Union Cutlery "SPIKE" makeover

This is the story of a blade, decades left for dead in some damp basement, till someone found and listed on the bay. Along came my eyes noting the beauty beneath the pit I put my bid….

Oh heck!!!!... enough with the poetry…

The following are before and after photos of a Union Cutlery 9/16th wedge razor restored to its full glory. I find myself trying to restore razors back to original as possible, however the pins had to be replaced (never liked the originals anyway), pitting was removed and she was given a mirror polish but left some tool marks as a reminder of her “rugged roots”. The scales were also cleaned and polished.
The steel is really tough, took quite some time to hone, now the edge makes my palms sweat. The shave is simply sloooth, two days growth was wiped away in a flash, very little feedback from this one, I had to force myself to slow down and enjoy the shave, it was one of the best shaves I’ve had (I guess she’s grateful for the makeover).

Vital statistics:
Manufacturer: Union Cutlery Co. Olean N.Y.
Model: SPIKE
Size: 9/16th
Point Spike
Grind: Wedge
Edge: Straight
Bearings: Brass
Scales: Branded, translucent Emerald-Green celluloid
Pins: (New) solid brass

Absolutely splendid job. :tu
Wish I had the time!

Tony H

beautiful! I like to keep a razor as original as possible unless there is major damage to the blade and/or handles. If that's the case I regrind and rehandle them or turn them into my razor knives.

Beautiful work!

Another razor returns from the dark into the light I love it !!!!!!:D
There is something to be proud of bringing back a piece of history......

Nice job. Nothing like a great shave with a blade you saved from the scrap heap yourself.

That is one really nice razor, great job!

See through green handles are my favorite vintage handles.


Charlie

That's a beautiful transformation! Thanks for posting up some inspiration for us other restorers.

I must say, you did a beautiful job and the finished result is quite enviable. The green scales are great.

Great work. Don't say too much good about the spikes. They will go up in price when everyone finds out how good they shave. Mine are my favorite go to everyday shavers. They shave better than a lot of expensive blades.

Don

Thats a brilliant recovery of an old blade you have got my RAD starting again .Its just lovely.Paul

So, how did you get the writing on the handles to look so good?
I really like this razor.
Charlie

I have that exact razor. It's more or less in the condition we see in your "after" pictures. And yeah, it's a neat razor. Good work.

Excellent !!!

Obviously a lotta love in that one. :tu

You refilled the gold lettering on the scales right ???

Gentlemen I thank you all for your kind comments… makes me almost want to give up my 9-5 and concentrate on restoring razors (can’t afford to though… and the wife would kill me… with one of my razors).

I love wedge razors, I love spike point razors and I admire the Union Cutlery brand… put the three together and I end up with a bad case of RAD, RRD and everything else that goes with it.
Been restoring a few SPIKE razors intending to make a seven day set but there is much variation in sizes of the blades and scales in those that I have acquired… so far, no two are close enough alike to call a “set” but restoring each is fun… just have to keep fishing for more. I hope I don’t end up with too many odd ones or… (horror of all horrors) I would have to sell a few... lolol.

Spazola,
I used “Rub n Buff” gold leaf… suggested by “C utz” in his thread…
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...tin-wedge.html
…in post # 20
“As received” the scale still had some gold filling in it (about 20%), I simply added to the missing spots with a very thin brush. It’s not perfect (probably restored to 98% gold finish) but looks 100 times better than “as found” condition.

Thoroughly clean and polish the scale before applying, then clean up the excess (clean up is easier when the scale is polished). The stuff will coat the rough inside depression of the stamp instead of “filling in”... gives the stamp an original/natural appearance and better reflective properties… Check out another before and after if the stamp under magnification, you can just make out the shadows of the walls of the stamp on the gold coat of the “Spike”.

That is a very impressive transformation. You do very good work.:tuHow many hours do you think you put into the restoration?I'm also curious-where did you get the brass pins?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lt.Arclight

That is a very impressive transformation. You do very good work.:tuHow many hours do you think you put into the restoration?I'm also curious-where did you get the brass pins?

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Thanks for the compliment my friend. I never keep track of time when restoring but i would estimate 16hours working on and off from start to photofinish..

They are solid brass escutcheon pins. You can get them at this link below:
Solid Brass Escutcheon Pins - Lee Valley Tools
This page has the solid brass pins... get the 3/4 or 1" length at 16 gauge
They are perfect for razors

I believe there is a member here who sells ready made sets of these pins with washer but I cannot recall his ID at this time.

However you can make the solid brass washers for the other end with info in this link below:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...long-post.html

It is time consuming to make the washers but worth the effort when you see the results. With escutcheon pins you only have to make 2 washers per razor... and only one if you are replacing only one pin on a razor.