Thread: New (To Me) W&B

I have some very similar sclaes on a Nowill blade - even down to the inserts. They were very dirty (second pic) when I unpinned them so a good soaking in a warm water and dish wash tablet solution lifted a lot of dirt and I finished with a tooth brush. Like yours , these were so thin I didn't use any abrasive. There was a slight fracture on the inside of the pile side wedge area that I filled with CA and then sanded flat - fortunately it's not visible on the outside.

Rob,
Those are almost identical to my scales. I am missing one of the twisted wire inserts. Not sure I can duplicate that and re-insert... I will try some 0000 steel wool and some mild dish soap to clean the scales and probably leave them alone. It should look vintage, right? I have shiny new razors...

Originally Posted by ChopperDave

Rob,
Those are almost identical to my scales. I am missing one of the twisted wire inserts. Not sure I can duplicate that and re-insert... I will try some 0000 steel wool and some mild dish soap to clean the scales and probably leave them alone. It should look vintage, right? I have shiny new razors...

If you have access to a local jeweller they may be able to insert some silver wire - I'm not certain, but it looks as though the shield and inserts on my scales could be silver.

I was also struck by how similar the scales are and it suggests that the blade makers and scale makers may have been different businesses - they are just too similar to be a co-incidence. Having said that, I have shamelessly copied other people's ideas when it comes to scale design and material.

I think your plan to use steel wool sounds good. I used a buffing wheel and, initially, they were a little too shiny - however they have toned down now. My Nowill blade still has a really comfortable edge and after about 4 years of using straights, I think I'm just beginning to understand how an older and softer steel feels slightly different to a modern blade.