lets have a new razor thread.

[Grayswandir]

Nice job coteduoy! That edge looks pretty sweet. What stones did you use? What type of wood is that?

Those are some really sweet razors inferno. I'm going to take some pics of some razors I have in the next 12 hours or so. I'm finishing up an "Improved Eagle" razor (literally pinning the razor as I speak), and then I have to hone a nice W&B hollow, along with a John Roberts Sheffield. I love the faux framebacks, I have a few of them myself.

 

[inferno]

the only razor i'm still waiting on now is a ct bingham (non fenney) tally ho 6-7/8 or so. but this one has the stamps in like 100% good condition. it might turn up tomorrow. then i'm kinda set for classic sheffields. then i just have to finish them lol

i have about 10-15 of them with the blades almost finished imo. finished with sandpaper. then i have to buff them. and then scales. then sharpen.

then i have 10-15 in the 240 grit pile. and those are far from finished. they need more 240 paper for instance.

--------------

show yours when they are finished!

 

[inferno]

if i can find a w greaves and sons humpback then i'll probably buy that too (not sure they made any though). but other than that i think i'm done buying razors. for now at least.

 

[stringer]

i think i'm done buying razors. for now at least.

That's what I said 300 or so ago.

 

[inferno]

stringer what is your strategy when buying razors? you buy lots or singles?
and venue? local/ebay/flea market?

 

[stringer]

stringer what is your strategy when buying razors? you buy lots or singles?
and venue? local/ebay/flea market?

All of the above. Generally I try not to spend more than $20/razor unless it's something really special. At first I wanted to have a good example of each brand and style. Now I'm well past that so I really only bid on stuff if it's something I haven't seen. And only if I can get a deal. And it's in really good shape. I bid on lots and on singles. Right now I probably bid on 20 razors a month and win 2. I only low-ball lots too. So I win them less often. But I have scored several in the 1-2 dozen range that have beefed up the total count. I try and only buy ones that appear shaveable. Although I have made some bad calls. Probably 90% success rate in that regard. The worst is when you miss a crack. Just some will take much more time to get there and I don't have any time.

I go antiquing/flea marketing a lot with my wife. Same thing. When I first started out I would buy anything under $20 that wasn't totally roached. Now I buy anything under $20 that I haven't seen or that I know is good quality. Probably end up with one or two per month.

I was selling refurbs on ebay for awhile. But it gets really frustrating to spend $20 on a razor. Put hours of work into it and then have the winning bid when you sell it be like $24. So now I just sell them or swap them when people approach me.

I also buy vintage strops and stones. I'm way more of a razor/razor hone collector than knife/stone collector to be honest. I buy a bunch of vintage knives too but I almost always give those away after I refurbish them. They make great gifts for family and employees.

 

[inferno]

ive bought a few "for restore lots" lately and these have provided me with a few good ones imo.

then i have bought maybe 10 single razors, some from the uk. these were all cheap in the 20-30£ range. from thje us its not this cheap. but i usually buy stuff that no one sees potential in so i get these for like 50$ but some have been significantly more expensive. i usually try to go for the buy it now stuff. andf then bid 50% less or so. and you usually get them for that bid.

i wanted to build up a little collection here. of nice razors. stuff i wanted. but i didn't want to buy 2-300$ ones either. and most of the "nice ones" are just ruined anyway in my eyes.

 

[stringer]

I'm restoring a strop. Found a real beauty on ebay

Keith, Richmond, Indiana Shell Horsehide with linen fire hose

 

[stringer]

Back side. You can tell this thing has just hung somewhere. No crease, a little dusty and greasy but no cracks, very little signs of wear. Just needs a good cleaning

My process is to wipe it down with a damp rag. Then clean it with a little saddle soap. Rinse the soap off by scrubbing with more damp rag. Let it dry for 20-30 minutes. Then add a few drops of neatsfoot oil. And then I buff it on old jeans.

