Rehab question

[Sailinblues]

Good Evening,
I am new to str8s (still in the acquisition phase). I picked up 2 razors this afternoon and have a question. The first is a W. Greaves and sons 6/8 with horn scales, blade vg+, scales vg+ but it needs repinned and honed. The second is a W&B "The Celebrated" 5/8, blade has some staining but very little corrosion, scales vg+. It looks alot better in person than in the pic. Are these worthy of sending off for a full restore or is it something I should just have a go at and have somone hone? Keep in mind that I have very little invested in them at this point. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks


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[IsaacRN]

IM not an expert......but......the W&B looks like it has some spine wear. Bill Ellis could redo them for yah easy..if you wanted to restore.but im sure hes has a list atm. The top one looks pretty good...probably they both woudnt hurt being honed...but that second one looks worse off.

If you want to try to clean the blades themselves.....use some MAAS polish.

[PalmettoB]

I'd say the old W. Greaves blade is in really good condition, and could probably be honed up and used as is. However, if you chose to fit it with better custom scales, that wouldn't look too bad either. But I'm kinda partial to the as-is look of the old horn scales. YMMV.

The W & B looks like it used to be a lot bigger blade. It might have been chipped or something and then evened off. I'm not sure you really want to spend much fixing that one up. I'd just hone it and use it.

[Bill]

The top one is a super razor from the mid 1800's and just about ready to go. Put the WB in a drawer until you have some more info regarding razors to make a determination on whether you should even keep it at all. It's in pretty sad shape.

Why does the Greaves need to be repinned in your view? If it's horn, use a 1500 or 2000 grit sandpaper to make it smooth and shiny. Then take Flitz, Maas, or any good metal polish to buff it out with an old washcloth, your fingertips, and some elbow grease.

Do the same with the blade, but without using the sandpaper. Elbow grease and a washcloth. Make sure the edge of the blade is supported and flush against something flat, like a piece of formica, a piece of safety glass, or even a piece of hardwood while you work on it. Otherwise, have gauze nearby and be prepared to bleed.

[IsaacRN]

And the master has spoken.

Bill....on a side note...i may have some scale requests from you. Do you delve in plastics at all?

[Bill]

Bill....on a side note...i may have some scale requests from you. Do you delve in plastics at all?


I've got the stuff to experiment... just haven't had the time. I want to make a mold of my own design and put them on my razors. Too many projects...

[Sailinblues]

Thanks for the info gents. I think I'm going to repin the Greaves (the pin at the pivot is very loose) and take Bill's advice and bag the W&B. Didn't make out too bad though. I got these 2, 2 fat handled techs and a mint e3 injector for $4.00. Not a bad day. Thanks again.