One of the biggest questions I see in my PM /e-mail box as a restorer, and on the forums is this.. I found this razor on/in/at *** can it be restored???? First I always recommend that either you wait about 6 months before shopping on e-bay or until you don't have to ask that question But for those that jump straight into the deep end here are some tips... I was actually shopping e-bay this past weekend for a razor specifically for a beginner... One of the guys here at work has decided to take the full plunge after I let him try it 2 weeks ago... First thing I look for is a good name razor of Quality steel I found a Kinfolks for him (A Case family blade) Here is the actual e-bay pic, the only one.. Here is what I looked at I snagged the razor for $9.99 add shipping, and he is in it $15.95 Some points: See the rust??? see the red in the rust??? that tells me that it is active and most likely not too deep.. The black spots that some people refer to as "Patina" is normally "Devils Spit" and runs deep into the steel.. The general rule for me is Shine = Woooohooooo Baby!!!! Grey = Good Red = Work Black = Oh Crap a ton of work !!! Look at the edge and spine I won't buy anything that is showing more than 1mm of wear I look for even wear if it is there at all... Note the toe/point is it worn??? uneven??? Note the heel to edge relationship is it even??? is there a hook honed into it Note the pivot, rust??? cracks??? pins??? Here is the same razor broken down on my bench It needs a bit of cleaning and polishing, now I did this on my buffers -BUT- this razor could have been done by hand with wet-r-dry sandpaper in 1-2 hours of work and would look as good.. The scales were cleaned up with 400 grit sandpaper then re-polished with Blue Magic by hand.. The washers were cleaned on the 400 grit too so was the wedge.. And here are the cleaned up parts... I will post the finished pics after work tonight, just a bit more hand polishing on the blade, on the wedge, and perhaps a touch of blue paint in the lettering still.. then re-pin and hone... Hope this helps a bit when looking for used razors....
Thanks for the tips Glen! I am bookmarking this for future reference! The razor cleaned up very nicely too!
Nos - NIB - Mint - Factory Fresh !!!! And this my friends is the other side, of this quick lesson on E-bay purchases...Don't be afraid to ask what you are buying... An honest seller discloses that the razor has been restored, and is no longer factory fresh... But has been cleaned, polished, and is now what I call a "Vintage Restore"... Yes even the lettering can sometimes be brought back... So this serves both purposes it allows you to see what to look for when buying not so pretty stuff, and gives an idea of what you can do with restorations... Plus it shows what you might be paying for when buying what you might think is NIB/Mint
good all around and put very simply to understand,thanks,I will bookmark for in case I go the SE way.
Those comparison shots make me realize how easy it is to call something it's not. Thanks for the great write up.
