Couple of new straights

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Just picked up two new straights - a Sheffield made Joseph Rodgers and a German WUG. The Rodgers seems like it just needs a polish and hone, but the WUG needs some marked removed from the blade.

Will post a couple of pics later, but got both from the antiques market in Islington for £5 each :D

Anyone got any info on them?
 
The History of Joseph Rodgers & Sons: http://www.straightrazorplace.com/srpwiki/images/d/d4/The_History_of_Joseph_Rodgers_and_Sons.pdf - excellent razors.

WUGs - made by Dorko-Dorten GmbH & Co. Dorko was founded in 1920 by Friedrich Dorten. Dorkos are excellent razors, don't have much experience of the WUG marked razors apart from the ones that have an odd-shaped handle that a celluloid case fits over - had quite a few of those. They seem to rust and pit quite easily and the handle/case is often split, discoloured and warped, or the case/sleeve bit tends to be missing. Take a very good edge though. Perhaps they get rusted by being put back in the sleeve still damp? I have seen a few pristine examples though.

Regards,
Neil
 
Thanks Neil - I'll post some photos when I get a chance.

The WUG has celluloid scales and is a rather small razor so might well have been intended for a case. The razor has some pretty bad marks along the spine but not the cutting edge, so might be salvageable without too much work. The metal inlay in the scales needs a clean up, but the pins are all intact and the razor has a central post to support the blade when closed - also intact and well fitted.

What is best to use to clean up scales with inlays?
 
I use a low-speed buffing machine to finish the scales with, after progressing through a number of different wet'n'dry papers, say 100 - 240 - 400 - 800 - 1500 depending on the condition. You can lightly use the finest grade steel wool (0000? forgotten how many zeros!) then some high grit paper or micromesh. If the scales are OK just use some metal cleaner on them to give a shine to them and the inlay. I use MAAS, but peek and solvol are equally good.

Regards,
Neil.
 
Here they are:

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The WUG has some slight pitting and discolouration:

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But the Rodgers is spot on, only a bit of a clean up needed round the neck:

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The WUG is small but seems normal shape maybe it wasn't intended to have a case...?
 
The Rodgers looks like an excellent buy - well done!

The other one isn't the shape I was thinking of - no case involved.

I would shut the blade on the Wug and see if any of that spotting coincides with the pattern on the scales. If it does, the scales are breaking down - celluloid rot. Usually the staining is under the clearer areas. If it is you should really take the blade out of the scales and get rid of them - the acidic vapour that is released can corrode other razors. Of course, it may not be the dreaded cell-rot, but best to err on the safe side and isolate it until you are sure.

Regards,
neil
 
One patch of corrosion in the WUG definitely relates to a patch of clear on the scales.... I've quarantined it for now and will have to de-pin and remove the scales soon. It's a shame because it has the nice WUG logo on the scales.

Well I was looking for a first full restoration project, so I guess this little razor has just become the ideal candidate! (I have a stack of 7 now that I have ready to restore... :oops: )
 
Yes, it is a shame - I have an inlaid pair like yours in the shed, can't get round to throwing them! There's really no point keeping them though - the break-down process cannot be stopped once it starts. You can save the thin metal foil bit - acetone usually dissolves the scales pretty well, leaving the metal behind. Re-installing it is another matter though...!

Regards,
Neil
 
Quite a while ago, back when I was a proper cabinetmaker (which is to say poor as a church mouse but happy in my work, neither of which applies now), we had a young lady from the École Boulle working with us for a while. I thought I was pretty hot at inlay and marquetry, but she was phenomenal, and would have made short work of that WUG inlay. Looks like a three pipe problem to me, at least.

Since I'm now very pragmatic about that sort of thing, I'd be tempted to make a diamond shaped recess, fix the inlay, and infill the rest with a contrasting mastic of some sort. Although it sounds disreputable, that sort of jiggery pokery has been the stock in trade of inlayers for donkeys' years, as careful inspection of old banjo fretboards will confirm.
 
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