Thread: To Restore or Not To Restore

I am interested in people's ideas about whether a razor should be restored at all, or merely conserved in it's current condition. Generally, I come down on the side of restoration to service - meaning shave ready condition. I try to use the original scales if possible, if not, I will get creative and make new ones. I would not restore a razor if any of the following conditions are met:

• It was used by someone famous or has some historical importance. In these cases, I would stabilize the razor and scales so they do not degrade further.
• It is an extremely rare example from a noted maker. Again, I would stabilize.
• It is already in extremely good condition, in which case I would carefully maintain it.

At the risk of anthropomorphising metal and celluliod, I find a rusting old razor just plain sad (smiles or frowns notwithstanding). Razors that are used for shaving are happy razors - they are doing what they were born to do and, if properly cared for, will remain so for generations.

At least that's my opinion, what's yours?

I'm with you. I have had perfectly fine scales removed and replaced, but I'm not sure I would be so quick to have it done now. Not that I wouldn't necessarily, but just that I would think twice.

Thanks for being the first to start the conversation! Scales are a tough one - especially if the scales do not measure up to the quality of the blade. Some razors, with cheap scales in good condition virtually look up at me and beg to be taken out of their shoddy clothes and given ones that fit them better. It seems that many of the folks making the decisions on scales decided that the blade was the important part and the scales just made the blade easier to hold. If a razor is not a rare historic artifact, I think I feel freer to be creative with replacement scales.

Museums, under the guise of "conservation" really do an awful lot of restoration of the works they display. People just wouldn't come to see a suit of armor that is all rusted or a display of swords all pitted and dull. OK, now I'm ready to get hate mail from museum conservators ;-)

I prefer not 'restore' anything. I like things to be clean and in good working order. This applies to everything from old motorcycles to razors. Anything old has a story to tell and the patina of age adds to most articles.
There seems to be a tendency among some to want everything looking as if it had just come out of the factory.
Some of us don't even want our bodies and faces to reflect our age or a life lived.
Out of interest, are there many razors owned by SRPers that have genuine traceable provenance from a famous or infamous person?

For me it depends on the razor...

I'm only on my second restore, but SRAD hit me pretty good in Nov.-Dec. so I've got a pile of about 25 to work on.

Since I love history and things that have seen a significant part of it, my preferences and plans for the old ones are:

• If it's in decent shape or better: just clean it up and make it serviceable -- a good wash, bit of a hand polish, hone it, then use it
• If it's rather damaged: restore it to as close as original I can -- using as many of the original parts as possible

But, there are one or two with scales that are just so incredibly bland or ugly that, to my eye, they're just screaming to be given a spiffy new suit.

I would tend towards restoration, as I do with woodworking tools (which raises the hackles of some collectors, I know). The matter of scales is interesting though. I'm mulling over whether to replace the black plastic scales on an old Fenton at the moment. They are in good condition, better than the razor, except that at some stage someone has seen fit to scratch a number into them - badly. Perhaps I should just polish it out, but then again this is a handsome razor, and would look very fine in a nice pair of wooden scales, I should think. I was toying with the idea of yew, or maybe Mexican rosewood, any opinions?

This is a question that comes up on here about every 6 months or so...

Basically the answer is always the same...

First and foremost it is now your razor

Second most of us do enjoy the history of the razors so if the overall razor is in good condition, why would you restore it...

Third, did you know that many of the finest razors could be had with customized scales???

Most of the scales that you see on most of the razors are made by scale makers, not razor cutlers this is why many of them seem to be the same...

Fourth some razors have the value tied in with the original scales, so try your best not to have those replaced, ie: if the name of the razor is on the scales that is a good clue..

Fifth: Slick black, black plastic and most black horn scales add no value what-so-ever to the overall razor other than if the razor is NOS and therefore highly collectible anyway...

Metal restoration?????

This gets even more personal, you have etch and washes that could be very valuable and tang stamps too... My basic rule is try my best to retain them if possible, but Murphy's Razor Restoration law states:

If there is valuable etching on the blade, there will be pitting that is just barely deeper than the etching

But more than anything embrace the overall challenge or restoring the razor to being a useful tool again...