Have an old razor, want to try it!

[comp_wiz101]

Hi B&Ber's! I suppose my story is pretty common around here... I've been DE wetshaving for a while now and I wanted to try out a straight. I already have two that I picked up years ago, never intending to shave...
I've got a 5/8 Boker and a 6/8 Wade & Butcher. There are no nicks in the edges that I can see. What I'm asking may be a pipe dream, but here it goes: I'd like to try sharpening/stropping one of these to try it out, with the least expense possible. I won't expect any miracles here, but I am willing to do some DIY if necessary.
Here's the pics of the razors (Sorry about the quality...)

[Pudu]

They both look quite good. And that W&B is a sweety looking razor - love that shoulderless shape.

Merely based on the shape of the blade (it's a little hard to tell for sure with the shadows in that photo), the Boker looks like it may have some hone wear, but nothing that would prevent you from turning it into a nice shaver. Much more important than the stamps are the edges. Too hard to tell from your photos if there are any trouble spots to worry about. Give us a close up of the edges. Do NOT try sharpening them yourself or you'll likely turn two perfectly good razors into unwieldy butter knives. Get someone who knows what they are doing to hone them up for you. Where are you located?

You'll need a strop of some kind as you can't really get a taste for straight razors in one attempt.

Nice razors.

[comp_wiz101]

I'm located in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada (about 1-1 1/2 hours from Vancouver)
Here's some closer pictures of the blades:


That's not a gold wash over the blade, just mismatched lighting

[Kees]

The edge of the W&B seems problem free the Boker looks to have some pitting quite near the cutting edge towards the toe.

It's quite hard to say how much work the edges need. You'll probable only need a Norton 4/8K to get them going or if you want to spend less a Swaty or other good quality double sided barber hone.

If you want to DIY from the start read Joel's Interactive guide to straight razor shaving well. It may be worth while getting a cheaper practice razor from the B/S/T forum before you start with the Boker and W&B.

[Fnord5]

The W&B looks like a hollow grind of some sort, I can't tell the difference in 1/4 1/2 hollow, but that looks awesome!

Can you post a picture of the ends of the blades?

[comp_wiz101]

Boker:

W&B:

[Fnord5]

If you ever get tired of it... I could give it a loving home.

[comp_wiz101]

Well, I've got a barber that is going to take a look at one of the razors (probably the boker) to hone it up. I'll probably buy a strop from RupRazor and go from there. Either that or get some leather and make my own.