Thread: Packwood Restoration

I've seen faux horn brush handles, but I don't think I've seen it used for scales. You did a nice job, that is too bad about the flaws.
Looks like what you see in old horn though so it gives it some character.

Thanks gentleman for your comments. Very much appreciated.
JP, I've only got one piece of blonde horn left and it has a split in it running horizontally through about half of the slab. Don't know if it will even be usable.

Save it for spacers!

That's a good idea MrZ.

Came out nice for your first restoration.

You could get out some of the marks on the blade by hand sanding with some 400 and 600 to even out the belly of the razor, then back on the greaseless to smooth the finish. Sand with a wine cork backer and the flats with a small block or flat eraser.

The flaws on the scales can be filled with CA glue then sanded. You can also sand the scale ends smooth with 600 and 1000 then buff with any good metal polish or Green Stainless compound and a sewn cotton wheel.

When you shape your scales and have them glued or taped together, shape the edges, by first making a 45-degree bevel on the corners of each scale edge, then rounding the arris, to a smooth rounded curve shape. Files, scrapers and sandpaper glued to a thin strip of wood help. Sand to 1000 then buff. Do all your finish work while they are taped together but drill your holes while they are flat.

You can also easily dome your pins with a polished ball peen hammer, smaller is better 2-4oz., do lite taps on the edges to form a dome and to smooth the shape, brass is very malleable and can easily shaped. You can get a very smooth and even shape with lite taps of a hammer and the ball end, with a little practice.

Green Stainless compound will also smooth out and reshape the pins with some judicious buffing. A toothbrush and shot of WD40 will get all the black swarf from between the pin and scale.

Flatten out you thrust washers, by smashing them flat and thin with a larger hammer and flat piece of steel try to get them about a 32nd inch. You will have to re drill them because the holes will get smaller, a pin vice and 1/16 in drill will easily do the job.

You can shim one side with a larger or tapered thrust washer to get the blade better centered at the tip to compensate for the warp. Or you can push one side forward and the other back to move the tip in the direction needed to better center, a bit thicker wedge will also give you a bit more room if needed for a warped blade. Push the pins by tapping one pin forward and the other back to adjust the position of the tip. It is surprising how little you have to move the pins to move the tip.

This is where mocking up with bolts really pays off.

Make your wedge larger than the scales and do not trim to final fit until it is pinned tight. Then file or sand smooth so the wedge is flush with the scales. A quick buff with Stainless compound will smooth and polish the wedge and scales.


Lots of little trick to perfecting a restore, all of these tips are in the library or the workshop thread.

It looks really good overall, with some small things mentioned above. I like where you left the blade, no need to get all the pitting on a blade that age.

The only thing I'd try now is to get the blade centered, by slightly tightening the pin from the side you want it to go (and indeed rounding the pin off).

At some point I would replace the back scale, because blemishes like that on newly self-made scales would eat me up over time, but that's just me.

Best regards,
Pieter

Euc, Pithor, thank you for the step by step. I copied your comments and put them in a word doc and printed it out so I can refer to your comments.
Thank you again!