Thread: The Stub-Tailed Shavers

Originally Posted by BobH

What beautiful penmanship. It is a pity you'll never see that again.

Bob

Actually you can, and quite a bit of it on the fountain pen forums.

I straighten scales like this with a really simple, custom scale press I made that goes in the toaster oven, set to about 275.

The principle of the press is very simple: I took some 1/4th inch thick flat aluminum stock, stack some washers between it to get close to the height of the scales, put down a piece of cardboard from a soda can box on both sides of the scale, then bolt the thing together. I cook it for 10 minutes or so, then put it in the freezer. Sometimes it takes 2-3 applications on really stubborn bends, but it's never broken anything, and it's always worked.

A textual diagram of what I'm talking about, make a sandwich like this:

aluminum
cardboard
horn
cardboard
aluminum

Drill holes through the aluminum bar with enough space between them for the scales, use some washers so that the two pieces can't come closer than the thickness of the scales (a little wiggle room on either side is fine), then just bolt it all together.

I actually use 3 pieces of aluminum since the bar I got is only a little wider than the scales, that way I can flatten both sides at once with this kind of sandwich:

aluminum
cardboard
horn
cardboard
aluminum
cardboard
horn
cardboard
aluminum

Make sense?

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

I straighten scales like this with a really simple, custom scale press I made that goes in the toaster oven, set to about 275.

Really great idea!!!!

C. Wilson and Co.

My only stubtail.
Had it for years with no scales. Finally cleaned it up, scales and honed. Shaved very, very well.

This skinner just arrived. It's a tiny one.

Originally Posted by kcb5150

This skinner just arrived. It's a tiny one.

Very nice,..It is whole and will transform nicely..

Got this interesting unknown maker in, has to be Sheffield, the only marking is ‘Superior Temper’, and it is. The steel is super hard and fine grained. It took over 2 hours on a slurried Shapton Glass HR 500 just to re-form the paste-rounded bevels. Light wear, patina is shallow, and it looks good. And odd. The heel seems to say post 1800, but the upswept nose shape and vestigial dip at toe says late 1700s. Fun razor for sure, near wedge.

Originally Posted by Steve56

Got this interesting unknown maker in, has to be Sheffield, the only marking is ‘Superior Temper’, and it is. The steel is super hard and fine grained. It took over 2 hours on a slurried Shapton Glass HR 500 just to re-form the paste-rounded bevels. Light wear, patina is shallow, and it looks good. And odd. The heel seems to say post 1800, but the upswept nose shape and vestigial dip at toe says late 1700s. Fun razor for sure, near wedge.

Love that tang and tail.. Really chubby.

That's a real beauty Steve!

W Pepys in tortoise



Pretty good condition for age with what appears to be a couple of small marks from a drill bit on scales, who knows why.
Early 1800s guessing.
There is some quite interesting history about these on the site from Neil Miller.