Thread: Nice find in a Gettysburg, PA antique store and a razor restoration project

Agree with you there. I know many razors were converted to patch knives as well. I had forgotten about wood carving knives though. I have seen a couple of those through my Internet searching. I'd love to learn to carve, but honestly, I'm not much good at stuff like that, so I'll stick to restoring razors.

Originally Posted by medicevans

Agree with you there. I know many razors were converted to patch knives as well. I had forgotten about wood carving knives though. I have seen a couple of those through my Internet searching. I'd love to learn to carve, but honestly, I'm not much good at stuff like that, so I'll stick to restoring razors.

I have heard of many woodcarvers who convert straight razors into woodworking tools and use nothing else.
Now, if I can just restore this Geneva to shaving status. I still have a bit of a way to go. Both razors had no rust or pits on them unlike some of their showcase neighbors which were pretty scrungy. But I did learn from this forum about another variable to be aware of as in the case of the "notches" out of the toes of my two.

Here's an update on my 1908 Geneva 4/8 razor restoration:
I made a set of new scales out of Cocobolo. The scales are ready for attaching, however, I am waiting on the arrival of the hardware. The blade is cleaned and polished and I butter knifed the blade for establishing a new bevel/edge. This evening I sharpened the blade following SRP's wiki on restoring a straight razor blade. I used my 800/4000 grit stone and achieved a nice edge that will cut hair off my hand. I inspected the edge under high magnification for consistency and I am satisfied with results. Right now I am waiting on the arrival of the 8000 grit waterstone I ordered so I can do the final honing before stropping. So in the mean time, I applied a coat of finish on the scales, and coated the blade with Camellia oil, and I stored the blade wrapped in tissue in a cigar tube. Time to be patient and wait. Once I finish this project, I'll post new pictures.

One major note about this project, I have found that if one follows the wiki on restoration and reestablishing an edge to a straight razor to the letter and number, you cannot go wrong. I printed out the Wiki and had it right by my side for easy reference during the sharpening process.