 

[stringer]

I'll run the firehose through the dishwasher and then dry it hanging with a weight so it doesn't shrink. I'll clean up the hardware or replace it with some extras I have lying around

 

[inferno]

I'm restoring a strop. Found a real beauty on ebay

View attachment 144439
Keith, Richmond, Indiana Shell Horsehide with linen fire hose
View attachment 144440View attachment 144441

View attachment 144442View attachment 144443View attachment 144444View attachment 144445View attachment 144447

can leather really be restored? i was under the impression that when it starts to crack then its toast.

 

[inferno]

a whole ****ing liter lol.

 

[Rangen]

I don't buy and restore old strops, but maybe I should. My horse-crazy wife already has all the stuff I would need.

 

[stringer]

can leather really be restored? i was under the impression that when it starts to crack then its toast.

Once they are cracked they are pretty toast. This one is in great shape. Just needed cleaning and a little oil. It's a crapshoot with old strops. I have several failed attempts

 

[inferno]

FINALLY got this one. best one i found on the bay. first i got sent the wrong one. and then the seller was dragging out on sending the correct one but finally it actually arrived. i thought they were gonna scam me for sure but it showed up like 2 months after i ordered it. it takes a month now to ship **** from the US apparantly. anyone like foxes?

 

[Grayswandir]

Very nice man, that's the wedge version, correct?

 

[Tapio]

Lately I got this Friedr Baurmann & Sohne Monopol razor. It came with a four sided strop. Corrosion had attacked few spots pretty hard and also the edge had a bit of damage. Now it shaves very well after some rust removal, polishing and sharpening. I haven't even tested the strop yet. One day I will explore it.

 

[stringer]

Lately I got this F. B. & S. Schutz razor. It came with a four sided strop. Corrosion had attacked some spots pretty hard and also the edge had some damage. It shaves very well after some rust removal, polishing and sharpening. I haven't even tested the strop yet. View attachment 149916

That's a really classy shoulderless you got there. Very nice.

 

[Tapio]

That's a really classy shoulderless you got there. Very nice.

Thanks. I bought it from a local online marketplace. I didn't know anything about the brand and also the condition of the razor was a bit of mystery. Things turned our well. Everything was in one piece and the edge was perfectly repairable. It definitely was one of my better deals.

 

[stringer]

Thanks. I bought it from a local online marketplace. I didn't know anything about the brand and also the condition of the razor was a bit of mystery. Things turned our well. Everything was in one piece and the edge was perfectly repairable. It definitely was one of my better deals.

I am not familiar with the brand and all that my reference books say is 1900-1940, but it looks great. Some of my favorite razors sport similar grinds.

 

[captaincaed]

FINALLY got this one. best one i found on the bay. first i got sent the wrong one. and then the seller was dragging out on sending the correct one but finally it actually arrived. i thought they were gonna scam me for sure but it showed up like 2 months after i ordered it. it takes a month now to ship **** from the US apparantly. anyone like foxes?

View attachment 149524

View attachment 149526

View attachment 149527

This looks very cool, didn't even know they came with a swept profile

 

[Grayswandir]

I just finished up a nice Genco "Easy Aces" razor.

Here are a couple of photos:

I gave it a very thorough cleaning, sanded down the scales, and replaced the pivot pin. Thing is, the Genco and Case razors tend to use steel rivets, so it's hard to mimic the look. I just used some nickle-silver rod and a small stainless steel washer. Surprisingly, it matched up fairly well. I finished the razor on my Nakayama.

 

[captaincaed]

Working on flattening and resurfacing a translucent Ark. It came used with minor dishing. Found a piece of marble I believe to be pretty flat yesterday and went to town.

Started with surface from a diamond plate, to SiC on Cubitron, and worked up to 1k rhynowet. Not a totally clean surface but much improved. Looking to get some finer SiC powders for a second attempt.

 

[Grayswandir]

Working on flattening and resurfacing a translucent Ark. It came used with minor dishing. Found a piece of marble I believe to be pretty flat yesterday and went to town.

Started with surface from a diamond plate, to SiC on Cubitron, and worked up to 1k rhynowet. Not a totally clean surface but much improved. Looking to get some finer SiC powders for a second attempt.

View attachment 150021View attachment 150022View attachment 150023

How hard are the translucent arks? Are they as hard as the black arks? It's a beautiful looking stone, and it looks like you did a nice job so far.

