My site may be going up and down a little bit throughout the day today while I perform some upgrades.

If you’re reading this…this page originated from my new dedicated server. I went from an old desktop machine – 1.8Ghz and 512MB ram to a 1U rack mounted IBM xServer with a 3Ghz processor and 2GB ram. I know, its not bleeding edge, but, I am running RAID1 mirroring now, which is nice for piece of mind The site should be a little more snappy too

I’m going on vacation from Feb 23 -> Mar 6 – All restoration work will be delayed until after I return! I should be able to keep up on a little correspondence, but, don’t hold your breath! Thanks!!!

Straight Razor collecting, shaving, and maintenance can be a rewarding hobby — but I constantly receive e-mails from people who find my site and are interested in getting into restoration.  I can’t tell you how many times someone has said “I sat down to watch the first part of your restoration videos, and I ended up watching all 12 in one sitting, and now I’m thirsty for more!”

Here is a recent e-mail from one of you:

Brad,
… I will be retiring at the end of the year, and I would really like to try my hand at repairing old razors. Do you think it would be a waste of my time to buy an old razor or two, you can find them everywhere around here,(Mississippi), and start grinding? It could turn into an enjoyable pastime, as I have worked in the manufacturing environment most of my adult life, so know my way around a shop…
B. C.

First off, B.C. from Mississippi, I’d like to say that I am so very very jealous of you retiring.  I can’t wait for the day!   I think almost everyone can agree..day jobs just get in the way of the stuff we really want to do!  What a tremendous opportunity to start the next chapter in your life.  I am here to tell you:  DO IT DO IT DO IT!!

Throughout the next week or two, I’m going to write a series of articles involving getting started in razor restoration.  Please, check back often.  Lets get started!!!

Getting to know you! Getting to know all about you!
The first thing any prospective restorer needs to do, is become familiar with shaving with a straight razor.  Some guys want to jump into restoration before having shaved with a straight razor at all.  I don’t think its a very good idea — especially if you are anticipating making scales.  Some of the most important first steps to get into this hobby is as follows:

* Purchasing a shave ready razor / sending out a razor to a respected honemeister (someone who sharpens razors for people)
* Having a quality strop.  (quality doesn’t always mean expensive)
* Spending several months learning how to strop, how to shave, and what a shave ready razor feels like

Why is this so important?  If you don’t know how to strop, and don’t understand the feel of the razor as you shave, then, to be perfectly honest, you have no business making scales!  It is very important to produce scales that are comfortable to strop with — and comfortable to shave with.  It is amazing how much of a distraction some “fancy scales” can cause to the enjoyable experience that is straight razor shaving.  I fell victim to this a few times in my early custom scale sets for myself.  I tried to make scales that “looked cool…”    I ended up taking them off several razors, and making better ones after I realized just how unnatural and unpleasant they felt.

Now, you realize that shaving and stropping techniques are important, and you should spend the time to build your skills thoroughly.  That doesn’t mean you can’t start learning restoration in the mean time.  Maybe you are already a straight razor shaver, and just looking into restoring now.  If so, move on!

One Man’s Junk….  Is a Restorer’s Junk!
As B. C. from Mississippi suggested, I would HIGHLY recommend picking up a few beater straight razors.  Try not to pay more than $5-10/each for them.  Try to find a variety of blade types and conditions.  Small full hollows with only small amounts of rust all the way up to a big wedge or two with lots of rust.  The more types of razors you have, the more you will learn.  Even if it is cracked or chipped, it is great experience.

Some of the things you can do with these beater razors:

* Try some hand-sanding
* Try out some hand-polishing
* Unpin, and re-pin over and over
* Honing practice
* Study the design of the vintage scales from several razors
* Notice how the wedge functions / how the scales bow during opening and closing
* Try cleaning, or sanding down a vintage set of scales

The Newbie Restoration Shopping List (first of several investments…)

In order to do the above things, sure enough, you’re going to need a few hand tools.  Here is the FIRST shopping list — for a beginner restorer just finding out if this hobby is right for them:

