Thread: Rescale of a Wade and Butcher Celebrated

Just did the first mock up with razor and I love the results. The blade itself still needs to go through more clean up and a honing, and as for the scales I need ideas on what kind of finish i should do to protect them. Still waiting for my pins to come in the mail. Hope yall give me some honest feedback.

Great looking wood! The only critisism (and i definetely am not an expert, or good at scales) is the scales look thick...I thinkyou should thin the some more for a better fit.

I started with 1/8 thick wood and they are about 3/32 at there thickest point. I agree they are a bit on the thick side. This razor is so big the beefy scales compliment it well. The wedge is pretty thick just so i could get the razor to sit down in the scales better. I wish I had all the right tools to make scales the right way, these were done with a coping saw, dremel, and sand paper lol.

Perhaps contour the edges more,esp at the heel,will look less blockey.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Perhaps contour the edges more,esp at the heel,will look less blockey.

I think I'd do some more contouring around the wedge end, and maybe thin the wedge a tad so a bit more of the razor would show. What is the wood? - that would dictate what I'd finish it with. Basically, a very good job - congrats

Thinned it up drastically, thanks for the tips. Also have a flush pin at the end which looks great. The wood is a mystery becauase living in japan I never know what im buying haha. Thinking of using a tung oil.

Much sleeker look now... tho the wedge is still a bit chunky. If you had the original scales I'd guess the wedge was probably pewter & much thinner. The trick is to taper the wedge to create a bow in the scales when pinned up so you have the necessary clearance.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Much sleeker look now... tho the wedge is still a bit chunky. If you had the original scales I'd guess the wedge was probably pewter & much thinner. The trick is to taper the wedge to create a bow in the scales when pinned up so you have the necessary clearance.

Good advise from Oz. I am not a scalemaker, but do know what they should look like. Seems a workshop type of thread! I have had many unpinned and pinned back, sometimes with different blades which neccessitates a different wedge to make it right.
In that regard, thinning them out was a big improvement. The wedge needs to be thinner. The blade should ride up higher in the scales. With that accomplished, you might find the scales too wide at the wedge end. Too much scale for that blade. I am thinking it all must be "scaled down" so to speak. I really like the shape. Since you have the nuts and bolts, you could experiment with the wedge until it is sorted out before pinning it. I am certain there is good info here on the anatomy of the wedge in searching posts and in the library. It is amazing how the wedge, fitted properly and sized correctly, really makes the whole razor look and function as it should!
That wood is pretty! It's going great!

Yes i am aware of the beefy wedge. During the design of the scales I really wanted the blade to sit in the scales to hide the notch. I have made scaled for a dubl duck and fredrick rynolds and the wedges for those are muchmuch thinner. This wade and butcher having a 1/4 inch spine resulted in the thicker wedge. Currently the scaled are being finished with linseed oil and the blade is being honed in the next couple days.

Of course it's your razor & your design but traditionally the notch is exposed. Having so much of the blade hidden would make it awkward for me to open the razor. YMMV.