Thread: W. Greaves & Son Goes back On The Line.

Here is a W.Greaves & Son that I picked up in an Antique shop this afternoon. I thought in the beginning that the scales were wood, I even looked close. So I decided to work on it today.

I used EZ-Off on the wood to pull out any oils or crap from over the years. I’ve had good success on old rifle stocks in the past. I washed of the EZ Off and the scales smelled like a dead animal. I used dish soap & 0000 Steel wool to clean them off. The smell did pretty much go away after the cleaning.

This is what was left after the cleaning. I have no idea what the heck kind of scales these are. They have horizontal ridges that go from the heal to the toe. Here’s the strange part, no matter how much I sand, the ridges remain, yes, material gets removed as expected, but the ridges don’t go away , nor do they seem to be effected by the sanding.

I am hoping you guys can tell me what type of scales I have.The scales & pins appear to be original & the wedge is lead.
I honed it & will test it in the morning; frankly I think it will fail. This is a razor that I will display, until I revisit it again, after I get more time on the hones.
Thanks for your time.

The after cleaning photos:

actual tortoise perhaps ?? of course im guessing and have no knowledge though , just a guess so no laughing .. lol

but very fine job on the clean up !!! i wish half of mine came out that clean ...man thats nice !!

Thanks Gooser, I don't know what tortoise shell actually looks like, other that the nasty looking one that crawl out of the swamp or the nice looking little box turtles.

Amazing transformation, well done, i would have thought horn, which has its own distinct smell,no knowledge of tortoise shell, but either way, a very nice end result. I bet it shaves like a champ once you sort it.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Thanks Gooser, I don't know what tortoise shell actually looks like, other that the nasty looking one that crawl out of the swamp or the nice looking little box turtles.

i dont either but after cleaned up it looked like some of the imitation tortoise scales ive saw on new razors ..lol.. or perhaps a type of horn ?? we will see later when more folks are awake ... lol..i do know that if i keep seeing these styles of blades im gonna have to start getting some cause the more i see the more i want ... !!

Lovely Razor. Spanish point to Awesome find.

I'm 95% certain that you have some authentic tortoise shell scales there, friend

I guess I had better keep it in a box so it don't crawl away.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I guess I had better keep it in a box so it don't crawl away.

no tortoise not box turtle ...lol hey just remember i said that first !! ( by all a guess ..lol ) sssooooo is the razor my reward ??? lol.. i still cant get over how it looks ... night and day difference !!!