New Straight Razor

hairypigeon

Hi guys in a fit of Ebay fever i bought a 42 3/8" full hollow ground(i think) Puma Straight Razor

Ive read up that Puma is a good vintage brand but whats arrived looks to be a little battered and bruised

2 things though
Is the blade too thin as a beginners blade?

I dont even own a honing stone can anyone recommend someone to restore it?

I have 2 photos attached

hitemfrank

A 3/8 razor may be ok for you starting out. For me I know it would be but I only know that by trying different sizes of razors.

The difference between a 3/8 and a 5/8 which is normally suggested for beginners is mainly that you would need to wash/wipe the lather of the smaller blade more often. It may even be a little easier to move around your face.

So basically, the only way to know if it's going to be too small is to use it and see.


As far as restoring them you have two choices. You could just get yourself some wet/dry sandpaper from about 240 grit up to 1500 grit and spend some time sandning the blade yourself. After that you would have to send it to someone to hone it for you. The other choice is to find someone to clean up and hone the blade for you. This can be more convenient than the first option but will cost more obviously.

If you want someone to restore it, have a look at this site. Maciek dose amazing work and is in Kildare so shipping costs will be nice and low.

hairypigeon

hitemfrank wrote: »

A 3/8 razor may be ok for you starting out. For me I know it would be but I only know that by trying different sizes of razors.

The difference between a 3/8 and a 5/8 which is normally suggested for beginners is mainly that you would need to wash/wipe the lather of the smaller blade more often. It may even be a little easier to move around your face.

So basically, the only way to know if it's going to be too small is to use it and see.


As far as restoring them you have two choices. You could just get yourself some wet/dry sandpaper from about 240 grit up to 1500 grit and spend some time sandning the blade yourself. After that you would have to send it to someone to hone it for you. The other choice is to find someone to clean up and hone the blade for you. This can be more convenient than the first option but will cost more obviously.

If you want someone to restore it, have a look at this site. Maciek dose amazing work and is in Kildare so shipping costs will be nice and low.

Frank that's great thanks for the steer got in touch with Maciek

He thinks it might be too thin too so I've touched base with whippeddog.com for a shave ready blade

I think this may be an addiction in the making

hitemfrank

If you're interested I'll try hone the Puma for you. I say try because I don't know just how bad the rust is on the edge of the razor. It could be a case that the rust will stop a good edge being put on the razor.

Or it could be a case that rust isn't too bad on the edge.

hairypigeon

hairypigeon wrote: »

Frank that's great thanks for the steer got in touch with Maciek

He thinks it might be too thin too so I've touched base with whippeddog.com for a shave ready blade

I think this may be an addiction in the making

Frank I sent my razor to Maciek its currently on black anvil and looks great

Thanks for the tip

I also bought a shave ready blade from whipped dog Which I've been using but I'm looking forward to the professionally restored straight

hitemfrank

I was wondering if that was your Puma on his site. He does very nice work.