- Wet/Dry sandpaper. It must be wet/dry.  It holds up much longer, and wet sanding is usually preferred anyway.  Find it at Automotive stores, sometimes at Wal-Mart, Sometimes Do-It-Best stores.  Yes, they have it at Harbor Freight too, and although cheap, I find it doesn’t last very long.  I’m not saying don’t get it there — I’ve used HF sandpaper before, plenty of times.  The most challenging thing will be finding it in several grits.  I recommend:   80/120, 220, 400, 800, 1500.  Purchase around 10 sheets of the lowest grit, and 5 sheets of each of the higher ones.  I always cut all of my sandpaper sheets into quarters.  I find that a Quarter-sheet is very nice to work with.
- Two Hammers. a “normal” one, and a Ball-peen hammer, preferably 4oz.  You will be able to use the side of the head of the regular hammer as an anvil.  most of you probably already have a normal hammer laying around.  You might need to buy the 4oz ball peen online, or find a specialty store.
- Metal Polish. I use a polish called “Mother’s”, but, you an also use Flitz or Maas.
- Rags. Simple enough.
- 1/16″ Brass Rod.  You can find 1/16″ brass rod at most hobby stores.  Hobby Lobby (a USA chain) stocks it for $2.79 / 3 pieces.  If you are forced to order it online, it will be rather expensive to ship – but places like Jantz knife supply, and Texas Knife Supply both carry it.
- 1/16″ inner diameter washers.  The washers you’ll be looking for are #0, and #0wide.   I sell small sets of these on my site –  but those are really only meant for someone needing one or two sets.  They are not well priced if you wanted a hundred of them!  For larger quantities check out MicroFasteners.  For around $15.00 shipped, you can pick up enough washers to pin 25 razors.  You’ll use the #0wide for between the tang and scales (inner washers).
- Flush Cutters (preferred) or Wire Cutters.   You probably have some wirecutters laying around.  You’ll need them to cut the brass rod.
- A flat file. useful for filing down the ends of the brass rods you are cutting

To be honest — thats all that I can think of!!!!  With this small list of items, you are ready to start practicing!  Not to mention, all of those items above will be good investments, because I still use them every time I make a set of scales!

What? NO POWER TOOLS?
Soon, young grasshopper.  Believe it or not, with just your hands and some time, you can turn your first rusty razor into something decent with only the items listed above!

What can hand sanding really do?

Hand sanding is the process of removing metal from your razor with just sand paper.  the main reason to remove metal is to “sand out the pits” — which is kind of the opposite of what you are really doing, which is to sand the entire blade down to the deepest pit.  This can sometimes be a quick and easy endeavor — and other times can take hours and hours.  It just depends on how deep the pits are!

Here is an example of what can be done.  This razor was a $12.00 find in a local antique shop.  The only thing used to restore it was the tools listed above.

This is the razor “Before”

This next picture depicts the same razor, unpinned and hand-sanded for approximately 2 hours using 220 grit paper:

320 grit:

400 grit:

600 grit:

1500 grit:

And finally, polished thoroughly for approx 40 minutes using Mother’s Polish and a rag:

The scales of course, were also thoroughly cleaned, and polished as well — using just 1500 grit paper and a rag!!  So, as you can see — A LOT can be done with some time, and some motivation.  Learning how to hand sand a razor is an important first step for someone looking to get into restoration.  You will use hand sanding time and time again — I still use it ALL THE TIME!

That is all for now –  in a few days, I will talk a little bit about purchasing your first power tool!!!

I don’t usually make front page posts about something I’m selling…but.. this razor is just…awesome.

From my research, I am aware of only 2 others in the community (although there may be more) — and only 1 of those having the original pig skin leather case.  This one is also the earliest (Serial #1230) of those that I have found.

If you’re interested in bidding, it will be going up for auction on E-bay, starting 11/25, and ending 12/5/2011.  Good Luck!!

Hows this for a business model:  Don’t send me your straight razors for restoration.  Confused yet?  Good.  Lets explain.

The Common Scenario

Lets say…you’re new to wet shaving, and you just picked up your first rusty, stained straight razor from an antique shop or E-bay.  Eager and excited, you post a picture in a popular shaving forum, with a title like “Antique shop find” or “My ebay score!”     The forum members reply with things like “Nice score!” and “That should clean up great!”   You feel all happy and in love with your new found treasure, and quickly move to the Restoration and Workshop forums out there, and find that this is a bit more involved than you’re willing.  Your next step:  Find a Restoration guy, right?  Maybe thats why you’re reading this right now…  You found my page….

The perfect candidate razor….  For NOT having professionally restored

Disclaimer:  There are exceptions to my recommendations throughout this article — please understand that if a razor has sentimental value, is a family heirloom, or holds special meaning to you that its not always subject to the same analysis as the average e-bay find.  I totally understand this, sometimes a razor is worth restoring no matter what the cost or condition, if it’s something you feel is worth it to you.  On with the article….

