Shaving potential of a Genco Gold Seal

Well I am going to throw it out there: I have no experience or knowledge in straight razors, what constitutes good condition, or the features a razor should have. That said, some things I say may be a bit backwards. I was recently given a Genco Gold Seal razor from my grandfather. This was his fathers razor and as you could immagine has great value to me. It would be very special if I could resotre life to this razor and use it my self. Some things about the razor: dammage, as far as I can tell, is only present on the blade (lack of the proper term). The cutting edge is concave possibly from improper sharpening, thought it does not seem to be too severe. As well, the edge seems to be slightly cupped along its length. Other than that the scales are in working order with only a slight build up of shving soap in the hinge area. I have included pictures below to facilitate my basic knowledge of the razor.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/...a7c50afd_m.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2524/...a4b90440_m.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/...15e5a187_m.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2576/...44647a637b.jpg

If I should include any close up photos of other areas, or other information, please let me know. I have absolutely no knowledge of straight razors, yet a mountain of anticipation and desire. Any help is appreciated.

They are fantastic shavers when up and running correctly...

Couple of things you should know about restoring razors, especially Heirlooms...
The razor can be destroyed in a split second, I would never recommend doing an heirloom restore to anyone without a ton of experience... The intrinsic value of the razor is to high...

That being said, I am not sure who all is taking on Heirloom restores other than Max and myself, but check the classifieds under Member Services and look for yourself...

Hope that helps you out...

I supose that my real question would be if the razor can be restored, and what it would cost.

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Originally Posted by SRTC

I supose that my real question would be if the razor can be restored, and what it would cost.

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Glen ( gssixgun ) might be too modest, but if you click the Gem Star Customs link in his signature you can see a rough estimate of prices for restores.

Check out some of the pics on his site too so you can see the magic he can work on old razors.

Gem Star Customs - About GemStar Customs

Looks like the blade's in pretty good condition... a bit of sanding to remove the (what seems to be) light pitting and shine it up to its former glory, a good honing, and it should be good to go. If you want I could do it for you, I'm not as experienced as some of the people here but I think I could handle it pretty easily; just lemme know if you're interested.

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Originally Posted by dannywonderful

Glen ( gssixgun ) might be too modest, but if you click the Gem Star Customs link in his signature you can see a rough estimate of prices for restores.

Check out some of the pics on his site too so you can see the magic he can work on old razors.

Gem Star Customs - About GemStar Customs

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Thanks for the link, but this is more than I can pay at the moment. This is not to say that the quality of work doesn't suit the price; actulally I think the resotration price was very reasonable.

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Originally Posted by mskuce

Looks like the blade's in pretty good condition... a bit of sanding to remove the (what seems to be) light pitting and shine it up to its former glory, a good honing, and it should be good to go. If you want I could do it for you, I'm not as experienced as some of the people here but I think I could handle it pretty easily; just lemme know if you're interested.

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Thanks for the offer. I would prefer to do the work, only because I enjoy tinkering, if the procedures aren't too complex. I have been sharpening knives for a few years now so I know my way around a stone quite well. If someone could enlighten me as to the steps of removing the concave edge and honing, tools, materials, steps, etc., I would appreciate that. Other than the concave edge, I am fairly certain I could do everything else. If restoring the edge seems to ambitious I will seek help. Again thaks for the help.

Doing it yourself is actually the most rewarding way...

Feel free to pm me when you get it all cleaned up for any honing advice I might help you with...

In the Workshop welcome sticky you will find the most up to date info on restoration ...

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...wers-here.html