Thread: W&B For Barber's Use I've neglected for years.

I don't have any before pictures (well, I do, somewhere, maybe). This one I snagged off ebay a couple years back because I felt like I should actually keep at least one W&B FBU, and if I was gonna, it oughta be one of the old wedgie ones.

This one came to me in decent condition for its age, but in second-hand scales.

I did my sand & polish thing on it then fabricated some fresh FBU scales and a wedge out of tin/bismuth alloy solder. The washers are Ajkenne's awesome recreations (though I used some steel support collars I made under them.

The razor got cleaned up months ago, it was the second test I did with the drum sander (and I might work the blade a bit more). The scales are what I finished up today.

Part test of the cheapo HF 1x30 belt sander (which is AWESOME for scales!), part excuse to stand around in my workshop wearing a respirator rather than breathing smoke from the fires up north.

I cut these from some old blanks that were about twice as thick as they should be, just to use it up, but also to really put the belt sander to the test.

Each piece was rough cut, then I roughed up one side, slapped some wood glue on and squished it in a vise 'till the glue'd cured (okay, I forgot about it all day while doing other stuff). From there I put adhesive paper on one side and traced an old FBU scale.

It was all shaping on the belt sander after that. Once the shape was right, I used sandpaper and a foam block to really even out all the planes, then some 600 grit sanding puff to smooth it even further.

Next was a preliminary polishing before I dyed them black. Yes, I started out with black horn, but I've yet to see natural horn that is as uniformly black as old Sheffield scales -- and you know what? If you sand them, you get horn that isn't black because old Sheffield black scales were dyed.

With the scales dyed, I fitted up the wedge (which was a bit tricky to get the right angle), did a couple test fits with microfasteners and then beat it all up with a hammer.

Yes there's a small nick in the edge because I haven't honed it yet.













Also, when I take pictures of the super-polished razors like this, I end up wearing gloves. The only ones I have handy in my office (where the light rig is) are old cycling gloves with suede fingertips.

The result of that is that I end up heavily editing this pictures -- to remove dust and lint because the damn gloves shed.

Also, what is the law that governs only noticing the polishing compound still stuck to the razor after you've photographed it?

Oh, wait. Here’s a before picture!

... of a completely different razor.

Great job Zak, and the apostrophe in and text, "Wade & Butcher's, For Barber Use", going to check a few of mine, that's a big apostrophe...that looks like an older one, could be mistaken, what date range do you put it at?

Wonderful razor, W&B and a wedge....beautiful tang on that one as well.

I think that's not actually an apostrophe, just a small forging defect trying to hide in the logo.

1840's to '50's is my guess on when it was made.

Nope, I take that back. It's an intentional apostrophe. Just kind of a weird one.

Amazing restore Zak. Not sure about the before photo, no notch?

Really nice work, that looks absolutely stunning.

Well done as usual, congrats.

Bob

Zak, thanks for sharing...i'm begining to belive you have more neglected blades then most of us have in our entire collection)

You must be a very calm patient man...if I have a blade that needs restoring mi fingers get a funny itch and I need to tend to it

Great looking razor, and what a job on the restore!

Thanks!