Thread: Can I save either of these?

I'm kind of a newbie and these are my first razor purchases. Fortunately they cost me nothing, but I'm wondering what they would cost to repair. One is a Krusius Brothers Extra 67, and one is a Joseph Rodgers and Sons that has two star/cross logos on it. I've heard these were nice razors when functional, but I'm not sure if I can save either of them. The KB has a chunk from the scales missing at the elbow which seems like an easy fix if I replace them, but I'd hate to replace the originals. The Joseph Rodgers has some surface rust on the blade. I have no idea how to remove it without causing any damage. Is it worth it? If so, how do I do it properly? Any help is greatly appreciated.

-Dave

Check out the workshop forum link How do I/ where do I? It will answer many of the questions you are asking yourself; any others and we'll be glad to help. The top will have to have the scales replaced to pivot correctly, the rogers, needs new scales, and a lot of hand sanding, 80-1500 or 2000grit then buffed, or 80-12000 micromesh and some chrome safe metal polish just from what I can see in these pics.

Thanks, I'll definitely check it out. Still trying to get used to the site, so much to explore. Are these types of razors worth that type of effort in your (and others) opinion? I've heard good things, but I'm not sure if those sources are as reputable as the people on this site. Thanks again!

G'day mate,
I'm a newbie too and I picked up 3 straights yesterday in the same condition as yours.
I immersed them in WD40 for 24 hrs, occasionally scrubbing them with an old toothbrush to remove
the accumulated gunk - gently, gently does it !!....After that I used some 0000 steel wool and most
of the rust has gone. Not all, just most !!....The fine steel wool doesn't seem to scratch the blades.

They're now soaking in baby oil, which is just scented mineral oil and I've been
using this "technique" for years to restore knives and bayonets.

My next step is as Tiddle describes,in my case a LOT of hand sanding with wet'n'dry, especially in the finer grits
and then micromesh.

I have a dremel clone with a flexi-shaft and small buffing wheels, but I haven't decided whether to
leave a nice patina on the blades or try to polish to a mirror finish.
Good Luck,
Bongo

A trick I use with hand sanding I forgot to mention. Once you hit 220, you can find the 3M wet/dry at the auto part stores. I sand with that grit dry first so that you can make sure you get all the previous grit scratches out without having to constantly dry the blade and check, dry and check, yadda yadda (it saves some time), then once you are sure you got them out, go back with that grit and do about 5 minutes of wet sanding and it will leave a bit brighter finish. Wet sand for brightness, dry sand for satin finishes. This little trick saves some time and works everytime.