Beautiful razors, thanks for sharing.
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I love FBU's but I also love the bow razors. My first straight was a bow straight razor.
I have a butcher now - near wedge.
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What do you think are the main differences between these razors (FBU and The Celebrated)? In relation to the sensations of shaving.
Celebrated razors have a slightly more significant hollow, does it somehow affect shaving?
When honed & stropped correctly, they all should shave nicely but the more hollow a blade is, the more it will sing. I imagine the type of steel may make a difference. It just depends what you want. A person with a coarse beard usually prefers a wedge type which is how my beard is but a hollow grind can be just as effective for some. A hollow grind might need honing sooner than a wedge but that's just my opinion. Others may differ.
There are a couple variants of both the For Barber's Use and 'The Celebrated', but any two of those razors with the same size and blade thickness is the same. The slogan (For Barber's Use, The Celebrated, etc) is just a slogan.
Thanks for the info! I just thought that razors with a different concavity (wedge and hollow) give different quality shaving. But I realized that it does not really matter. There are only small differences in tactile sensations, the wedge gives less response.
I've been shaving this wedge for weeks. He gives an incredibly soft and comfortable shave, shaves without any effort or pressure on the razor, and a big smile of the cutting edge allows you to cleanly shave the complex areas of the neck. When using razors without a smile, this was very, very difficult and with much more damage to the skin.
in my experience, hollow ground razors do offer a bit of flex around your face, especially when shaving with an extra hollow grind. the thinner grind also allows for more tactile and audible feedback, which i believe is a bit more significant an attribute than the flex.
a wedge, being beefier in stature, will provide a bit more momentum as you shave; which does provide that additional cutting power meat cleaver razors are known for. as said earlier, they don't provide as much tactile or audible feedback.
as far as sharpness, i've found that neither gets sharper than the other. however, i've noticed that i have too touch up hollow grinds a bit sooner than wedges. also, in my experience, very hollow grinds can get away from you a little easier than wedges. YMMV.
For me, this topic is very important because I 5 months struggled with skin lesions on the neck and redness on the skin.
During this time I tried 7 different razors. 5 razors with hollow grind (made in england, france, japan, china), 1 razor narrow wedge 4/8 Japanese without a smile (did not like at all and caused and led to a strong red on the skin) and wade and butcher 8/8 near the wedge with a smile. I agree with you that razors with a hollow grind give more flexibility (if the steel is not very rigid and the thickness of the blade is small, full grind). But these razors are light. You need to press on the razor or make an effort to shave off the stiff bristles on the very delicate and sensitive skin of the neck. Otherwise, even an acute light razor does not shave a stiff bristle. in short, all razors with a full hollow blade inflicted superficial damage to the skin of the neck. The situation is aggravated by the fact that on this site the skin is not as smooth as on cheeks or cheekbones and has a microscopic relief and small folds and wrinkles. And even a flexible razor damages them without bending because the skin is very soft here.
*I found some solutions - shave less often so that the skin could recover (once every 3-4 days, not every other day) or shave not clean, leaving a small part of the bristles, but not damaging the skin.
After I shaved this several times with this wide wedge, I almost completely solved the problem of soft neck skin damage. I shave without any effort or pressure on the razor, only I easily hold, this and the great weight of the razor is enough to shave, but do not damage the skin and slide even over the irregularities. Yes, the wedge is not flexible and does not bend, but the shape with a smile helps a lot to shave all the cavities in the neck or in difficult places. A razor with a straight blade without a smile, I had to use only the end (round point type) and at the same time keep the razor at an uncomfortable angle, considering that the second pass should be done only against hair growth. This also led to excess skin damage and its redness.
it's good that you found a razor that works well for you!
for me, i find that i don't really need to apply any difference in pressure with a wedge v. a hollow grind. i find adjusting the shaving angle to find the optimal blade contact works much better for me than increasing pressure, which isn't necessarily something i would want to do if i were trying to ease irritation. but your beard and skin is different from mine so; so my technique may not necessarily be best for you.
Time to add my latest Wade & Butcher, The Celebrated Hollow Ground Razor, For Barber's Use, to the Shop...restored magnificently by Karlej and scaled in bone.
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Yes, I agree with you. We are very individual and each has a different type of skin and hair. In confirmation I will say that I just do not really care what angle the razor tilts to the skin, just at the first pass through the hair growth it is slightly larger, and at the second pass against the hair growth - a little less and everything, but the pressure on the razor greatly affects the damage skin.
