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H2Andy
10-03-2006, 06:13 PM
found this razor today when i went to pick up my wife at an antique shop.

the handle is made of wood, and the shank has a palmtree with a ribbon and what looks like a shield at the bottom. it says "Germany" right next to the tree.

the blade has an engraved building (on one side only) and underneath it says "The Manufacturers Building at the Columbian Exposition Chicago 1893"

here are some bad pictures. i can't get my cheap camera to cooperate.

the Columbian Expo is another name for the World's Fair in 1893.

anyone have any idea what the manufacturer might be?

what it might be worth?

thanks in advance
TraderJoe
10-04-2006, 08:50 PM
Looks great Andy, how'd it shave?
rickw
10-04-2006, 09:29 PM
the scales look like thet lould be cocobolo.
Rick
LX_Emergency
10-05-2006, 12:59 AM
I have some cocobolo at home...cocobolo is really a lot darker usually isn't it?
H2Andy
10-05-2006, 07:47 AM
Looks great Andy, how'd it shave?


i haven't tried it. i'm a brand new straight razor shaver, with only two shaves under my belt

i have honed it as best i know to, and will use it this weekend to see how it goes (i am not daring fate by shaving with a straight razor before going to work)


i've done tons of ebay searches, and it appears that world fair razors are fairly common
MasonM
10-13-2006, 01:50 PM
I really like that. It has a real old fashioned look to it.
joel
10-13-2006, 02:00 PM
i haven't tried it. i'm a brand new straight razor shaver, with only two shaves under my belt

i have honed it as best i know to, and will use it this weekend to see how it goes (i am not daring fate by shaving with a straight razor before going to work)


i've done tons of ebay searches, and it appears that world fair razors are fairly common

The edge on that razor doesn't look so hot... and the blade edge is a touch wavy - that coupled with the fact that the sides of the spine/crown are flat (which means someone tried to grind/hone the hell outta it, and is what accounts for the wavy look to the blade) I would not recommend shaving with that razor. Since the spine is flattened - to properly hone it you would have to have the back of the razor off of the hone - and it would be terribly difficult to get that thing into shaving condition... I know it would at least take me a few hours.... at least.

My .02 - don't shave with it... it'll be a bad experience.
ForestryProf
10-13-2006, 02:43 PM
Yes, definitely a bunch of hone wear on that razor, but then again, there is a bunch of hone wear on any blade that spent a decade or more in a barbers shop :rolleyes: . From the top left picture it looks like the spine and edge are parallel which suggests that it could be honed without having to re-shape the blade. I'd suggest taping the spine to prevent further hone wear, and taking it to whatever your most coarse hone is...4K or less (I'd use my Norton 1K). After establishing a clean even bevel then you can start to worry about getting it sharp.
Cool etching by the way...I have the same picture on a 7/8 Bokor.
Cheers,
Ed
H2Andy
10-13-2006, 08:30 PM
well... i tried to shave with it and it was a disaster. it just wouldn't shave at all (the other blade i tried honing at least i could shave with).

i came to the same conclusion, though for a diferent reason, that this was not a good shaving blade.

my thought was that since it was a "souvenier" it probably wasn't very good steel

but now it makes sense about the blade
BillEllis
10-15-2006, 12:55 AM
I have a tendency to think it may have more to do with the condition of the blade rather than the type of steel. I looks to have excessive hone wear and there is an inward curvature in the cutting edge.

First, the edge needs to be straightened and then the blade needs to be honed again. There is a lot of work to be done if you are doing it by hand. Several hours, I'm thinking.
joel
10-15-2006, 10:24 AM
I won't say it! :biggrin:
Rik
10-15-2006, 11:05 AM
I won't say it! :biggrin:
Such restraint! :biggrin:
H2Andy
10-15-2006, 05:35 PM
bill, you need to write what i wrote... in like... what's that word???

context?

:wink:

after joel pointed out the issues with the blade, i agreed with him that was the likely thing ... and then stated that i had first (in my ignorance) thought it had to do with the steel type, and then said it made sense about the blade not being properly honed

in other words, i was agreeing with him that his take made more sense

just clearing that up

:001_tt2: