So I saw this Roman razor. 1st century, bronze handle. Would any of you consider trying to hone it to shave-ready sharpness? Would that even be possible? Just curious...
It looks like something you could use to scrape the inspection sticker off your car window. I would leave that one alone but I might build a replica From it to try out. I could almost make it from the photo if I knew how thick it was.
If the blade is bronze as well as the handle I suppose it might be possible, in the strict sense, but that blade looks to have an awful lot of crud built up on it over the centuries and I doubt it would actually take an edge. I suppose it's possible that it could be a corroded iron blade as well. Either way I'd say the prospects of that ol' gal ever actually shaving again are extremely remote, at best. I'd certainly be curious enough to try a razor of this old type of design though, with the handle on the top and a curved edge; or at least that seems to be typical of the few I've seen before (that one obviously has a fairly straight edge). But modern steel forged into that general sort of shape and ground into a razor - yes, I'd definitely try it.
I would send it to someone who really knows how to set a bevel and sharpen a razor. Yes, I would shave with it.
Transport an ancient Roman citizen to today and offer him the choice between that bronze paint scraper (pictured in the first post), or a modern stainless DE razor, I'd bet 1000 denarii that he grabs the DE.
I'd have to pass. I don't find using a modern(no more than say 300 hundred years old) straight razor to be either effective or fun. Guess I'm strictly a DE,/SE guy!
