Is this simply foolish novice optimism?

Greetings and hello.

Well, I guess I've got the bug as it were. I'm going to try and keep this brief. I work a part time job which leaves me with a lot of spare time. I've recently come to really enjoy straight razors and the art that follows them. Moreover, I've always had a fascination with blades which likely lead me here in the first place. That said, I've noticed here and there a number of respectable vintage blades going for reasonable prices that are about 10 hours of hard work away from being real gems. To be very to-the-point, I'm wondering what the reality is of doing this sort of thing profitably. I realize there is a lot of learning as regards choosing a worthy restoration project, and there's a lot more to it, but are there people out there making a modest but survivable living at this sort of work? It seems like something I might really enjoy.

The second part of this question is that I would prefer to work by hand. I spent 20 hours over the last two days working on a real gem of a blade I fell in love with at the antique store. Like a complete idiot, I went on what I had seen in videos and took the blade to my bench grinder to finish buffing it out as the final step. The rest goes without saying as all that hard work was ripped from my hand and thrown straight into the grinding wheel never to shave again...

I thank you for your time and consideration,
- Chaz

I believe this happens to most everyone who works with a bench grinder at some point. I personally don't have one, but that's not by choice.

As to your first question. We recently had a very similar topic. Here's the link..

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Originally Posted by Maximilian

As to your first question. We recently had a very similar topic. Here's the link..

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Boy, that's almost word-for-word. Thanks for that. That also makes it very clear that this may not be a full-time job for anyone.

As it sits, I'm making enough at my current job but have a lot of spare time. I was thinking I could buy quality but tarnished blades of off eBay and turn them around for $40-100 shave-ready depending on the quality of the blade. It wouldn't work out to much per hour, but I had hoped it could pull out a couple hundred a week and help pay off the tools I need to maintain my own blade.

But maybe that's ridiculous? I guess I forget what a niche pleasure straight-razor shaving is.
- Chaz

Restoring is truely a labour of love. Do it because you like to. Dont do it to make a profit.

I'll give you a A+ for your enthusiasm toward making money in your spare time.
As far as restoring razors to reach that goal(making money), not so high a grade.
Even if you can turn out a good product, you will probably "overprice" yourself right out of the market; for two reasons-
1. Your objective is clearly profit.
2. Your products will compete with "Masters' in this art of straight razor restoration that have spent a lot more time evaluating that cost/time ratio.

Everyone that I have seen refurbish or polish a razor, seems to do it for the love of the art. I don't believe that any one of them feeds their families with their work. Your product will reflect your feelings about the art.

IMO, there are more "profitable" endeavors to do with your time.

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Originally Posted by Hirlau

I'll give you a A+ for your enthusiasm toward making money in your spare time.
As far as restoring razors to reach that goal(making money), not so high a grade.
Even if you can turn out a good product, you will probably "overprice" yourself right out of the market; for two reasons-
1. Your objective is clearly profit.
2. Your products will compete with "Masters' in this art of straight razor restoration that have spent a lot more time evaluating that cost/time ratio.

Everyone that I have seen refurbish or polish a razor, seems to do it for the love of the art. I don't believe that any one of them feeds their families with their work. Your product will reflect your feelings about the art.

IMO, there are more "profitable" endeavors to do with your time.

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Fair enough. I take it I came off rather wrong in the first post. I should express that I'm not merely interested in making a profit, I simply discovered that I really enjoyed this first razor and would like to continue restoring blades (sans what happened at the end). I cannot, however, justify starting a collection of razors and would need to turn them back around for a reasonable price which I had hoped would exceed the original purchase price to help fund and maintain the necessary supplies and perhaps a little on top as well. As I've said, I'm already making enough at my job, but a little extra helps justify the obsession to my wife :)

Thanks for all of the feedback so far!
- Chaz

If you can turn a few bucks for doing something you enjoy then more power to you, but unless you're top teir you won't make a living restoring anything, that's just the nature of the market. Doing it for fun and making a couple bucks on the side to help offset costs doesn't sound impossible, though.

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Originally Posted by MickRussell

If you can turn a few bucks for doing something you enjoy then more power to you, but unless you're top teir you won't make a living restoring anything, that's just the nature of the market. Doing it for fun and making a couple bucks on the side to help offset costs doesn't sound impossible, though.

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Thank you, that's what I was trying to ask. I'm watching a couple of lots on eBay that look like they could really come out nice with some TLC, but I simply can't keep them all and I can't afford to throw that money away either.

- Chaz

The trick is you're going to need to clean them up such that people are willing to pay more than they cost you. This isn't an infinitely large market and you'll be working for practically nothing, so be sure you really do love the process and the profits are incidental or you'll get sick of it REAL fast. Also, don't expect to put much mark-up on your work. A LOT of people are working on tight budgets for their hobbies and just won't pay the ridiculous numbers I see half polished Wade & Butcher items come up for on fleaBay.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chazdraves

Boy, that's almost word-for-word. Thanks for that. That also makes it very clear that this may not be a full-time job for anyone.

