The Straight Razor Acquisition Thread

Shave Ready from most sellers on Ebay Means it will cut soft butter.

 

Well..It Looks as if He Stuck it on a 350 Grit or So DMT & Nearly Set the Bevel..It was Left at that..Its Quite Common in the UK for Sellers & Vendors to Do that these Days..I Stuck it on the 1 K Naniwa Tonight & Set the Bevel Properly..It Didn't Take Long..

Word Must be Out as Most of those Razors Went for Far Less than One Would Expect..BUT..The Sad thing is Newbies Buy Razors like this & Seriously Attempt to Shave with them..They Know No Better..

A Lot of the Razors I Get Sent to Hone from People that have Been Told they are Shave Ready have Just been Run Across a Low Grit DMT..It Amazes Me that they have Any Face Left..

Billy..

 

So a while back I picked up a mystery razor that had a handful of rust but it was offered as part of a lot and I did not have any barbers notches at the time. Well I've been able to get through some of the rust and IXL was the first thing I saw. Somewhat exciting as I also did not have a Geo in my stable yet either. It's rough I'll be the first to admit it but thats ok as I have no major plans for it yet, to many other things to take care of and spend money on first.

Maybe my first complete overhaul? That is after I get my stones lapped and ready to go.

 

It looks like a Wosty. The writing is similar to the layout of George Wostenholm I-XL razors. Be advised though, this might not be the best razor to learn honing on, you have some pitting on the edge, and excessive spine wear, requiring at least 3 layers of tape, to get a proper bevel.
Sorry if I sound negative, but, you don't need to learn with something that will require some creative honing skills. If you want to learn honing, I would buy a new Chinese ZY razor. They are built well, have very good steel, and are somewhat easy to learn honing on. Plus, you can usually get them around $10 or less.
I've bought a couple of these.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZY-Handmad...353038&hash=item5d6aceb412:g:OBkAAOSwFKZZkrkB

 

It could also end up on ebay or even as a PIF but I'd rather not, I love the look. The reality is I have too many projects and work is not allowing for any free time right now.

Plus my wife booked a trip to a massive antique and thrift market so I may be dropping some money there then again who knows what I'll see there.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

Sheesh...I thought that was a meat cleaver at first glance. I love big blades...great find.

 

It's definitely a keeper. Just work on what you can, before you learn to hone.
Work on the scales, and build up the bug bites, that's the easiest first. CA, or epoxy, to fill them in, then sand them, and polished them up. Then sand the blade, until you are satisfied. After you are finished, oil the blade, and wait until you are ready with your honing skills.

 

I Took it through My Naniwa Progression Tonight & Pre Finished it on 16 K Film..Still to Decide what Natural to Use as My Finisher..I Honed it with One Layer of Tape as its a Definite 1/4 Hollow...Once You Start Going from a 1/4 Hollow to a Near Wedge then I Use Two Layers of Tape as a Starting Point at Least..I Think this is Where a Lot of Confusion Comes about Tape & Near Wedges or Wedges..

A Proper or Definite 1/4 Hollow Usually Only Needs One Layer of Tape Unless its Got a Lot of Hone Wear..This Razor is Taking a Wonderful Edge..The Factory Grinding is Par Excellence & it has Minimal Hone Wear.I Don't View a 1/4 Hollow as a Near Wedge as Some Do...

Billy..

 

It hasn't actually arrived yet, but I have ordered a Gold Dollar W-59. Should be here in a week or so. This is one of a new series of GD razors. YouTube reviews have been semi-positive. Some say it is a difficult razor to hone. But once honed it has a great edge. We will see...when it arrives. But I do like the look of this razor. Anyone else out there tried one of the new GD series?

 

I Honed One Just Last Week..These Recent Productions of G/D are Far Better than Earlier Ones as Far as I Can Ascertain on the Hone..They Are Ground Much Better & the Bevels are Easier Set..Now..That's a Hard Carbon Steel..BUT..The Steel Seems to have a Softness Component as Well..So..I Find that a Kinda Medium Torque/Pressure Works Well..They Wont Remove Steel with Undue Force or Pressure on the Bevel Hone..

In Sum..It Honed Up Very Well & Took a Killer Edge..Gold Dollar are Knocking Out Some Quality Razors at the Moment & Far More Hone Friendly..

Billy..

 

Here is a link to the thread, on the one I bought. I was able to get it shave ready, with a little time on a pasted strop, and the leather strop. I didn't find it hard to strop.
http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/new-gold-dollar-w59-review.57450/

 

What’s the going price on these?? Still around $30? Where’s the best place to score one?

 

I think @Kokak may have on as well.....

 

I purchased mine from Fendrihan.ca. They carry many of the new GD wood series. I paid $40 for the W-59

 

Amazon. Around $29 delivered.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...old+dollar+razor&rh=i:aps,k:gold+dollar+razor

 

Did you tape your spine? I have read that some use up to six layers of tape. Sounds a bit much to me.

 

I Used One Layer of Tape as Normal..The Bevel Wasn't Far Away from the Factory..They are Pretty Thinly Ground for a Big Blade like this..I Do Believe the 1st Ones they Brought Out had a Heavier Spine & they Changed it Due to Customers having Earlier Honing Issues..But..There May be Some Grinding Variances I Dunno.. Some have Honed them with No Tape so that Says Something..

Billy..

 

I got one back in Sept and it took on a great edge, that is still going strong (5 shaves in). I did mute the toe 1st thing. I also rounded out the heel with a Dremel. I did not tape the spine though...

 

I am curious to see what the edge is like from the factory. In the past GD blades have been blunt as a butter knife and take a lot of work to set the bevel. Once its set though the edge seems to last forever. I see the W-59 has a bit of a smile as well...

 

The factory edge is definitely not "Shave Ready" but they were not a butter knife either. BTW... I just found one of the new GD W60 "French Point" razors available and so... had to order 1.