I Got Another Razor

I just got this today. It's a W&B smiling razor, needs a little work but was surprised that it was still super sharp. It is pretty heavy too, with a very wide spine and writing and decorations on the tang and blade. On the blade it says "The Celebrated Hollow Ground Razor" Below that it says "For Barber Use" and 3 designs a B in a circle pointing down, an arrow pointing toward a cross. On the tang it says Manufacturer Wade & Butcher Sheffield. I described it like that because my phone takes horrible pictures. Lol which will now follow. The scales are not in bad shape either

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Nice blade,Those scales will be great with a little work.

Thanks Pixel, I was thinking the same thing. I believe the pins might be brass.

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Originally Posted by Pagan2003

Thanks Pixel, I was thinking the same thing. I believe the pins might be brass.

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Most are brass.

Very nice! Little polish on the blade to wipe away the rust, I think that's all it needs. What little patina there is, might just as well stay. I look forward to restoration pics!

Nice razor. Can't wait to see pictures of it cleaned up.

Nice find, it should be a nice shaver once it's all cleaned up and honed.

Ok after some work this is what I have going on. Let me know what you think Attachment 148334

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Did you hand sand it? It looks quite scratchy to me, perhaps try a few sandpaper grits up to 2000 to get rid of the scratches. The scales look much better!

I think a bit more work will take both the scales and the blade there.

That Razor would really benifit from being Pro restored (not dissin) but it needs to be un-pinned to do a proper job on the blade and scales.
Is a Highley collectable and sought after piece.

Not "For Butchers Use" ? :)

I was thinking about that, I would like to get it Pro restored, but would like it as close to original as possible. Does anyone know perhaps some members on here like that? I would appreciate it :D

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Originally Posted by Pagan2003

I was thinking about that, I would like to get it Pro restored, but would like it as close to original as possible. Does anyone know perhaps some members on here like that? I would appreciate it :D

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That's a great blade and a nice find! You hit the jackpot with that one!!!

Took me for ever to find one, then ofcourse another popped up and I had to grab that one as well. Both mine had scales that were beyond salvage, thegentlmansden ( a member here), who restored both these blades, told me the scales literally crumbled.

I would take the advice of pixelfixed and get it professionally restored, you won't regret it, these are hard to find blades. Here are my two:

This is my 9/8 Celebrated Hollow, FBU, in dark horn:

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And this is an interesting blade, another 9/8, but no etchings on the blade, and an original thumb notch, it also has a slight smile, which is great. Story possibly given is it was custom ordered, and when this was done, usually the name of the owner would be stamped on, but there is no name. So either it was ordered that way, or the owner never picked it up, or there's another interesting story. This one is done with blonde horn:

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Take some time to think about what you like, and get it professionally done, you won't regret it, especially with a gem like the one you have.

Very Nice Find!!!

I agree with getting it professionally restored!!! :y

Here's what 'my' go to guy did for a W&B that was in far worse shape than yours!!

http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...ered-horn.html

Give him a PM!!:tu

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Originally Posted by cudarunner

Very Nice Find!!!

I agree with getting it professionally restored!!! :y

Here's what 'my' go to guy did for a W&B that was in far worse shape than yours!!

http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...ered-horn.html

Give him a PM!!:tu

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Yes Cudarunner - that was an awesome restore Glen did on your Great Grandfathers razor, and I would say again to Pagan2003, definitely look into getting that restored, the scales on yours look in reasonable condition, so you could end up with the genuine article!

Glen does awesome work!!

Here! Here! On keeping the original scales!!!! Wat's were delaminating so instead of having it placed in vintage scales I opted for custom scales! I left the whole show up to Glen! :tu

Great Work??? :bow :bow :bow :bow

I don't think it needs a "professional" restore. It appears you removed the active rust which is important and I really like that you have kept the original scales. I have seen perfectly fine scales unnecessarily replaced. As far as sanding blades, it's best not to sand opposite the original grind marks. Having said that, I prefer not to sand and use an annealed x-acto blade to pick off rust and then follow up with a light polish with Maas. These razors are old and have history. It's my opinion that a beautiful well earned patina should not be buffed away.

-Matt

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Originally Posted by mattluthier

I don't think it needs a "professional" restore. It appears you removed the active rust which is important and I really like that you have kept the original scales. I have seen perfectly fine scales unnecessarily replaced. As far as sanding blades, it's best not to sand opposite the original grind marks. Having said that, I prefer not to sand and use an annealed x-acto blade to pick off rust and then follow up with a light polish with Maas. These razors are old and have history. It's my opinion that a beautiful well earned patina should not be buffed away.

-Matt

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I understand where you're coming from in this regard.

For me, as the saying goes YMMV, I can't imagine someone, X amount of years ago purchasing the razor and saying, "Hey, it looks shiny and new! I don't want this...where is the nice patina and somewhat worn scales!?!"

