Thread: My first restoration, a Wade & Butcher Special.

Well, here is my first attempt at a restoration. It's not perfect, but I had a blast doing it. I know the wedge is not tapered, but it was before I started sanding it flush with the scales. Live and learn, I guess. Had Sham put the final hone on it since I live 10 minutes from him, so I know for a fact it is shave ready. Any tips or suggestions from those with more experience are welcome, I can take criticism.

You did great. You know about the wedge, so I don't need to mention it.

Lucky you for living 10 minutes from Sham. You can learn a lot from him. Also, if at all possible, try to show up around lunch time and ask him to make you a sandwich!

Is the sandwich bread soaked in Vodka? He cracks me up, great sense of humor, and what a source of honing knowledge. I'll have to ask him about his special sandwiches.

He made fancy sandwiches for two meet-ups and they were awesome. Sham is a great guy and yes, is very knowledgeable about honing. No, the bread was not soaked in vodka, but I have been a couple of times with him.

Good go and great start, Shep! It goes forward from here!

Looks like a great start. My first couple were a swing and a miss.

You did great on that W&B!!!
Your first of many!

I messed up an immaculate special the other day. Was cleaning the scales and the product I used started wiping the gold off.

Those scales look really.nice, I'm not big on the plastic originals.

Nice start! Brave of you to start on a Wade, I started on some cheaper blades in case I messed up-which I did a couple of times! The finish on the blade and scales looks great, and you also did very well on the pinning. It took me several razors to get pinning down...

It wasn't because I was brave, but rather not knowing that a Wade was anything special, forgive the pun. If I had known that I should have been intimidated, I probably would have been. Maybe a bit of beginners luck. Most of the razors I find in thrift stores and antique shops get chosen because of: 1. price, and 2. whether or not the blade looks like it can be salvaged. Since I don't know which razors are of value and which aren't, I just try to imagine what it will look like with a little tender loving care and hours and hours of sanding. I used to make London Pattern gun tools for a very famous gun case maker here in Kansas City, so am no stranger to hand sanding of metal. Those of you who know who Marvin Huey is, know of his level of expertise and perfectionism. A visit to Hueycases.com will confirm his quality of workmanship. My work with Marvin probably instilled in me the same insane quest for perfection, which hopefully will translate into the straight razor world. Because of my ignorance of collectible straight razors, I would love advice on any good books on the subject, or just some names of razors that will jog my memory if and when I come across them. At this point, I really don't have any idea what I'm looking for. Any help would be greatly appreciated. BTW, thanks for the kind words, I intend to refine my skills as I gather tips and advice from those more experienced than myself.