Thread: first restore candidate

Hey ya'll!

So I just bought my second razor of all time off of Craiglist, and it needs some work, so I thought maybe I'd try a newbie restore. It sounds like these are not exactly rare so if I mess it up maybe it won't be the end of the world? If I should leave this as is or hand it over to one of you pros, let me know before I start practising on it!

Does this razor look beyond repair? I don't think the edge is rusted, and there are no cracks or chips in the blade, so I'm hoping I can use it to learn how to restore and end up with a decent blade. I figure that those rust spots will be sanded out, and then the blade will be polished, and then honed? Then I guess at some point I should replace the scales, since these are pretty beat. Any advice for a newbie shaver and restorer?

I'm also showing this off in the show and tell forum; hope the duplicate is okay?

It actually looks quite restorable - but that depends a lot on how you define restoration. I have gotten into restoration quite seriously and have learned a few things that might help you:

Begin with the end in mind. If you are going for a mirror finish, you will pay dearly in time and money in order to do it (I have done both and still can't get a mirror all the time). If you are looking to make the razor shave ready, attention paid to the rust, corrosion on the bevel or very close to the edge and good honing technique will suffice.

Don't go after those deep pits or "dings" in the razor. You will drive yourself crazy, go through $30 in sandpaper and end up with Carpal tunnel syndrome. To remove a pit you must remove all the metal around it to that level.

Examine the edge under magnification to see if there are any giant teeth waiting to rip your throat out.

So far I have invested about $2k in what my wife calls "my little obsession." You need to decide whether or not you want to travel that road or simply to make your razor shave. Either way, I wish you luck.

Sure it can be restored. Spend some time in the wiki, educate yourself, get after it. Just remember that even if it's not a "shaving" edge, that razor can put you in stitches. Don't get in a hurry and you will find that you appreciate a good looking restored razor even more than a new one...well, that's just me anyway.

Definately have a go at restoring it. It doesn't looks like it'll need to much work. This pic is what I'm hand sanding at the moment. This one will never be back to perfect but I'm confident that I'll get a nice shave out of it.
Worst case you could screw up and trash the razor, but best case you learn a lot about restoring.
Have fun.

Thanks, all!

I've been following your advice, and I've definitely realized what you mean when you say worrying about every pit will give you carpal tunnel! I've been hand-sanding like a crazy person.

Also, I've got a nice collection of superficial cuts from my "dull as a butter knife" razor, haha. It is coming along nicely; I'll post updated pictures soon.

Yes, dull by straight razor standards can be wicked sharp.

Originally Posted by gitano

Thanks, all!

I've been following your advice, and I've definitely realized what you mean when you say worrying about every pit will give you carpal tunnel! I've been hand-sanding like a crazy person.

Also, I've got a nice collection of superficial cuts from my "dull as a butter knife" razor, haha. It is coming along nicely; I'll post updated pictures soon.

Originally Posted by jtischler

Begin with the end in mind. If you are going for a mirror finish, you will pay dearly in time and money in order to do it (I have done both and still can't get a mirror all the time).

Do you wash the razor off in between stages of grit?

So after sanding compulsively for the past couple days, in bed while falling asleep, first thing on waking up, at work on the phone with clients, at happy hour, at the dinner table... I think I've made some progress...

Originally Posted by 2knives

Do you wash the razor off in between stages of grit?

Personally, I've been just wiping it off really good with a fine cloth to remove any dust. Do you think that's okay?

So far so good. Did you try try setting a bevel before you sanded ?
Its really frustrating to complete a restore & then find the edge just crumbles away on the hones.