As it sits, I'm making enough at my current job but have a lot of spare time. I was thinking I could buy quality but tarnished blades of off eBay and turn them around for $40-100 shave-ready depending on the quality of the blade. It wouldn't work out to much per hour, but I had hoped it could pull out a couple hundred a week and help pay off the tools I need to maintain my own blade.

But maybe that's ridiculous? I guess I forget what a niche pleasure straight-razor shaving is.
- Chaz

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couple a hundred razors a week ? WOW
one blade that needs full restore takes a few hours to get buffed , scales couple of hours with the sanding, and much longer if you apply finishes.
Honing depends on the case but more blades means more hours spent on the hones.
In short several hundred razors a week can be turned out only @ Dovo factory, and not at the home shop.

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Originally Posted by MickRussell

The trick is you're going to need to clean them up such that people are willing to pay more than they cost you. This isn't an infinitely large market and you'll be working for practically nothing, so be sure you really do love the process and the profits are incidental or you'll get sick of it REAL fast. Also, don't expect to put much mark-up on your work. A LOT of people are working on tight budgets for their hobbies and just won't pay the ridiculous numbers I see half polished Wade & Butcher items come up for on fleaBay.

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Yeah, I just ordered a "Shave-Ready" refurb off of eBay myself and was (even as a novice) disgusted at how little work was put into the job. That said, I intend to unpin all of these and clean them to a near-mirror or better from the ground up. I just can't decide if it would be better to sell with or without a hone job. I tend to think most folks may have more interest in honing themselves. Then again, if we're talking about $30 straight razors, maybe they are on too tight a budget to afford a hone as well.

I enjoy the process, I just want to cover my expenses. If I can take in a little on top, great, but I intend to put out a quality product. My test razor has proven to me that I can do a job I'm happy putting my name on and that I like doing it, but my wife has shown me that there will be a cap placed on the number of razors in this house :)

- Chaz

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Originally Posted by mainaman

couple a hundred razors a week ? WOW
one blade that needs full restore takes a few hours to get buffed , scales couple of hours with the sanding, and much longer if you apply finishes.
Honing depends on the case but more blades means more hours spent on the hones.
In short several hundred razors a week can be turned out only @ Dovo factory, and not at the home shop.

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Sorry, $100-200 in currency, not quantity of razors. That would be absurd. I was hoping I could maybe do 5-6 a week based on my first crack here.

As mentioned, the money is secondary.
- Chaz

Start at one a week. This is about getting it right, not being fast and a rushed job is a crappy job.

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Originally Posted by MickRussell

Start at one a week. This is about getting it right, not being fast and a rushed job is a crappy job.

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Amen to that. I just gashed my finger open on my other "shave-ready" razor in an attempt to put a quick polish on it. Darn reflexes don't always function in the direction one might hope.

But, you're right. Posting this thread has actually been very beneficial for me already. I was ready to drop a lot of money and really dive into this head-first. I think this has helped me tone down the impulse and think more clearly. Even after destroying a prized blade and gashing my finger open today, I'm still interested in giving this a go. There's something really remarkable about taking a 100+ year-old blade that hasn't been used in decades and then doing your darnedest to bring it back to nearly like-new condition. I may have broke that blade today, but I'm still nothing short of amazed at what was possible in restoring it. Just to think of where it has been prior and what it's seen and then giving it a new lease on life and making it desirable again now just as it was 100 years ago to the first gent that bought it...

But I digress. Thanks for the wise words, everyone,
- Chaz

Consider all options, then follow your heart, simple as that.

Good luck, by the way!!!

tinkersd

You'll never make a real living at restoring razors on the side; some spare change, enough to pay for tools, hones, etc? Yes, not enough to pay your mortgage though.
I think we all started the same way, doing it by hand. Once you start trying to offer your services for hire, you are not playing on your own time anymore. You'll either have to sacrifice taking on more business and faster turn-arounds, or you'll move up into power tools to streamline yourself.

In my opinion, if you are going to offer restorations, you should be capable of honing. In my experience, most guys who need work would rather pay you a few extra bucks to have you hone it for them than have to worry about trying to hone a freshly restored razor.

Everyone has goofed up at least once doing a restore in the early days, so don't feel bad, BUT when people send you their prized heirloom razor, there is no room to fudge up. Keep practicing on your own razors until you really know what you're doing before you try to take on business. That would be my advice as a part-time professional restorer.

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Originally Posted by MickRussell

I believe this happens to most everyone who works with a bench grinder at some point. I personally don't have one, but that's not by choice.

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Since I took up restoring razors for my personal collection/use, I do not use any power tools, I do all the polishing by hand and elbow grease. It is for the sake of my safety and not damaging of what could have been a great shaver for me. If it takes me a week, month, or year, then so be it. I am currently working on a Real Red Point and it has taken me almost a week to reset the bevel and it may take me another week just to get it shave ready. I set small goals and not rush the job.