There are a few guidelines I like to follow, when recommending to my clients whether or not a razor is worth restoring or rescaling.  They are as follows:

* The blade should be 6/8 or larger
* The blade should not have major chips or cracks
* If the blade is a full hollow razor:  The blade should not have significant hone wear, uneven hone wear, or a combination of the two.
* If the blade is a full hollow razor:  The blade should not have significant rust on the hollow portion of the blade
* The resulting restored razor should have a value higher than the price I charge for my services ***

They may seem like odd requirements..  What does blade width have to do with anything?  Well, mostly, it is because of the last item there –  It is quite simple really, a 4/8 or 5/8 razor will rarely be worth more than $100, EVER — so why invest $100 for a new set of scales?  It is not a wise decision.  Especially, when you can find prime examples of 4/8 and 5/8 razors out there, practically new in the boxes, for less than a new set of scales will cost you.

Examples

Here is an example of a razor that should not be sent out for restore.  At the time of this writing, this razor is on E-bay, and is currently selling for $15.00.

Why it doesn’t qualify:

-  The razor has uneven hone wear, and heavy rust
-  In order to restore, the razor would have to be unpinned, jeopardizing the pivot end bolsters.
-  The razor’s rust around the stabilizer area would force you to use heavy sanding or extensive greaseless compound buffing, causing the lines to soften on the stabilizer and shoulder, lessening overall visual appeal.  The tail of the razor would have to have a decent amount of metal removed as well, and from past experience the top of the spine near the point end likely has VERY deep pitting, requiring a large amount of metal to be removed.  In order to remove the rust and pitting, the etch on the face of the blade would have to be removed.
-  I would likely charge around $85.00 for a full restoration and honing — The resulting razor would have a value of around $55-70.00, mostly due to its size and what will almost certainly be soft lines and obvious alterations to its original geometry.

Would I buy it for $15.00?  Nope.  Should you?  Only if you’re willing to work on the blade yourself.

Example #2

Here is another razor, currently on E-bay.  You might say “Well what the heck is wrong with that one?”  My answer:  not a lot.  However, tell me this — is it worth it to invest $50-80.00 for professional restoration on a run-of the mill 5/8, black plastic scale razor?  Is it?  The etch might be lost too — basically removing the only thing that makes this razor stand out.  Why bother?  You can purchase a brand new, professionally honed Dovo razor for less than it would cost to bring this one back.

Example #3

This is another razor currently on e-bay.  This is very similar to something that I would get a request to restore.  Here are my concerns:

- The razor’s scales are basically junk.  They are warped and ugly (apparent from another picture).  In order to bring this blade up to something worth looking at, it will need a new set.   $$$$$
- The blade doesn’t look so bad at first glance…  But..  looking closer there is some serious rust on the tang and stabilizer.  This razor is never going to have that brand-new look to it, no matter how careful the restorer is — and the etch, yet again, is not something that will be guaranteed to survive.
- It doesnt matter how you slice it – this is a 5/8 razor, that even with new custom scales will be lucky to fetch $100.00, in shave ready and perfectly restored condition.  What makes it so important to you that you’d be willing to invest $130+ to make that happen?  Have you seen some of the razors out there available for $130.00, that will have none of the aesthetic issues this one will end up having when its completed?

Is it a neat razor? Sure.  Should you buy it?  Maybe!  Should you have it professionally restored?  Nope.

The ideal candidates for Restoration & Re-scaling

- Large full hollow blades over 6/8 that need new scales, but minimal blade work.
- Any wedge over 6/8 in size, regardless of amount of rust
- Unique or valuable razors
- Razors that have excellent quality steel, but lousy scales – example:  Filarmonica, Henckels Friodur, etc.
- Any razor with sentimental value or family heirlooms

Conclusion

Not every razor is worth being professionally restored.  I really wish people would stop recommending it to every newbie that posts a picture of their latest acquisition.  Razors like the 3 examples above are all too common in the antique shops, flea markets, and E-bay.  People buy them up at $15-30 each — and in my opinion they just aren’t worth it.  Regardless of whether you hire someone to fix one of them up, or invest 3, 5, 10, or 15 hours of your own time sanding and polishing, in the end, you are in the red on that razor.  Everyone should assign a monetary value to their time — the challenge is not to forget yours, and to realize just how much it REALLY costs you for a run-of the mill 5/8 razor.

