Hello,
This is first post on this forum although I have been lurking for a while. I've been enjoying straight razor shaving although I took on more than I could chew when I bought a vintage razor that needed minor hone work to remove a small chip in the blade and honing to a point where it was shave ready. My first efforts were not so bad although the second picture shows where I slipped with the hone and scratched the blade. Since then I've got honing to a point where the razor gives a nice shave although no doubt I can still improve.
Having brought it back from the somewhat manky condition that it arrived in, I'm wondering whether I should polish the blade? It has tarnished and looks ugly with the hone marks but a small part of my mind has romanticized it into a patina of pride for its age. Any thoughts?
Secondly, does anybody know anything about the history? (if there is any, of course!)
The tang is stamped "Christel" Germany on one side and "Extra hollow ground on the other". Scales it seems are bone and may even be original. Online research suggests it may have been made in Solingen although there are no stamped markings to suggest this is the case.
I've had a scour online and found absolutely nothing except a few auctions with other razors for sale - the history behind razors is interesting so it would be nice to know something.
Thank you.
This is first post on this forum although I have been lurking for a while. I've been enjoying straight razor shaving although I took on more than I could chew when I bought a vintage razor that needed minor hone work to remove a small chip in the blade and honing to a point where it was shave ready. My first efforts were not so bad although the second picture shows where I slipped with the hone and scratched the blade. Since then I've got honing to a point where the razor gives a nice shave although no doubt I can still improve.
Having brought it back from the somewhat manky condition that it arrived in, I'm wondering whether I should polish the blade? It has tarnished and looks ugly with the hone marks but a small part of my mind has romanticized it into a patina of pride for its age. Any thoughts?
Secondly, does anybody know anything about the history? (if there is any, of course!)
The tang is stamped "Christel" Germany on one side and "Extra hollow ground on the other". Scales it seems are bone and may even be original. Online research suggests it may have been made in Solingen although there are no stamped markings to suggest this is the case.
I've had a scour online and found absolutely nothing except a few auctions with other razors for sale - the history behind razors is interesting so it would be nice to know something.
Thank you.
