Can this even be restored?

I have a Torrey Razor Co. near wedge straight that I acquired with some rust and a less than prefect edge. When I bought it, it only cost $1, and I love the weight and feel of just holding it. Is this even possible to restore? I could probably do a lot of the rust removal myself, but can it be adequately honed to the point where it would be usable again?

Seen worse restored.

Hotak21 said:

Absolutely can. Honestly, not that bad, I've seen blades of all sorts far worse off, and then seen them restored (or done the resto myself). Definitely worth it too.

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Michael Spotts said:

Seen worse restored.

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Great to hear! Thank you, gentlemen! I'm about to enter the March Monthly Restraint, so I'll have to wait until April to have someone restore the blade for me. I'm more than capable of making scales for it, but metal work is not something that I'm familiar with.

I also have a Joseph Allen & Sons straight that I got for $1 as well (same lot). I would love to have it restored also, but it seems like it's already been ground down quite a bit (file marks on the barbers notch, and the blade is only 18/32"). Is this one restorable as well?

I'd say so .

Sure, seen much worse

If the masters say it can be done, then it can. Good luck with the restos.

Both look okay, you might not even want to restore, just hone and use.

Thanks again, Gents!

global_dev said:

Both look okay, you might not even want to restore, just hone and use.

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Good point.

since they aren't heirlooms (yet) neither of them are particularly that sought after (comparatively) , but they aren't bad either.. i think you should get them honed and enjoy. if you like them later on, by all means get them prettied up, but they are totally functional with a bit of staining and corrosion. if teh smaller one is rusty, then that would need some sorting..

I'd be happy to give one of them a spit shine for you and I must be fairly close to your location. Let me know if you are interested.

GolFisHunt said:

I'd be happy to give one of them a spit shine for you and I must be fairly close to your location. Let me know if you are interested.

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That would be fantastic! You have some very nice razors that I've seen you post. I would be interested in getting the Torrey fixed up first. To me it feels the most comfortable in my hands, and I like the weight of it. Thank you for your offer. I'll send you a PM...

Here it is! I'll try to finish honing it tonight and give it a test in the morning. I should have it in the mail in a couple of day's.

Remarkable!
Nice work there Dave.

Thank you, Tony! I hope Erik is happy with the results. It looks a bit better in person.

It looks amazing, Dave! Thank you! It is far nicer than I would have been able to do on my own. I'm very excited knowing that I'll be able to shave with it. I just hope that I'll be able to help other members as generously as you and a few of the other gentlemen on B&B have helped me. So very kind of you! Great work!

Wow!!

Very Nice!

My pleasure and glad you approve of the work! A last minute work assignment precluded getting it on the mail this morning. I'll get it out tomorrow. Should be there in time for the weekend. I put a coticule edge on it, I trust that is acceptable. I enjoyed it this morning, and may again tomorrow.
If you ever decide to part with it, the line forms behind me!

GolFisHunt said:

If you ever decide to part with it, the line forms behind me!

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You'll be the first on my list, but by the way she looks, I'm sure she'll be a keeper!

Dave did a stand up job on this Torrey. She feels great, looks great, and shaves great.

My first straight (and only other that I've used) is a 5/8" hollow, and I realized that I really do enjoy a heavier grind and larger blade after using the Torrey. It's a near wedge (maybe a 1/4 hollow?), and after Dave got the chips out, the blade's a hair over 11/16". I'm still fairly new to shaving with a straight, but I for sure got my quickest, closest, and most comfortable straight razor shave with it.

I'm not the greatest photographer, and I'm just using the camera on my phone, so I only got one decent shot of the razor so far.
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I'm very grateful for the work Dave did on it, and it's encouraged me to start researching honing and restoration, and hopefully get some beaters to clean up once my Monthly Gentleman Restraint is done in April. Thanks for making the razor look nice for me, Dave. And, thanks for all of the help and encouragement, Gentlemen!

Glad you like! When you get around to rehoning it, you should be aware that it was honed with one layer of electrical tape.