Thread: “Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett Co”

So here is my newest straight.

I purchased it back in October of 2020, on eBay.

The seller didn’t really know what they had, and even advertised it incorrectly...which is why there were no other bidders, and I got it for something like $10.50 shipped to my door.

During the shipping process it was lost, and I was totally bummed.

I was looking for this exact brand, shape, and grind.

The seller got her money back, and I was refunded as well.

Done.

Nope!

Suddenly, last week sometime (4 months later), it appeared in my mailbox.

So it was essentially a freebie.

Yesssssssss!

Below is how it arrived...broken scale and all.





So the first step was to take it apart and clean it up.

I didn’t want it super perfect. Just really clean and wicked sharp.

It came out clean.



I decided to clothe it with a set of horn scales with an inlaid pearl spade. It came from a Herder straight razor kit that I will complete another day...now with different scales. 😂

The scales were too large, so I had to slightly modify them for a perfect fit. (I hate ghetto, sloppy, work).

So notice below where they were going to be cut down, and notice how I was accounting for the size and shape of the wedge.





After the scales were completed, I had to tackle the pivot hole of the blade.

It was overly large, and almost identical to a Wade & Butcher straight razor which I restored a few months back.

I’m not completely sure about this one, but I heard that the pivot holes on the Wade & Butcher were punched, and not drilled. Which is why they were large and almost oval-shaped. Maybe the same process was used in this one as well.

Regardless, if I used a 1/16” inch pin, it would be sloppy. So I used the same trick I used on the Wade & Butcher, on this blade.

I used a 3/32 x .014 brass tube, and cut it to fit perfectly in the pivot hole. Then I placed a 1/16” inch rod through it, and “Wa-La”...no sloppiness.

See the photos below to make sense of my psycho-babble.







Then it was just a simple fact of making a wedge, and putting it all together.

I chose to use steel washers in the outside, with brass pins.

After it was all done, I took it to the stones to reset the bevel, and give it an atom-splitting edge. (1k, 5k, 8k, and finished on a Naniwa 12k).

I have to say, I was REALLY surprised how sharp it was.

It was a super soft and effortless shave, even going against the grain under my chin, which is the densest part of my facial hair.

Effortless.

It is my first straight without a shoulder. And the grind is super unique.

It’s narrower than what I usually like (it’s a 6/8” inch), but I’ll still keep it.

My newest baby.







I’m pretty happy with this one.

Thanks for letting me share this with y’all.

Nice job. And a fine blade.

Very nicely done.

Seems a shame to cut down that Herder scale, but the result certainly fits the blade.

Personally, I really like those shoulderless grinds. Easier to hone and less wear and tear on the strops.

Originally Posted by DZEC

Very nicely done.

Seems a shame to cut down that Herder scale, but the result certainly fits the blade.

Personally, I really like those shoulderless grinds. Easier to hone and less wear and tear on the strops.

I agree about it being a shame to cut down the Herder scales.

But I REALLY liked this blade, and the Herder Frieder scales were so tempting to use. And they were on my bench top, giving me a super quick way to get scales on this blade.

I guess I got lazy.

As a side-note, I purchased the Herder Frieder kit (scales, incomplete blade blank, pins/washers) in a kit for $10.

Super cheap.

I should have gotten a few just for the crazy nice horn scales!

The Herder blade blanks are super nice, but they still need to be grounded-down for completion. And the steel still needs to be heat treated.

It was a project I was working on. And it is almost complete.

I have an electric kiln for the tempering and hardening as well.

Guess I’ll be making new scales for that one now.

Nice work, when you insert a brass tube into a pivot hole, make sure the tube is square to the tang. A long piece of pin stock and a small accurate square will quickly tell you. Reference from the long flat side, not the small taper. Check both sides, incase the tang is tapered.
If not square, you will have trouble getting the blade centered.

You can simply glue the tube into the pivot hole with epoxy, JB weld. There is no lateral stress, so a super strong bond is not required.

Surprisingly, a large pivot hole is not as big an issue as you would think, once pinned tight, most do not move around that much. Most have larger holes than the pins, because they were punched not drilled. That little bit of slop can be beneficial in centering a blade. For that reason I also drill the scale pin holes a bit larger, and for room for the pin to bulge a bit.

If you make a wedge, rather than a spacer, the pivot will remain tighter, spacers loosen up over time.

Great info, Euclud444.

Never thought about the punched holes being “UN-square” to the tang of the blade.

I can see how a brass tube inserted in an UN-square pivot hole would make the blade a nightmare to center on the scales.

Thankfully I’m not a professional restorer, and so I’ve only used this trick twice. (Once in an old Wade & Butcher, and once here). And both times with nary a hitch of the blade not being centered.

Here’s the Wade & Butcher (VR stamped) I used this trick on. They are also the very first scales I’ve ever designed and built. (Macassar Ebony).

Nice scale design, they almost look like a landscape.