Finally…A Complete Razor Restoration!

Today I actually finished ONE complete straight razor—blade cleaned & polished, brand new custom scales with wedge, re-pinned, etc..—which considering all the time I've spent setting up 'shop', trial & error tests (mostly error), and what-not, I have reason to celebrate! Some of you have followed my 'glacial' progress in this Restore thread. I made plenty of errors along the way (a great learning experience, however), despite the fact I was slow and steady in most of my approaches.

Once it is honed, I really do look forward to trying this razor out.
The pins are tight, the blade is centered, the finish is uniform, and overall, it feels very balanced in the hand.

Some Specs:
Joseph Rodgers & Sons
Blade: 13/16, carbon steel, thumb notch, polished only to SS stage
Scales: Custom Zebra wood; CA finish
Wedge: Ebony
Pins: Brass
Washers: Double Stack brass

Some pics….







I have not taken this razor to the honing stones yet. One of the concerns I have it the slight curve at the heel (see in the third and last photos above) and I need to find the proper approach in dealing with it.
As always, I'm open to your helpful suggestions….

 

That is truly one fine razor Kevin!
A work of art, surely.

I wouldn't worry over the time it took. It was obviously worth every minute.

I'm still pondering over the overhaul of my Omega 48 brush handle, and it's been 2-3 weeks now.
Hurry =

Fantastico Padre!

 

Stunning

 

Excellent work! Well done!

 

nice scales

 

Beautiful job. You have some work ahead of you the on the blade though.

 

Thanks, Steve! Yeah, the blade heel is of some concern…. that's why I'm asking for some advice on the best approach.
I could use a 400 grit stone and grind down the heel.
Something along the line of this 'before & after' conceptual pic:

 

That is a classic "Heel Hook" Kev,, you have the right idea about grinding it off, you are also going to have to relieve the shoulder a bit also to keep it from re-forming..

The razor looks awesome, very nice work on the blade and the scales really pop

 

"Heel Hook"—well, there's another term to add to my ever-growing vocab.
What is the cause of this classic phenomenon? Original design? Poor honing technique? Too small a hone?
I figured the shoulder would have to be dealt with as well. Looks like I'm in for some metal shaving before I hone it up!
Thanks for the tips—and the nice words.

 

Nice restore well done.

 

Great job with the restoration so far!!

 

Absolutely gorgeous!

 

Beautiful job

 

That looks awesome, Kevin! Congratz!

 

Another day, another great straight that Kevin has acquired.

I have to admit that I am becoming a bit jealous. I never seem to find razors like the ones you find. Where do you find these? You don't have to answer if you think you will loose your ability to find them, but I am curious.

 

Mark, I actually found this Rodgers & Sons razor at an antique store back in March (see here: The Mother Lode ) . For $15, the blade was too nice to pass up.

Thank you all for the kind comments.
The next step is to remove the excessive heel and get this razor honed.
I do look forward to actually shaving with it!

 

Very nice work man! Cool blade

 

The shoulder hitting the hone will lift the blade and cause that part not to be honed over time this will cause the hook..
The actual design on that shoulder might also be a culprit, that is something you will need to figure out on the hones
From the looks of the spine this hook might have been caused by the removal of a chip, you just never know until you get them on the hones..

Looking at the razor closer Kev I have my suspicions that this might have been a turn of the century re-grind, many of the heavy Sheffield blades were re-ground into hollows during that time at the factories, some need a bit of touchup work..

Going to go look closer at the first pics but I have a feeling I might be right


Kev, put the razor on your 8k and GENTLY do a few strokes,, you are looking for contact points that are not on the Spine or the edge..

You might color both with Magic Marker and use like In-letting Black or Dykum Blue
and see what it hitting..



Look at that spot closely it might be the issue, and it might only be on one side some fun some fun

 

That is beautiful!

 

Nice. You did an excellent job on those scales.