Thread: Wade & Butcher Chopper in Faux Tortoise

Here is a W&B chopper for Barber's use. I think its either a 1/2 hollow or 1/4 hollow I am not sure if its a wedge or not. This is my first attempt with Faux Tortoise, and most likely my last. I am going to call the finish shiny, but not mirror but this blade is really heavy so I can't wait to hone it up today to test the balance tomorrow.
Tell me what you think.
Weight: Unknown
Scales: Faux Tortoise
Wedge: Plexi glass
Hardware: Brass
Finish: Shiny (not a true mirror)

Wow Trey! You're moving forward fast with these resto's! That looks great. I hope you're pleased.

That material looks wonderful.
Great job!

Looks pretty nice. I like the bevel around the outer edge of the faux tortoise scales. My only critique would be that the scales are too wide, for my own personal tastes, at the tang end.

I actually agree with you on the size of the scales. I have never done a razor over 13/16 before this one and I think I over estimated the necessary width of the scales. Except for the left over pieces I am going to use for another razor, I probably won't use this material (at least from the same company) because it is hard to get polished out right and this piece of material wasn't nearly as dramatic as others I have seen. I am just excited about shaving with it to test it. I am hoping someone will want to buy it because from handling it, it may be too big for a person at my level of experience.Thanks for the comments though and if you can think of a good method for measuring scale width for these size blades I would really appreciate it because I really had a tough time getting the estimation right.

Thanks Again!

As often as I can get my hands on an original scale I make a paper copy and file it away.
I have only two of these razors ( a barber's use and an ottoman windsor) but as far as I've seen their scales are nifty work of line and function. Hard to top.

That is really nice

Originally Posted by treydampier

I actually agree with you on the size of the scales. I have never done a razor over 13/16 before this one and I think I over estimated the necessary width of the scales. Thanks for the comments though and if you can think of a good method for measuring scale width for these size blades I would really appreciate it because I really had a tough time getting the estimation right.

Trey, I agree about the scales. IMO the proportions are way off. The pivot end is too wide while the wedge end is a little narrow. It isn't about 'measuring' width or anything like that (at least not for me). Use your eye man! Look at the scales before they are pinned. Hold them together with the razor and judge for yourself then go back and make the necessary changes. You only need to estimate the first cut in terms of the scale size but then it is all about eyeballing it. I haven't heard of anyone actually measuring the dimensions when doing a custom set of scales. If the pivot end is as wide as the wedge end, it is too wide. Why finish a razor when you see that something doesn't look right? At that point you need to take a step back, assess the situation, and make the changes. Repeat these steps until the razor looks right. Study art books and concentrate on proportions in nature. Use this advice and improve. I mean no offense Trey, I know you like the honest feedback. If I were you, I would remove these scales and try to fix them or just make a new set. Don't just 'settle' for how a set comes out if you plan on selling it.

P.S.- If you think a material is too hard to polish properly (when you know it can be done) then you aren't trying hard enough. Try a different method. Experiment. To give up means you won't get better.

I am not giving up yet. I need some help though. I don't have any more material to make new tortoise shell scales. I can file down what I have here and make them more proportional. I am also thinking about adding a finger notch near the hinge pin. As for making the scales smaller, I can do that easy enough and not have to unpin, but the wedge end I can't make bigger. I am not trying to gripe, but cash is low for me right now, and I can't afford more material so I would rather try and correct what I have than purchase new material. I will think about it tonight, then go to work on it in the morning and post new pics of the progress. I appreciate your honest feedback because you at least are not doing it in a condescending manner. Take a look tomorrow evening (maybe earlier) and let me know what you think of the changes. Thanks again for the comments.

I think reworking the tang end will be fine enough if you're willing to do that. Not really anything else I could add to what Philadelph posted.

I have to say, though, don't be so quick to consider selling this gem. Even if you don't feel like you've got the skill right now, hold it until you do have the skill to give it a go. These are great shavers, and you should give yourself the opportunity to find out how one of these meat choppers work for you before selling it. Just a bit of encouragement, but if you really feel like selling it, I doubt you'll have problems doing so.