 

[captaincaed]

It's super hard. I made and baked cookies and got through 3 episodes of Seinfeld just taking out the surface marks from the diamond plate. Went through about 8 sheets of sandpaper since I don't have SiC finer than 60grit. This is a time investment I want to make once a decade, but not more

I also noticed some improvement on the razor. Went from skimming leg hair to snagging it, still not tree-topping it. I'm hoping to resurface the stone very, very smooth on one side to be a finisher, and leave the other side at a coarse 60-grit for knife touch ups. Arks cut an edge incredibly fast if they have a fresh surface and/or slurry. An Ark slurry from a coarse diamond plate causes it to cut surprisingly fast and even.

I don't think this is the cleanest translucent Ark. I have a really clean, nice black vintage Ark, unused. I'd say it's equally hard, honestly, and leaves a slightly better edge, but I'm still experimenting with surface quality. I should really read up at B&B, I'm sure it's been talked about to death over there, but I'm new to it.

 

[Grayswandir]

It's super hard. I made and baked cookies and got through 3 episodes of Seinfeld just taking out the surface marks from the diamond plate. Went through about 8 sheets of sandpaper since I don't have SiC finer than 60grit. This is a time investment I want to make once a decade, but not more

I also noticed some improvement on the razor. Went from skimming leg hair to snagging it, still not tree-topping it. I'm hoping to resurface the stone very, very smooth on one side to be a finisher, and leave the other side at a coarse 60-grit for knife touch ups. Arks cut an edge incredibly fast if they have a fresh surface and/or slurry. An Ark slurry from a coarse diamond plate causes it to cut surprisingly fast and even.

I don't think this is the cleanest translucent Ark. I have a really clean, nice black vintage Ark, unused. I'd say it's equally hard, honestly, and leaves a slightly better edge, but I'm still experimenting with surface quality. I should really read up at B&B, I'm sure it's been talked about to death over there, but I'm new to it.

I was discussing this topic recently, but about black arks, and it's definitely a serious chore to resurface those stones. The topic was making a convex hone (let's not go there). I don't know much about Arkansas stones, so I wasn't sure if the translucent arks were as hard as the black arks, apparently they are. I'm going to get myself one someday (black ark) and I hear the place to go is Dan's Whetstones. His arks are high quality, at least from what other people have told me. I just want to see how one performs as a finisher for straight razors. I hear you have to find the right one, as they aren't all created equally.

Snagging hair sounds like an improvement, even if slight. I like the idea of having two different surfaces on one natural stone. Will the fine side cut fast as well? And would you use a slurry and dilute it as you honed (for a razor) like other naturals?

-gray.

 

[stringer]

I was discussing this topic recently, but about black arks, and it's definitely a serious chore to resurface those stones. The topic was making a convex hone (let's not go there). I don't know much about Arkansas stones, so I wasn't sure if the translucent arks were as hard as the black arks, apparently they are. I'm going to get myself one someday (black ark) and I hear the place to go is Dan's Whetstones. His arks are high quality, at least from what other people have told me. I just want to see how one performs as a finisher for straight razors. I hear you have to find the right one, as they aren't all created equally.

Snagging hair sounds like an improvement, even if slight. I like the idea of having two different surfaces on one natural stone. Will the fine side cut fast as well? And would you use a slurry and dilute it as you honed (for a razor) like other naturals?

-gray.

There's endless debate which is harder/denser/finer. Hard/black/translucent. And I think the individual specimen does matter. Originally there was just washita/soft/hard. Breaking hard into translucent/black/surgical came later. I have a 4*2 butterscotch translucent and a 3*1 surgical black. I can't tell much of a difference between the two. I prefer the edges I get off of Jasper and a Thuringian a little better. But I prefer the arks for finishing to any of my coticules or high grit synthetics. I haven't used them with rough finishes or slurries. But I think @Desert Rat uses them that way sometimes.

