One Inch of Sheffield Steel

Been wanting to tackle this one for a while, Justin and I finally got a chance to talk on the phone and we worked out all the details..

Elephant Ivory scales at .105 thickness
Recon Turquoise wedge at .057 at the base end
Triple stacked washers with Brass pins and Brass internal bearing washers..

The best part was that he decided that the BRIGHT near mirror finish had to go bye bye :) so we brought it back down to a more realistic Satin Glow..

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So that was all the good news..

I got the razor closing near dead nuts center and here is a restore hint I have given many times.. Check the razor on a flat surface before you even make the first cut for the scales, especially when you are working with a rare and beautiful set of Ivories..
When I checked this one I decided to come inside and take a couple of pics so you can see why..

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All I do is set the razor on a nice flat surface and put my finger on the pivot hole and press down, look at the spine, see the difference in the distance to the flat surface between the two sides of the razor... That tells me before I even make the scales, that I have to take that issue into account for the build... I know my build may be straight but the razor will hit the sides of the scales when closing.. There are several ways to make these adjustments and they can be found in the "Workshop Sticky" you just have to try a few until you get comfortable using them.. The advantage is knowing ahead of time that you have this hurdle to overcome..

I hope that helps out a bit, thanks for looking

Honing = Chosera 1k-5k-10k / Finish - Select Grade Coticule

Beautiful!
Your work is TOP NOTCH! :tu

Looks awesome as usual...really like the blue wedge!!

That is some lovely work you did there. The turquoise wedge really sets it off. Very nice!

absolutely beautiful !!!!!

BloodBath

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All I do is set the razor on a nice flat surface and put my finger on the pivot hole and press down, look at the spine, see the difference in the distance to the flat surface between the two sides of the razor... That tells me before I even make the scales, that I have to take that issue into account for the build... I know my build may be straight but the razor will hit the sides of the scales when closing.. There are several ways to make these adjustments and they can be found in the "Workshop Sticky" you just have to try a few until you get comfortable using them.. The advantage is knowing ahead of time that you have this hurdle to overcome..

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I usually use aThe vice and pin method... Which way did u opt for this time

Nice wedge... Not a fan of recon stone but maybe I'm not thinking of it in the right context like in your example it looks classy

Also where is all this ivory coming from... Seems rampant in these forums

Edit: I found the source

I can not wait to get that bad boy home! Looks great Glen.Turned out just like we thought.

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Originally Posted by bokerblade

I can not wait to get that bad boy home! Looks great Glen.Turned out just like we thought.

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After you take that beauty for a shave, make sure you post some pics in the Butcher Shop thread....congratulations!!!

That's perfect !

ummm 8/8?

That's a beautiful razor and a lucky owner.

May I inquire when the W & B blades marked for Barbers Use with no other markings were produced? I have a 7/8 (no notch) with the identical markings and don't know how old it is. Thanks!

Mate, thats an absolute stunner. Very Cool
Grant

Very nice. That Recon Turquoise works really well with the scales.

One word:Awesome :tu

WP34

Beautiful work as usual. I really like your satin finishes on these blades especially!

JC

That thing is awesome. Now I'm hankering to go to every antique store in a 150 mile radius of my house to look for razors.

Jonathan

That is really beautiful. I like the color of the wedge, it makes it "pop".
I was surprised by the big leap in your honing progression. I thought that would be too big of a jump but since you did it I might have been wrong about that. Is it harder to get a good result that way? Is it advisable to try that out?

Awesome and I am envious!!

Ray

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Originally Posted by Ludvig

T
I was surprised by the big leap in your honing progression. I thought that would be too big of a jump but since you did it I might have been wrong about that. Is it harder to get a good result that way? Is it advisable to try that out?

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They are Choseras :) which are incredible polishers and cutters and also stupidly expensive, they are fast and accurate and leave very shallow smooth striations, again not really needed...
Basically I like them because they do exactly what I want them to do, they do it very well, very accurately, and very fast, but they are truly a waste of money however because the 10k really isn't a "Finisher" you can force it, but it does way better with and actual finisher after the 10k ...

I love them for me, I don't recommend them all that much for other people, as to the jump :hmmm: I use systems both ways, some like the Naniwa SS (1-3-5-8-10-12) and the Shapton GS (1-2-4-6-8-16-30) I like taking very small little tiny steps all the way through.. Some times I use a 1-4-8, 1-5-8, or 1-3-8 system into a finisher.. I have also done 1k to Finisher and nothing in between :) so no the 1-5-10 system with those hones is rather easy for me...


So yeah I love them and use them quite a bit, but No I don't advise them...

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

They are Choseras :) which are incredible polishers and cutters and also stupidly expensive, they are fast and accurate and leave very shallow smooth striations, again not really needed...
Basically I like them because they do exactly what I want them to do, they do it very well, very accurately, and very fast, but they are truly a waste of money however because the 10k really isn't a "Finisher" you can force it, but it does way better with and actual finisher after the 10k ...

