Thread: Hess EZY Shave rebuild - Wenge oh my!

My barber had an inexpensive Hess EZY Shave razor that broke. Seeing it sitting sad and alone, I volunteered to fix it for her.

The other day I went down to the local hardwood supply company and picked up a small piece of wenge and got to work:










More to come as the work progresses. Planning on sanding down part of the old scales and using it as a spacer, as the white acrylic should offset nicely against the dark wenge. Plus there's the notion of having some of the old with the new

Great start. That Wenge is really beautiful. Can't wait to see the progress.

That is some pretty wood. Looks like thick enough you could rip it to have grain match both scales maybe?

Originally Posted by dirtychrome

That is some pretty wood. Looks like thick enough you could rip it to have grain match both scales maybe?

Possibly, though being stuck with hand tools, it's a time consuming option that may not be noticed, so perhaps another day.

+1 to dirtychrome's comment, pretty piece of wood. Looking forward to seeing some progress pictures.

Roger Hess Jr just might like this a lot!

That will make a very nice setup. I am a fan of wenge, mostly because I'm a fan of anything that I can con for free and is pretty.
Please take precautions. I don't know if you know the specs on wenge, but it can be hazardous to the mucous membranes. There is a reason we called it poison wood in the cabinet shop.

Originally Posted by deighaingeal

That will make a very nice setup. I am a fan of wenge, mostly because I'm a fan of anything that I can con for free and is pretty.
Please take precautions. I don't know if you know the specs on wenge, but it can be hazardous to the mucous membranes. There is a reason we called it poison wood in the cabinet shop.

I wear a respirator when working with it. Hasn't bothered my skin yet, but if it does, I'll start using gloves heh.

Very nice material to work with, looks like you will have a beauty when you are finished
Sam

A few more pictures:

The rough cut scales straight from the coping saw:


So when I started this thread, I had no workbench. After trying to use a coping saw with one hand and hold the scales with the other against a metal chair, I realized how useful a good bench is. Some 3/4" plywood and sawhorses later, with a few counter-sunk bolts to keep it all steady, things were much, much, much better.

Notice the fan - handy dust removal system. And the respirator with NIOSH P100 filters to keep any remaining stray toxic dust away from my tender pink lungs.


A bit of dremel-work later, things are shaping up: