straight razor. Low and behold, this straight in OK (at best) condition came out with the word 'Valor' on the right scale and 'Messerschmidt' on the blade.



Now there are a little bit of rust spots and tape residue from the tape on the razors edge. This also was made in Pakistan. From what I remember, Pakistani steel doesn't hold a sharp edge as well as the leading blades. The edge of this razor is actually still sharp and has no knicks or chips from what I can see/feel.

Now, since I got the intro out of the way, what steps do I need to take to get this blade looking better? What should be done with the rust?

For the beginner I am and $8 I paid for, this will be good project for practicing on a hone before I'll decide to hone my daily.

Thank you all for the help!
Brandon

Also, if anyone has any information/experience with these blades let me know because google failed to find anything on Valor Import Corp(on the box) straight razor. Thanks.

Well, If you want a razor to practice restoration on, so you won't be out much if you damage it, I think you've found a perfectly good candidate.

That being said, I've never heard of a pakistani razor that was worth any more than it's weight in scrap metal, and I've owned 4.

You didn't over-pay, but it wasn't much of a deal either. Brand new pakistani razors are regularly available for as little as $10.

Cool! Yeah I just picked up an old 'Master Hone' off ebay to practice on.
On my computer, there is a HUGE imageshack thing showing up ontop of my post. I apologize if anyone else sees it.

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

Well, If you want a razor to practice restoration on, so you won't be out much if you damage it, I think you've found a perfectly good candidate.

That being said, I've never heard of a pakistani razor that was worth any more than it's weight in scrap metal, and I've owned 4.

You didn't over-pay, but it wasn't much of a deal either. Brand new pakistani razors are regularly available for as little as $10.

You've owned four? Um, why?

Originally Posted by leadduck

You've owned four? Um, why?

Short answer: I tend to be a thick headed arrogant jerk.

Long answer: When I first decided to get into straight razor shaving, I did a lot of reading, including some lurking here. After my reading, I came to the VERY wrong conclusion that a lot of the things posted here about zeepk and other pakistani razors were just snobbishness, and I was too smart to be fooled by it. After all, look how many are sold on ebay every day, and look at all the positive feedback many of those sellers have.

Yeah, yeah.... I was an idiot.

So, I bought 4 zeepk razors, a zeepk strop and a zeepk barber hone, all from the same seller.

I can only say two good things about that experience.

1. The dispute system used by paypal really does work, and if you get screwed, you really can get your money back if you're willing to wait 4-12 weeks.

2. The good folks here didn't treat me like the moron I CLEARLY was, and helped point me in the right direction. Namely, a really nice henckels and vintage strop combo in the classifieds from gugi.

My brother gave me a razor that appeared to be marked ISTAN and etched Golden Camel. It wasn't untill I removed the rust that I found it was actually marked Pakistan. Close inspection reveals a razor with a less than optimal finish and dings in the blade edge that would have chipped or cracked a better blade. I will hone it and give ity a try but probably should have left it as it was, a mysterious ISTAN razor.

A friend gave me a razor he didn't know much about. All it said was Solingen hum red alert it's probably a Paki. To my surprise and a little patience it actually took a good edge and shaved well. Maybe it's a Paki maybe not. Sometimes it's hard to tell.

I have one of those Golden Camel Razors, one of the guys here at work brought it in to me to look at.... It has been used as a sizing mock up a few times while building scales after I dulled it...

Reassuring stories, really! But uh...

"Now, since I got the intro out of the way, what steps do I need to take to get this blade looking better? What should be done with the rust?"

Do I need to sand down the spots? What chemicals should be used and where/how do I obtain such chemicals?

A minor obstacle is the sticky tape residue and so far I'm planning on using Ronsol Lighter Fluid to clean it up. Is that an alright decision or is it harmful to the blade/edge/rust spots?

Thanks and the stories are appreciated,
Brandon

Buy some 600 grit wet dry sandpaper which is the black colored type. Use water and use one finger to work in vertical motions over the areas of rust until it's gone. If the rust covers the gold on the blade then it will have to go. You can also switch to 1200 grit to make the finish smoother and remove scratches from the 600 grit. I normally work the sandpaper over the entire blade to get an even finish. Ten use MAAS or red rouge to make the finish shiny and remove the scratches from the sandpaper.