Thread: Grandfather's... worth saving?

Walt hit the nail on the head...
I know I would have loved to have my Granddad's or Great-Grandad's straight!

However, you have to make the decision whether to restore or preserve.

Pretty cool!

In my view, a tool that is no longer used is a dead tool, wether it heirloom or not. If you have an old, rusty, chipped razor that belonged to your grandfather, and leave it that way, than it will rot in a drawer somewhere with time. If you have it restored, than it will be used a few days a year, and it will stay in nice condition for a long time, and will be cared for.

Hey guys, I know it's been a while and I really appreciate all the responses. Thanks for the warm welcome.

I was at my grandparents this past weekend and chatted with my grandfather about the possibility of restoring it eventually, and not to let is "wander off" to anyone else. He said if I might get some use out of it then to take it home with me.

So, I now have a razor. I will say that, regardless of my own opinion, my grandfather would MUCH rather things be used than sit around. He's a bit sentimental about things from the past, and the war especially, but he grew up when you made what you had work. I feel I would be doing him a disservice taking it from him and not using it.

He said that if he hadn't been so mad when he found it blunted and chipped, he'd probably have cried. He still doesn't know which of the three kids did it but he misses shaving with the thing. I think in his mind the damage is done, and if it can be made to shave again then it should be.

Now what should I do about making it functional? I'm not ignoring the responses, but with it determine that I want to restore it, what are all the options? I don't really want to shorten it, mainly because it fits the scales perfectly (and closes in them with no wobble at all for that matter). I wouldn't mind having some smile at all, but could I narrow the blade some to get a bit less smile?

I suppose the biggest question is who would be able to do this sort of work and what sort of price am I looking at? I would prefer to do it myself, but i would like some consultation by a professional, and am totally aware that I stand a chance of destroying it beyond repair so I'm open to having someone else do it right Any best recommendations?

I think you should make it usable again too. I have my Grandfathers safety razor which was in bad shape and his brush with a cracked handle. I knew if i didn't restore them to usable order they'd just lay around and i'd get used to them laying around and neglect them eventually. You loose what you don't use.

I sealed up the brush and put new badger hair on, and renewed the razor. Nothing gives me more pleasure in the morning then to shave with this heirloom.

From every razor restorer i've heard from it seems the first few attempts end up ruined. I think i'd send it away to someone who can give the razor's restoration some security from being further damaged. I don't mean to say anything about your skills though. Just what i'd do if i have something sentimental like you.

Nathaniel.

I have a Herm Konejung and it is a really nice shaver. I don't have any info on the manufacturer as I couldn't find much.

Well, there are basically two ways of fixing this. Honing out the chip, or remove it locally, and save some with shortening the blade, or put a bit of a smile where the chip is. I think maybe shortening the blade would be the best idea, you won't notice it after a few uses. Have it restored by a pro on the forum, I wouldn't start razor restoring on my heirloom razor because I know how my first few razors looked like even though I tried my best.

Hey There.

If you really don't want to shorten it then you have a lengthier restoration process ahead. The fastest way to get rid of that chip is to use a grinding wheel to remove the metal to the point of the chip. It is tough to get it perfectly straight but not impossible. Something to bear in mind is the correct bevel angle for your blade, this will be important when you eventually get around to honing your razor. Check my post in this thread to see how this is done.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...tml#post963965

You should do these measurements BEFORE you do anything to the blade. I say this because once you have removed the metal from the blade width, you are going to have to modify the width of the spine. The Bevel angle is a function of the relationship between spine width and blade width, and although there is a general consensus that a particular angle is good for shaving, if you have the angle your blade was manufactured with you can replicate this by removing the correct amount of metal from the spine (beware although this sounds simple it's really not).

You need to read a lot of threads in the workshop about how not to change the temper of your blade, how to make it nice and shiny and all that jazz.
If you need any help just drop me a PM, or post in the workshop portion of this forum.

Thanks

Carl.

Originally Posted by no7fish

Hey guys, I know it's been a while and I really appreciate all the responses. Thanks for the warm welcome.

I was at my grandparents this past weekend and chatted with my grandfather about the possibility of restoring it eventually, and not to let is "wander off" to anyone else. He said if I might get some use out of it then to take it home with me.

So, I now have a razor. I will say that, regardless of my own opinion, my grandfather would MUCH rather things be used than sit around. He's a bit sentimental about things from the past, and the war especially, but he grew up when you made what you had work. I feel I would be doing him a disservice taking it from him and not using it.

He said that if he hadn't been so mad when he found it blunted and chipped, he'd probably have cried. He still doesn't know which of the three kids did it but he misses shaving with the thing. I think in his mind the damage is done, and if it can be made to shave again then it should be.

Now what should I do about making it functional? I'm not ignoring the responses, but with it determine that I want to restore it, what are all the options? I don't really want to shorten it, mainly because it fits the scales perfectly (and closes in them with no wobble at all for that matter). I wouldn't mind having some smile at all, but could I narrow the blade some to get a bit less smile?

I suppose the biggest question is who would be able to do this sort of work and what sort of price am I looking at? I would prefer to do it myself, but i would like some consultation by a professional, and am totally aware that I stand a chance of destroying it beyond repair so I'm open to having someone else do it right Any best recommendations?

Thank you all for the tremendous amount of information, I appreciate the help. The razor is on the way to a professinoal for servicing. I'll post up the results when I get it back!

Awesome. I think you did the right thing no7fish, especially with your grandfather feeling that way. I hope it turns out awesome, it's a beautiful looking razor.

I actually just sent out one of my grandfather's razors (he passed fairly recently) to Glen the other week for a restore. It's a little banged up, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am beyond excited to see this thing in a shave ready state. It really is something special!! I can't wait for mine, and I'm sure you can't wait for yours either! Best of luck!!!

I am glad you decided to have it restored. My father recently gave me my great grandfather's shaving mug which had been sitting on a shelf for several years. Long story short, the mug had been broken and taped back together with packing tape. I brought it to a restoration service and had it restored to usable condition. The mug, which is no less than 65 years old is now used daily and serves to connect four generations of my family.

Enjoy your grandfather and his razor.