Thread: A umm, semi-custom? *a story + pics*

Here's one that I just finished. I either made something cool, or destroyed a piece of history. Either way, I love it now and it's not gathering dust.

Stats-
Started as a 8/8 W. Greaves and sons, 1/4 hollow w/barber's notch, lots 'o pitting
Ended as a 7/8++ 1/4 hollow Spanish point, shortened blade, spiked heel, unmarked blade, mirror finish.
Thuya Burl scales with brass liners, pins & washers. Nylon thrust bearings. Poly finish.
Thuya Burl and brass spacer.

Here's the story, conveniently separated if you just want to see the pics;

Code:

So I've been eyeballing custom razors for nearly a year now, and the common
consensus is that you should try all of your options before ordering a custom so you
know exactly what you like. Sounds great, but what if you want a 7/8, 1/4 hollow, 
Spanish point with a shoulderless, spiked heel? 
I guess you're SOL, unless you have some free time.
I won this Greaves on the bay for ~$20.00, and was disappointed when the pitting
was worse than I expected, with micropitting throughout the entire blade. To remove
the pitting I would have to pretty much remove the makers mark, and I would be left
with yet another 7/8, 1/4 hollow barbers notch blade.I already have 6 of those, but I
had an idea.
After cleaning up the blade up to 320 grit and seeing the true extent of the pitting, I
drew on it with a sharpie to make it look like what I would like in a custom, and then
went to work.

Ebay pics + a before;



And then, the after;



And a couple more. It closes completely centered, has a mirror finish, feels good in the hand, and shaves great.



I'm really happy with this one. Although I had a little cut on the test shave (watch the spiked heel!), the shave was great, the balance is great, and overall I think it's my new favorite. Now to get in touch with R. Williams, Buddel, or Philadelph...

1 more pic for good measure;



Any comments, criticism, etc. are very welcome. Even if you're mad at me for destroying a vintage razor

*edit* I just called it a "semi-custom" as it's not a custom, not a restoration, not really a refurb. If there's a better designation, I'd love to hear it, but I'm not trying to start a "custom vs not custom debate"