I’m sure a lot of people think I’m nuts because I use a straight razor.  I can definitely understand why they might think that.  It’s not like I just woke up one day and started using one though.  Let me explain what exactly happened.  Maybe my story will sway you to join me.

I didn’t enjoy my shaves.
Prior to December, 2008, shaving was not only a chore, but I flat out hated doing it.  I used to use some “Edge” canned chemical goo, and a Gillette Mach 3 razor.  On the days I shaved at the sink, I would take a few swipes on my face, and then have to bang the head of the razor on the sink in order to get all the little bits of hair out of the cartridge.  Rinse, and repeat.  Eventually, I started shaving IN the shower, because it was faster, and I could let the shower head water pressure clean out the cartridge a bit easier than having to bang it on the sink.  I don’t think I ever enjoyed shaving with my Mach3.  Ever.

I was annoyed with rising prices
At the time, Mach3 blades were about $23.00 for 8 cartridges, or approximately $3.00 per cartridge.  I was such a cheap ass, I would use one cartridge for 30+ shaves, even though after about 10-12, they started to become even more unpleasant than usual.  I was still throwing $3/month away for chemical canned goo.  I can confidently say, I was spending about $5.00/month to shave – and thats being a complete cheap skate!!!  If I were to replace my cartridges at more appropriate times, I could have easily spent $8-9/month.

So, as if  $3/cartridge wasn’t enough, Gillette decides to go and do this:

Yes, thats right.  $33.00 for 8 blades.  If you replaced your cartridge every 12 shaves, and shaved 260 times a year (5 times a week), that would be a grand total of $90.00 a year.  Add some Gillette canned gel, and your annual shaving bill is closer to $125.00 / year.  Add in a second shaver in the house (Ladies?), and the annual shaving expense doubles to $250.

I didn’t feel like I was getting good shaves
Along with the chore of shaving, I felt like, even with new cartridges, my shaves weren’t great.  They were just OK.  Plus, if I shaved daily, I would get some pretty bad irritation.  I thought…there must be a better way….

A desire for something different
I had always heard that a straight razor was supposed to give the best shave.  I never really expected to get into them.  I did, however, put a bug in my wifes ear a couple times that I wanted to try a straight razor shave some day.  Another spark in my interested happened while surfing the Internet.  A digg.com link sent me to a blog post about “Shaving like your grandpa.”  It was quite an interesting blog article, introducing me to the Double Edge Safety Razor.  The blog recommended a new Merkur DE razor, but mentioned vintage ones as well.   I was quite interested in the entire article, but, at the time, put it on a back burner.

For christmas 2008, my wife gave me a badger brush, a soap puck, and what is commonly referred to as a “Shavette” – a straight razor with replaceable blades.  What an amazing gift.  That’s what got me started – she has only her self to blame for my hobby now!

The Double Edge Safety Razor
Soon after trying a few shaves with my new shavette, I joined some online forums, and I decided to purchase a DE razor.  I found a few in some local antique shops, and cleaned them up.  Lets run down some facts that make DE razors superior to a Gillette Fusion:

- A DE Razor costs between $5 and 50, will last you your whole life, and is a one-time expense
- Blades for a DE Razor cost approximately $0.15-0.25 each, depending on brand, and last from 5-10 shaves
- DE Razors do not clog up like cartridge razors do
- Shaves are just as close, and less irritating

Here is a perfect example -  a Gillette Fat Handle Tech from the 1930s/1940s:

These razors are available on E-bay for $5-15, and antique shops for as little as $2, if you’re lucky enough to find them.

and then pick up some of these:

Which are available at Wal-Mart for about $1.75

Add some VDH Shaving Soap, also available at Wal-mart for $1.50:

And then all you’re left needing is a brush.  There are SEVERAL available cheap brushes out there, that work fantastic.  One is the Tweezerman Badger brush, available for about $10.00:

Or the VDH Badger Brush, available for around $20.00:

With these items, and a little bit of reading, maybe a little bit of youtubing, you can begin your adventure in hobby shaving.

Reasons for making the change

Cost – Each shave with a Fusion razor costs you around 48 cents.  Each shave with a DE (not including the original investment) costs you around 2 cents.  Over the course of a year, the Fusion with shave gel will cost you around $125, and the DE with soap pucks will cost you around $9.00.  Of course, if you turn it into a full blown hobby and start collecting razors, this cost gap will close

Environmental – The packaging from constant throw-away products like canned gel can add up.  With DEs and soap pucks, there is considerably less waste.  Straight razors generate zero waste, only soap puck packaging.

