Thread: The Butcher Shop

Well this has been a Wade & Butcher weekend, I ran across this beauty at a local flea market for $10. Any help with the type of W&B would be much appreciated.

That's a real nice blade, and a square tip! If there's an, "England" stamp on the tang it's from around the 1900's.

If you could post a closer pic of the tang and both sides of the blade that would help a lot.

Looks good!

Thank you very much, and is it more rare that it is a square blade, it seems most of my W & B's have Barber notches.

I test drove my first WB, Medium Size Hollow Ground, tonight. It's a new favorite, despite the "narrow" 5/8 blade. Pics when i can use natural lighting. I tried tonight, but didn't like any of them. AS found pic is in "Show and Tell".

Thanks to Lynn and Glen's guidance (via the 'tube), I was able to put a good even bevel on, without flattening the smile. Then finishing it out was easy peasy. Finished on coticule after 8k Norton. I'm liking the Sheffield steel mucho.

Then i was so anxious to shave with it, I re-used the marginal original scales. I can dress it up some later...

This morning I have been working on the W & B FBU. After soaking in Neatsfoot oil for 4 days I sanded down to 1200 with the new 3M cloth paper(love that stuff), to remove some bad initials that had been carved in the handle. I then resoaked the handle in Neatsfoot, and now have just finished buffing with 5 or 6 coats of beeswax. Looking much better.

My latest addition to The Butcher Shop.

Wade and Butcher 17/16 Anchor, first pics. Going to get Val to clean the blade up and hone. Scales are intact and will be left on the blade.

Blade measures 17/16 (1"+).
Tang is marked WADE & BUTCHER with a very large Anchor.
The Anchor is the maker's mark for Birmingham, UK.
This means that the steel / razor originates in Birmingham, not Sheffield, UK where their factory was located.
Extremely rare. I have not seen another example of a Wade and Butcher razor from Birmingham.
The tang is a monkey tail, which is also unusual.

No chips or cracks anywhere on the blade.
The original scales are straight and smooth to the touch, with brass bulls eye pins.
Centers true and straight. The scales are straight.

So nice, the whole thing just looks awesome. What year was the Anchor stamp from? I have found the Wiki with the different W&B maker marks but not one that defines the marks years.

Originally Posted by chrismiller273

So nice, the whole thing just looks awesome. What year was the Anchor stamp from? I have found the Wiki with the different W&B maker marks but not one that defines the marks years.

In the show and tell thread, Voidmaster says the anchor mark was prior to 1850...very excited to have found this blade, especially since this will be my second W&B where the scales are actually in great shape, so it stays all original. Will get honed up and polished and will post the after pics then.

Originally Posted by Phrank

In the show and tell thread, Voidmaster says the anchor mark was prior to 1850...very excited to have found this blade, especially since this will be my second W&B where the scales are actually in great shape, so it stays all original. Will get honed up and polished and will post the after pics then.

Great razor. Is very fine the large double shoulders.

My first addition to the W&B Shop yay!

Found 5 W&B razors at a local antique store yesterday, smallest to largest:

7/8 manufactured by W&B eagle etched "American Razor" w/ barber notch

15/16 For Barber Use notched

15/16 Celebrated square

15/16 manufactured by W&B

17/16 Manufactured by W&B Wolfe & Hopper St. Louis with some words etched on blade I can't quite make out.

Here's the first....cleaned up really easy...the FBU blade light sanding... Rest to come as I get em cleaned...they were caked with packing grease and dirt but otherwise great shape!