Thread: Thiers-Issard Restoration

Would appreciate any advise on restoring this razor. I've been using oooo steel wool with honing oil and I've had a little success getting some of the corrosion off the back side. I haven't touched the front because I don't want to damage the pattern. This is my first attempt at restoration so I'm learning as I go. I could use advise on the front side. There is a chip out of the front corner of the blade and another tiny chip about a half inch in from the end. Is this piece fixable? I'm not looking to make it perfect, just want to make it shave ready. Any advise would be helpful.

That heavy rust at the tip of the blade and spine would scare me a bit, but I'm new to this as well.

I'd start by removing the active rust from the whole thing and go from there. If you have a dremel, the wire brush component works well, but maybe 1000 grit Wet/dry 3M sandpaper. It may be abrasive enough to remove the rust, but won't hurt that etching.

Hopefully some of the heavyweights will chime in, they have much better tested advice than I.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by RazorX

Is this piece fixable? I'm not looking to make it perfect, just want to make it shave ready. Any advise would be helpful.

If that is your aim you must start with the edge. Tape the spine & attempt to rehone a new healthy bevel. Any other restoration will be moot if the edge cannot be restored.

Have to agree with Oz there. He has recently made me realize that checking the steel on the bevel area is the best first move. Unfortunately IMO there is no way of removing that rust on the toe without loosing the etch, in that area anyway. Its gonna take some pretty heavy sandind to get rid of. You can try to sand just that area with low grits and the whole blade when you get to the fine grits.

Edit: If you want a short cut you could make it a round point, and remove a lot of that nasty corroded steel. That might save some trouble, but that may be considered a sin by some.

Let me preface by saying I am not a restoration expert, but I have restored a few, several with etchings on the face.
The depth of the etching seems pretty deep, so I think you could go as rough as 600 grit and still have some remnants of the etching. But that rust at the tip is nasty, I am betting the pits under that are way deeper than the etching. If I were planning on shaving with this I would want to get as much of that pitting gone as I could, mainly for sanitation/future rust purposes, and disregard the etching, or at least consider it as a secondary.
I restored one razor that had really nasty rust, with etching. I think I started with 100 grit. By the time I was done the etching was almost completely gone, but when viewed from the right angle you could still see a ghost of the etching, which to me was actually pretty cool.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...nd-scales.html

THis brings a question to mind for the more senior restorers: Say you can't get pitting out completely, away from the bevel area....can you fill it with a clear epoxy? Would that work, as far as sanitary purposes?

Originally Posted by souschefdude

THis brings a question to mind for the more senior restorers: Say you can't get pitting out completely, away from the bevel area....can you fill it with a clear epoxy? Would that work, as far as sanitary purposes?

It is highly unlikely anything living will be on the steel due to the length of time the razor is has been unused.
Pitting at the bevel is more a concern with causing chips while honing but it depends on the depth of the pits & how close to the edge. i don't see how epoxy could help.

Originally Posted by baldy

Have to agree with Oz there. He has recently made me realize that checking the steel on the bevel area is the best first move.

Full credit to gssixgun for that one. He's said it enough times for it to sink into my thick skull

Thanks for the replies. You guys have a good piont. I'll start with the edge and go from there.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Full credit to gssixgun for that one. He's said it enough times for it to sink into my thick skull

and I have wasted enough time, for it to sink into my thick skull...

My sanitary concerns of pits has less to do with old germs from previous users, more to do with Rust restarting in those pits, and the little microbials that live on the rust, which can give Lockjaw.