I love them for me, I don't recommend them all that much for other people, as to the jump :hmmm: I use systems both ways, some like the Naniwa SS (1-3-5-8-10-12) and the Shapton GS (1-2-4-6-8-16-30) I like taking very small little tiny steps all the way through.. Some times I use a 1-4-8, 1-5-8, or 1-3-8 system into a finisher.. I have also done 1k to Finisher and nothing in between :) so no the 1-5-10 system with those hones is rather easy for me...


So yeah I love them and use them quite a bit, but No I don't advise them...

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Thank you very much for the interesting post :) I have seen that the ones who use Choseras are often very satisfied with them. They do cost very much though.

Nice work Glen and a fine looking blade deserving of ivory. Very well done!

The finish on the blade is very nice! seems like time period correct! ivory scales just fabulous! Great Job!

That is a fine looking shaver Glen. Great work! Best Regards Ken

Nice work on that restoration, Glen. You are the man! :)

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Originally Posted by JSmith1983

Very nice. That Recon Turquoise works really well with the scales.

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+1
I really love all details ... specially the wedge!!
:chapeau

Inspiring results Glen! Working with ivory would make me take pause for fear of ruining it. You obviously mastered working with it! Was the ivory fragile to the point that you had to do anything special (aside from making sure you went gently and hit accurately)?

Not Really Mike, Ivory is not all that fragile until it gets down into the super thin levels that they used in the old days.. Some of those scales were more in the .060 - .085 arena.. I aim for more in the .090-.110 arena, so I feel it is pretty darn strong in that range.. Ivory seems to be very shock resistant also, and of course the Feel and the Glow after polishing is something that only Real Ivory has..

Real care has to be taken while sanding it, much like Micarta you don't want to use low grit unless it is very necessary because you can get deep scratches that are very hard to get rid of, generally 220 is the lowest you want to start with, 320 is better, and a light touch is much better...

Listen to Glen.I did a resto Scale for a members NOS blade awhile back,One was prestine, one was broken at the pivot.
The Scales were only .050 thick, almost translucent:(
I made the replacment to match the orig and dyed it to match also,pinned it with washers which you could not see after final polish.
As Glen says, thicker Ivory is pretty tough stuff.

Beautiful Glen, must admit your attention to detail on this one is impressive to say the least.

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Not Really Mike, Ivory is not all that fragile until it gets down into the super thin levels that they used in the old days.. Some of those scales were more in the .060 - .085 arena.. I aim for more in the .090-.110 arena, so I feel it is pretty darn strong in that range.. Ivory seems to be very shock resistant also, and of course the Feel and the Glow after polishing is something that only Real Ivory has..

Real care has to be taken while sanding it, much like Micarta you don't want to use low grit unless it is very necessary because you can get deep scratches that are very hard to get rid of, generally 220 is the lowest you want to start with, 320 is better, and a light touch is much better...

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What about the restrictive rules around Ivory? Would have probably purchased pixelfied 10/8 if I wasn't worried it would get nailed at the border in customs...what are the issues around import / export?

Yes there are Customs issues with Elephant Ivory,,,

There has to be a Pre-ban or Cull certificate with it, is my understanding... I believe there are some exceptions for Vintage but you do have to research this before Buying, Selling, or Shipping, Ivory

The only Restrictions are that it cannot be imported or exported out of CONUS.
Boone Trading Company -

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

The only Restrictions are that it cannot be imported or exported out of CONUS.
Boone Trading Company -

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Thanks pixelfixed - did a little research and figured I might have had an issue getting it into Canada...as soon as you involve customs, it's a an entirely different world! Sheesh, even got dinged for duty when I had some razors honed in the US!!!

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Originally Posted by Phrank

Thanks pixelfixed - did a little research and figured I might have had an issue getting it into Canada...as soon as you involve customs, it's a an entirely different world! Sheesh, even got dinged for duty when I had some razors honed in the US!!!

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Is really no issue on your end,IF any Item containing Ivory should be caught by customs it would be destroyed and you would be out the cost.
On my end it is a federal offense with major fines and in some cases jail time:(

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Is really no issue on your end,IF any Item containing Ivory should be caught by customs it would be destroyed and you would be out the cost.
On my end it is a federal offense with major fines and in some cases jail time:(

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What!!!!

Almost choked on my coffee!!!

I figured I'd be out the cost, which would be a total drag...but federal offense, major fines and possibly jail time for you...that would be an all around bad news experience!!!

Thanks for the information!!

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Originally Posted by Phrank

What!!!!

Almost choked on my coffee!!!

I figured I'd be out the cost, which would be a total drag...but federal offense, major fines and possibly jail time for you...that would be an all around bad news experience!!!

Thanks for the information!!

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I agree with the laws 100%,is one small step to curtail the slaughter of elephants.
BUT,whats strange from an international standpoint is that Great Britain,China and Japan are Licenced by international law to trade in all the Ivory they can get,from any source.