So maybe original means different things to different people.

For me, I like my blades to look new, nicely polished so the water beads off them, and no blemishes. Guess, if they've been around as long as some have, they have plenty of time to get old again, or if someone gets a blade that's nice and shiny, they can throw it in the mud for awhile to get the look they want...haha...it really is YMMV.

Just looking around the forum, l see beautiful accurate historical restores, that keep the history, and they are great. Then you see the old blades in neon scales or something else that reflects a persons taste, and that's fine too. All the differences allow us to be exposed to different ideas, some ideas we like, some we don't, but nonetheless it's all fascinating to see what people can come up with.

Some people like numbers matching restorations on cars and others like resto-mods. At the end of the day, they put smiles on their owner's faces.

Again, not dissin, but the intial sanding is wrong,You try sanding the scales while still pinned you destroy the washers which are signature to that blade,it needs to be disasembled for even a simple restore,JMO

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Originally Posted by Phrank

I understand where you're coming from in this regard.

For me, as the saying goes YMMV, I can't imagine someone, X amount of years ago purchasing the razor and saying, "Hey, it looks shiny and new! I don't want this...where is the nice patina and somewhat worn scales!?!"

So maybe original means different things to different people.

For me, I like my blades to look new, nicely polished so the water beads off them, and no blemishes. Guess, if they've been around as long as some have, they have plenty of time to get old again, or if someone gets a blade that's nice and shiny, they can throw it in the mud for awhile to get the look they want...haha...it really is YMMV.

Just looking around the forum, l see beautiful accurate historical restores, that keep the history, and they are great. Then you see the old blades in neon scales or something else that reflects a persons taste, and that's fine too. All the differences allow us to be exposed to different ideas, some ideas we like, some we don't, but nonetheless it's all fascinating to see what people can come up with.

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I agree with YMMV and I have also seen some nice restores. What you consider a blemish, I consider character. I'd much rather keep the character (blemishes) on a razor rather than sanding and buffing which softens the crisp lines of the original grind. I respectfully disagree with making vintage razors look brand new. To each his own...

That Razor can be faithfully restored to its former glory without modifying anything,It can also be destroyed in the wrong hands.

Pixelfixed is absolutely correct! Care must be used if a restoration is done. Buffing a blade incorrectly to make it shiny can over heat and ruin the temper and the edge holding capability. In the end, It’s your dime.
Mike

Hate to keep hammering about this but I must,what I see on The O.Ps workbench Is Garnet paper, looks to be about 80 grit.
What I see on the blade after some sanding are scratches that will be a PITA to remove,they were not there in the orig pics.
As we restore, bear in mind we also have a responsibily to preserve,is a right way and a wrong way.
It just really upsets me to see the wrong way,sorry if I am being Crass,thats just me.

Yeah Pixel I agree, I am getting Glen to do the restore :D

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Originally Posted by Pagan2003

Yeah Pixel I agree, I am getting Glen to do the restore :D

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As the Old Crusader in the movie 'Raider's of the Lost Ark' said when the cup of Christ was being sought and all of the Golden/Jeweled cups were passed over for a simple cup with no engravings or precious stones;

"You have chosen Wisely"!

In my humble opinion Glen does a fantastic job of trying to keep a razor as close to original as possible when asked to do so!!:bow

If you look at his website you will see that is what he originally and continues to be noted for!!!

I for one look forward to seeing what his dedicated efforts will provide! :tu

Yeah I think so cudarunner, I was never going to try to restore it in the first place, I was just wanting to get the rust off before it might get worse, and just clean off the scales. I wanted to get it done right by a pro but until a couple days ago I didn't know when I would have had the money to do it, but I just found out I will get my check for SSD very soon and have asked Glen to do the restore which he said he would. YAYYY! Lol trust me I just got into this I am NOT going to try a restore on my own. :D

I think you made the right choice. I agree with the other posts and like the idea of using the original scales. I look forward to seeing it when it's done.

Thanks Webbie, I can't wait either, I was so worried about getting the rust off so it wouldn't get worse before I would be able to get it restored I stupidly didn't think about the scratches :banghead: Sigh...well it will be in good hands soon enough :y

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Originally Posted by Pagan2003

Yeah Pixel I agree, I am getting Glen to do the restore :D

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Thats a good thing:)

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Originally Posted by Pagan2003

Thanks Webbie, I can't wait either, I was so worried about getting the rust off so it wouldn't get worse before I would be able to get it restored I stupidly didn't think about the scratches :banghead: Sigh...well it will be in good hands soon enough :y

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You made the right decision!

That razor you have is a real classic, an icon from another time, and you'll be very pleased with the results, it will be a cornerstone in your collection if you choose to dive in.

Congratulations!

Remember, we'd all love the see the razor again when it's all done!!