And it seems to me unusual that some of the hair grows on the neck (left and right of the Adam's apple, under the cheekbones) not from top to bottom, as shown in all the pictures and instructions. Hair grows from left to right and it's very inconvenient for me to shave because the razor has to be turned vertically here! Therefore, I give a lot of attention when choosing a razor to such aspects as its shape, nose shape, length and width of the blade - just to get the razor to reach the bristles and shave it off without touching the cheekbones or the chin because they interfere.
What a beauty Phrank! Congrats on a fine piece of equipment. I need to get after my W&B FBO! Been sitting for a month or so and that's too long!
Phrank, I'm going to be making some more bone scales soon. I'm so glad I bought extra bleached white bone when I did because that seller hasn't had it for a long time now.
That's a beauty! How thin did he make the scales?
Karl's work is truly superb, the bone scales as well as the faux tortoise scales he did for my Lancet and Elliot, are razor thin.
If one didn't know any better, the bone for all intents and purposes looks like ivory, and the faux tortoise, to this day I'm still gobsmacked at the material and what he did with it, beside my Mk. 32 in real tortoise scales, it's very difficult to tell the difference, the scale thinness is essentially the same - incredibly detailed craftsmanship.
Yeah when I first worked with bone, they were thick, then I broke one so I made a duplicate then I made them thinner until I was satisfied but they are as thin as Ivory scales & strong too.
Can anyone tell me why some of the FBU's say "Wade & Butcher" and some say "Wade & Butcher's"? It seems strange that they would change the stamping on the blade for no reason. Is there a known date when this stamping change occurred?
Thank you for in advance for the information.
That's got a complicated answer.
Partly, these were sometimes made decades apart. Stamps wore out and had to be restruck. Later W&B's used etchings instead of stamps, and the resist masks for etchings could comparatively easily be changed up on a whim.
Also at play is the fact that not all Wade & Butcher razors were made in William & Samuel's factory. While 'name brand' manufacturers had their own establishments, the workers very often worked for multiple different manufacturers simultaneously and did work for the one who currently had work to give them. It was nothing like a modern factory, where there's always work to be done. The Sheffield work system relied on orders for products, and when there were no orders, the factory could sit unused. It was entirely normal for a foreman (called a Little Master, or M'ester) to do work for one manufacturer in another's factory with their toolings.
Just picked up an 8/8" For Barbers Use with Barbers notch near wedge for $15.00 and change at a Antique shop In Casey IL. Black horn scales that need help but better than some I have seen. I know No picture, it didn't happen but it did happen & does anyone know what era these were made & when did they start putting "Sheffield" on the razors?
Slawman
The England on the tang came around 1891 IIRC due to trade or import reason. Country of Origin I believe. And as a guess these are from around 1840s to late 1890s. The FBO or for barbers only pre date the FBU. This is all of memory serves me correctly. Can't wait to see a pic and congrats on a fantastic score! And what a deal!
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I know I have shared this a couple places but it's done and needs to be in the butcher shop :) love this wedge, it's my new favorite I think.
This is a nice size about 13/16, slight smile as you said. Just wipes the stubble away so easy. I'm thinking originally these were faux tortoise dyed horn. Now they are just polished blonde. All original except the pins. Get yours done and share that sucker JP5!
I was incorrect I had things backwards, I found what I was trying to remember, FBU 1840 - 1900
The big choppers 1830 - 1880
FBO 1840 - 1880
This info was from Mannah he said it comes from the standard guide. Thanks ScienceGuy for the help.
Adding a 17/16 For Barbers Use to the butcher shop. ;)
Monster of a blade, shaves great, exquisite condition all around.
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The scales were actually done by a friend of mine in California. They are hand shaped, sanded and polished. Then finished off to a glass like appearance with blue jewelers Rouge.
Just redressed this old W&B to more appropriate scales. Recently found these scales on another razor and decided to put this beauty in her proper clothing. Bought this from an SRP Member last year on the bay. Note that this W&B is spelled with an “s” Butchers. This now one of my top tier keepers. Just to share. Austin
Today I gathered this beauty. Original condition and "patina" on the blade.Attachment 316924Attachment 316925Attachment 316926Attachment 316927Attachment 316928
Just received my 1st two Wade & Butchers can't wait to try them outAttachment 345237