Thread: Wade & Butcher Spotty Finish

Just got this Wade & Butcher in, and figured I'd start with Maas. Obviously it needed more work, so gradually worked from 400 up to 2k. Tips on getting the stained areas back to shiny?

Also the scales are a bit tired, but I'd like to brighten them up. Not sure of the material, but would wet sanding work? The underside of the scales seem a bit warped(?) Is there any way to remedy this? Thanks for any help!

Also, how do I fix the upside-down photos?

I just love old Wade butchers in black horn. I would put some tape on the spine and make sure you can get a rust-free bevel.

I agree with making sure the blade is good until going any further.

Lots of posts about heat to straighten , epoxy and dust to fill bites, hair dye to color, etc.

I have seen much worse turn out fine.

Originally Posted by Christian1

I just love old Wade butchers in black horn. I would put some tape on the spine and make sure you can get a rust-free bevel.

I second this, bigtime... I have had my share of razors that I spent hours cleaning up, only to discover there was not enough good steel at the edge to set a bevel. As recently as last month! LOL!

+1 for ensuring you can get a bevel first as it looks like you have rust on the edge.

Check out the "what you working on?" thread, some great information and if you post your W&B your sure to get lots of help
https://sharprazorpalace.com/worksho...king-1850.html

With the scales a good soak in neatsfoot or balistol for a few days then use some wet and dry or what I find works very well is a ladies buffing file with different grade sides, finally a good polishing compound like MAAS will bring them up nicely.

Remember when sanding a razor your not sanding out the pits your sanding all the razor to the pits, if that makes sense.

Good luck

Yep. I'm seeing rust on the bevel area so you need to put it on the stones and get a solid 1k edge before going any further. And Mark said it just right. Your sanding all the razor down to meet the pitting. Then a little farther. So on a hollow ground razor it's easy to turn it into foil. Sanding too much to get out the pits. Its up to you to deciede if its worth the effort or the chance of going too far.

There are a few tiny nicks on the bevel, so I'm seeing about having it professionally honed. I'm guessing the edge will have to be taken up a little. Hopefully that should take care of the spots...

In the meantime I'm experimenting with cleaning up the scales with epoxy and wet sanding. Once that's done I'll soak it in neetsfoot oil.

Thanks for the great tips and suggestions!
-Jon

Load photos into a photo editor, like Photo or Paint in Microsoft Windows or a free after market like IR Fan View. Then spin them around.

If using an I phone, make sure the bottom of the phone is pointed right.

Start sanding at 600, most of the pitting will remain unless you get super aggressive to remove all the pitting,

Sanding the scales and saving the dust, then fill the holes and add CA glue.

More than likely the razor will need to come apart to fully restore the blade and scales. Even then you will probably have to live with some pitting on the blade, scales no problem can look like new.

It is a restoration project, not a simple honing. Still some life left in her, probably will not be a looker, but can shave again.

Nice old WB, Hatch-I don't have anything to add that hasn't been said already. Looks like you've done quite a bit already with the sandpaper. Me personally, I wouldn't try to sand out all that pitting on a hollow-ground blade. Sometimes it's deeper than you think. There are many fine old Sheffield shavers out there with much more "character marks" than that-in fact, I'm working on one now. If the bevel test others suggested reveals the dreaded "swiss cheese" at the edge, then it may just be a display piece.

As for the horn scales, Outback Mike is SRP's "horn whisperer." Hopefully he'll chime in soon, although his tutorials on the subject are all over the "What Are You Working On?" thread if you do a search. Let us know how she turns out!

I did a bit more cleaning on the scales. A bit of epoxy and a Sharpie. Also more sanding on the blade. I think I'm going to leave it and see what comes about when I send it out to be honed/repaired. Although I'd like the tang to be cleaned up a bit more I'm afraid of damaging the stamp.