 

[captaincaed]

I was discussing this topic recently, but about black arks, and it's definitely a serious chore to resurface those stones. The topic was making a convex hone (let's not go there). I don't know much about Arkansas stones, so I wasn't sure if the translucent arks were as hard as the black arks, apparently they are. I'm going to get myself one someday (black ark) and I hear the place to go is Dan's Whetstones. His arks are high quality, at least from what other people have told me. I just want to see how one performs as a finisher for straight razors. I hear you have to find the right one, as they aren't all created equally.

Snagging hair sounds like an improvement, even if slight. I like the idea of having two different surfaces on one natural stone. Will the fine side cut fast as well? And would you use a slurry and dilute it as you honed (for a razor) like other naturals?

-gray.

I agree with Stringer, that the edge from my Ark is a bit nicer than the edge from my cotiucle (using what I think is called a dilucot method - start with slurry, thin it down progressively until clean running water).

HOWEVER

I'm doing a lot of A/B testing with surface finish, and seeing where that road goes. I'll do the same for the Arks and the Coti, but need some more SiC powders first. After this experiment, they seem to be more versatile and efficient than a diamond plate, and leave an even "frosted glass" finish rather an elliptical gouges.

On that note, I probably won't raise a slurry as a habit - using SiC grit wouldn't work, and the plate gouges are deep and hard to erase. I think I'll re-lap it coarse time to time as need calls, just rough up the surface a bit to avoid losing too much stone.

I think Dan's is the place to go for new Arks, yes. I'd say keep eyes open for vintage too, always a fun hunt.

 

[cotedupy]

I was discussing this topic recently, but about black arks, and it's definitely a serious chore to resurface those stones. The topic was making a convex hone (let's not go there). I don't know much about Arkansas stones, so I wasn't sure if the translucent arks were as hard as the black arks, apparently they are. I'm going to get myself one someday (black ark) and I hear the place to go is Dan's Whetstones. His arks are high quality, at least from what other people have told me. I just want to see how one performs as a finisher for straight razors. I hear you have to find the right one, as they aren't all created equally.

Snagging hair sounds like an improvement, even if slight. I like the idea of having two different surfaces on one natural stone. Will the fine side cut fast as well? And would you use a slurry and dilute it as you honed (for a razor) like other naturals?

-gray.

I’m relatively new to razor honing (so take my opinions with a pinch of salt!), but have been playing around with arks for it recently. These comments relate to my old Norton hards, though I’m sure they stand for Dan’s too.

As mentioned above - hard arks behave wildly differently depending on the surface finish. If you rough one with an atoma / SiC they cut very fast indeed, for a short while. If you take the surface to 1k and burnish it - they basically don’t abrade hard steel at all. So if you’ve got two flat surfaces then there’s a huge range of potential finishes for creating a ‘combi’ stone.

In my limited experience - a burnished ark finish will improve an edge off even a very fine jnat. But you do need to have a fine finish beforehand; at that level they really just polish, there’s almost no cutting going on.

Because of this you can’t really raise a slurry on them, as they effectively have zero friability unless you fancy killing an atoma quite quickly. And you can’t do on SiC or sandpaper obviously, as it’ll leave particles on the surface that you need to wash off.

Of mine - the translucents and (slightly translucent) black are to all intents and purposes identical finishes. And yep - Dan’s seem to be the place to go for new ones. I imagine any stone they sell will be excellent; you don’t get and maintain a reputation like that without very serious quality control, especially when selling into a highly specialised market of knowledgable consumers.

All in all - I’d strongly recommend them for razors. I’ve been very impressed!

 

[Grayswandir]

Thank you for the information gentlemen. I really appreciate it. It gives me a good starting point into the world of Arkansas stones. I really love the way the butterscotch stones look, and I find it interesting that they can be just as hard as the black arks, and are nice finishers (depending on how they are surfaced). I really do like the vintage Arks, that's a nice little collection cotedupy, I wish it was mine!

Cotedupy, your black stone in particular seems to be calling out to me. It kind of looks like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey!

It's a very beautiful stone. Are the black and the translucent stones you have on display from the 1930's, or are they later examples? I know Norton teamed up with Pike at some point, then simply became known as Norton Abrasives, but I can't recall the dates when these events happened.

Thanks guys.