The Challenge – Shaving with a DE razor can be a challenge.  You might finish your shave the first week with your old Fusion — but, soon enough (over a couple months), you will master the DE.  A sense of accomplishment can come from this feat.  Although at first, it may take you 4-5 times longer to achieve a shave because of the learning curve, I got to the point where I was SAVING time with the DE – because it clogs less often and needs to be rinsed out less often than a cartridge razor.

The Shave - Shaving with a DE is not only rewarding, but your shaves will be as-smooth-if-not-smoother than your old Fusion.  You also have more control, since the blades are not forced at a particular angle for the entire shave like a cartridge razor.  This can be good for trouble spots, to increase or decrease cutting angle at-will.

Less Irritation – passing 5 blades across your face 3-4 times (like what happens with a Fusion) can create some serious irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin.  Cutting down the amount of times a razor’s edge passes across any given spot on your face can leave you with less irritation.  As your technique and angles improve, the shave will be that much better.

Nostalgia – Many DE and straight razor shavers reminisce about being a child watching their father shave with a DE or Straight – and starting to shave with one sometimes makes us feel connected to those moments, and connected to their relative in some way.  Some people are lucky enough to have a razor passed down from a relative.  I myself have a DE razor that was my grandfather’s.  He passed away in 2010, and I remember him every time I  pull out that razor and shave with it.  Some DE and straight shavers also just like to feel connected to the past — to know that you’re following the same ritual that men have been doing for the last 200 years.  Pulling out a 50, 100 or 200 year old razor makes you think about who used it, and how many lives it has been a part of.

That feeling that you get – there is an odd, satisfying feeling of holding a nice, hefty piece of metal in your hand while you shave, as opposed to a cheap piece of plastic.  It just feels right.

From chore to hobby – combine the things above, and you turn what was once a chore into something you look forward to every day.  Maybe, you decide to pick up a second or 3rd razor, and you get to rotate them.  Maybe you try a different scent of shaving soap / cream.  Many times, when a coworker or family member finds out you are into vintage shaving stuff, they give you “some stuff they found in the basement”  Its happened to me a few times!  Heck, my dad has even been buying stuff at garage sales for me!  Haha!  Going hunting for stuff at flea markets and antique shops is a lot of fun as well.  It doesn’t always have to cost you money, either –  Sometimes you can pick up a few cheap items at a flea market, try them out for a bit and decide what you like, and offload the ones that you didn’t like as much on e-bay.  Probably make a few bucks in the process!

Limitless possibilities – depending on how deep you get, there is always something new to try in the wet shaving world.  Custom razors, fancy brushes, exotic sharpening stones and manly scents by the dozens keep you coming back, and can always keep the hobby fresh.  Like any hobby, you can spend as much as you want to.  Sure, you can go buy a $1,000 custom straight razor.  Guess what, I bet you can also find a $1,000 golf club, or $1,000 bicycle frame, or $1,000 radio controlled car, or $1,000 snow board.  Yep, they are out there.  That doesn’t mean you have to get one to enjoy something that the Gillette marketing team has been working harder and harder to make you totally unaware of.

Conclusion

Before you are spoon-fed the next battery-powered ionized-moisture stripping 6-bladed Gillette cartridge razor product that costs $39.99 for 8 blades, I strongly urge you to re-examine what shaving is all about.  Its about some sharp metal getting scraped across your face.   If you have any hint of interest in this post — or you’ve actually made it this far and haven’t clicked the “Back” button, you’re a perfect candidate.  For me, money savings was the lure into what became a rewarding daily ritual.  For you, maybe it will be the better shave, or the connections to the past – or maybe you just think it looks interesting.  Whatever the reason — Give it a shot!  I doubt you will be disappointed.

In addition to straight razor restoration, I have started doing Straight Razor Regrinds.  Here is an example before and after!

Restoring straight razors in 100+ degree workshop temperatures ain’t so fun.  July was one of the hottest months I think we’ve had on record – needless to say I didn’t get a lot of work done!  That said — I am back on track now!  Pumped out a few restores this weekend –  smoooooooth shavin’ all the way after they hit the hones.  One of them is a Wade & Butcher that I’ll be throwing on E-bay tonight!