Thread: A Question about original finish on vintage straights

I have begun a hand restoration (no machines) of a 100+ year old razor. After getting to 800 grit wet/dry I took out my loupe and noticed a light grind pattern near the tang of the razor perpendicular to the blade edge. This was not done by me and what I was wondering is, after seeing so many amazing restorations that are mirror polished....did all of these razors come out of the factories this way? Or is this a more the fashion of our time, that mirror polish is good whether it mimics the original or not? And yep, I got to 800 before I noticed!

A pic would be helpfull.In restoring anything try to keep it true to the finish it orig. had
Grind marks are beautifull (unless it is a defect)
To sand them away and mirror polish a razor that never was is not restoration,Is a crime.

I have a pic over in the Crookes razor club but the quality of the pic is so poor it does not show any detail....the thing is that these grind marks did not extend the length of the blade, the are just faintly visible near the heel of the razor. I agree with you about the mirror polish. I like patina but a couple of rust 'blossoms' really forced me to take the paper to the razor. Would you say that there are a lot of crimes being committed now with regard to mirror polishes? I hope I don't have to go into that prison! What are you in for dude? I put a mirror polish on a razor that had a matte finish with honest grind marks on it.

Honestly, Finishes 100+ years ago ran the same gambit as they do now, from Satin to "Mirror", there should have been at least some indication of what the original finish was before you started sanding..

Here is one I am working on right now I came in to take a pic just for this thread..

That is the original finish with some rust at the point and some light rust dead center I haven't done anything to the finish yet, that is a factory fresh near mirror.. (I don't really call anything Vintage a True Mirror Finish)




I will remove the imperfections, and take it right back to a near mirror again, if you just look before you start work, the razor will often tell you which way to go...

They had a process that involved a Walrus leather covered wheel, a special fat type grease and the metal dust from the grinding wheels, that they used to polish the razors back then, some of the old Vintage "Mirror" Finishes make today's look rough.. IIRC it was called a Black Polish..

How are the articles in that issue?