Thread: Restoration Strategy and Ownership Philosophy

Hello all good people,

I would say that straight razor own us, not we own them... why? Try to give them all away :-) If you do that and you will not cry like 3 years old child... means you win and not "them" :-) Just my observation... I would cry for weeks:-)

If it performs how it should in terms of shaving safely and being able to be honed etc, I never touch mine. Well, never is not quite true - hardly ever is probably more accurate. I've given it a go once or twice, but to be honest with you I never thought the effort was worth the return for razors I intend to use solely for myself unless, as I said, it is to make them safe for personal use (which I should point out may differ dramatically from "safe for public use").

If you are a vendor making money off restores (whether of other people's or ebay specials) then it makes a lot of sense to make them as presentable (and useable) as possible to attract potential buyers or to conform to the wishes of the client etc. You see a lot of those here in the workshop, either from the restorer themselves or from the happy customer. They have the added purpose/benefit of rousing people on to greater heights in their own personal restoration projects, which in turn can bring more professional restorers into the fold over the long run as the amateurs step up to the professional plate.

Why do I mention this? Well, being the lazy sob that I am, and also being rather parsimonious, I am waiting until there are so many restoration providers out there that I can get 20 razors restored for under 100 bucks!! lol

As far as ownership goes, I like the idea of the "on loan" thing, but I paid money for each and every razor I have, so by law I own them, philosophy be damned! If I want to soak them overnight in a pot of acid I will. Not that I would of course, I'm just saying I could if I wanted to. I keep all my razors in the same condition they were in when I bought them but I don't do it for the future generations, I do it so I don't have a cupboard full of rusty razors that I then have to go restore!! Selfish? Probably. But in the end the outcome is the same as the more altruistic approach - razors in good condition to hand down to future generations from my cold, dead hands.

James.

I'm a little mixed on this...

On one hand, the history is (to some a small, to others a very large) part of what makes this hobby...or more appropriately for some, obsession...so much more interesting than just removing hair from our face. So on one hand, I always try to preserve whatever can be preserved...

On the other, one thing I really love about history is the ability to take something that's been around for centuries and make it their own. Maybe that's something that comes growing up playing music, where you see guys taking the same formulas Bach used to compose his works and apply them to modern music. So part of me really loves to see what people can do with history to make it their own.

I guess it is a case by case thing for me, so I couldn't tell you exactly how I felt about something unless it was sitting right in front of me.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Why do I mention this? Well, being the lazy sob that I am, and also being rather parsimonious, I am waiting until there are so many restoration providers out there that I can get 20 razors restored for under 100 bucks!! lol

May you live long & prosper James

I like the keeping it OG principle. The 2 scaled razors I use both still have the original black bakelite scales but this may come down to laziness for me also.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

If it performs how it should in terms of shaving safely and being able to be honed etc, I never touch mine.
James.

That's my point of view also, all I ever do is clean it up by hand with some polish. twice I given a razor to someone who cleaned it up for me on a buffing wheel, the razor obviously got to hot and lost it's temper (wouldn't have if the person actually had the knowledge to do it right). I like my razors the way they are but every time another straight shaver comes to my house and they see my small collection they insist on putting a mirror shine on them.

Originally Posted by proximus26

Hello all good people,

I would say that straight razor own us, not we own them... why? Try to give them all away :-) If you do that and you will not cry like 3 years old child... means you win and not "them" :-) Just my observation... I would cry for weeks:-)

I'm afraid I feel the same way.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

If it performs how it should in terms of shaving safely and being able to be honed etc, I never touch mine. Well, never is not quite true - hardly ever is probably more accurate. I've given it a go once or twice, but to be honest with you I never thought the effort was worth the return for razors I intend to use solely for myself unless, as I said, it is to make them safe for personal use (which I should point out may differ dramatically from "safe for public use").

If you are a vendor making money off restores (whether of other people's or ebay specials) then it makes a lot of sense to make them as presentable (and useable) as possible to attract potential buyers or to conform to the wishes of the client etc. You see a lot of those here in the workshop, either from the restorer themselves or from the happy customer. They have the added purpose/benefit of rousing people on to greater heights in their own personal restoration projects, which in turn can bring more professional restorers into the fold over the long run as the amateurs step up to the professional plate.

Why do I mention this? Well, being the lazy sob that I am, and also being rather parsimonious, I am waiting until there are so many restoration providers out there that I can get 20 razors restored for under 100 bucks!! lol

As far as ownership goes, I like the idea of the "on loan" thing, but I paid money for each and every razor I have, so by law I own them, philosophy be damned! If I want to soak them overnight in a pot of acid I will. Not that I would of course, I'm just saying I could if I wanted to. I keep all my razors in the same condition they were in when I bought them but I don't do it for the future generations, I do it so I don't have a cupboard full of rusty razors that I then have to go restore!! Selfish? Probably. But in the end the outcome is the same as the more altruistic approach - razors in good condition to hand down to future generations from my cold, dead hands.

James.

Great alternate perspetive James - I enjoyed reading it.

I am becomming intrigued with several people's perspective of "make them my own".

I don't say it is worng - but I do ask why? I completely understand when a razor in in foul condition that you pretty much have to. But why new scales for the sake of making them your own. I'm having a hard time understanding that.

But on the other hand, it might be related to my personal perspective that my razors are on loan to me from history and that is one of the reasons I try and keep them as vintage as possible.

And I understand the perspective of ownership some have. If anybody bought a Filarmonica off of e-bay lately you can understand why the "hell, I own it" feeling

When I restore a blade, I like to have the biggest of the pits out. I've tried lately to play with my compounds to give not a mirror finish, but that somewhat shiny factory buff that still has the cutlery lines/marks. I tend to like that for other reasons as well; they keep fingerprints away. Now, if a blade has a nice grey patina across it, I'll keep that because it looks interesting. I've got a Wosty right now that is so black, it looks like it's been blued. There's not a thing wrong with the bevel....so it's going to stay that way.

Scales though. I like making scales. If the originals are in perfect condition I'll keep them. If they're is almost perfect condition, I'll take them off and put them in my "box o' scales", just in case there's a project down the road or someone else who needs them. I also like using wood. I don't have any of my own where I've made acrylic or micarta scales....all wood, all the time. I like the look and I like the feel. Wood to me has a very warm and calming effect. So if I get the chance to make some custom scales for me or for someone else, I'll do it.

Originally Posted by Alembic

I'm having a hard time understanding that.

But on the other hand, it might be related to my personal perspective that my razors are on loan to me from history

I think that could be why. Usually, a razor is just a razor to me. I guess it just so happens I prefer the vintage look though, so most of my razors look like they are on loan to me from history. However, more likely is the case that my razors are on loan to history from me, ie. how I choose my razors and what I do with them becomes as much a part of history as anything else.

And part of me wonders whether it is somehow less historic to leave things unchanged