Thread: Seeking some info on these razors (many pics)

Let me preface this post by saying that I am new at this having only been SR shaving for about two months now. I've realized that one razor is certainly not enough and therefore I've been hitting the antique stores and flea markets hoping to find some candidates to create a rotation. These were found yesterday at an antique store nearby. The guy had about 50 or so razors in a paper bag and allowed me to pilfer through them. Here's what I came away with.

Shumate 0125 in really good shape. I assume made in USA? (I've heard these shave well)



Emil Voos, Black King with bone or horn scales? about 11/16" Some staining one one side of the blade (I really can't find anything about this razor.)


Wade & Butcher "For Barbers Only" about 15/16"
Some staining but not much rust or pitting to speak of. A chip out of the horn? scale at the wedge end.


Wade & Butcher "The Celebrated" about 11/16"
One scale in bad shape but maybe repairable? Some stains and and a little pitting and rust on one side of blade.




I would really like to find some info on the Voos as well as the approx. ages of the W&Bs. I assume the last razor is a good restoration candidate. I read a thirty or so page post about cleaning/polishing blades in a vibratory tumbler and I'm seeking guidance on this as well. Thanks

Nice haul and run back and buy the whole bag :<0) I would forget the tumbler. I seen the posts and some were happy but... I haven't seen many say they do it all the time. Except for the scales it looks like you have 4 in need of polish and hone. You could do more but that is a matter of taste, yours.

These are all great blades in excellent condition
A couple of scales, a polish and hone all done
you will not go wrong at all with these I think

Your razors are in really good shape. Good finds.

Welcome to SRP. Nice haul. Seems you've studied up on looking for good condition as opposed to grabbing every straight that you see. The Shumate was indeed made in USA. They began in Austin, Texas but spent most of the life of the company in St. Louis. Darn good shavers and they were well liked because they were inexpensive. Not that I remember that, but the magazine ads tell us that.

The two W&Bs are in nice shape. Is the wedge end of that cracked scale wired or is that a horizontal crack ? A tight crack at the wedge end is usable if you can live with the appearance. Loose is not user friendly and the scales would need be replaced in that case. I can't tell you much about the Voos other than it is a name I recognize from both razors and pocket knives. Solingen from that era was usually real good.

Nice haul and run back and buy the whole bag :<0) I would forget the tumbler. I seen the posts and some were happy but... I haven't seen many say they do it all the time.

He had several other nice razors in the bag, but these are the ones that stood out to me. Heck, he thought the Shumate was the rare bird of all of them. I'm surely not dead set on the tumbler idea yet but I was impressed by some of the results.

These are all great blades in excellent condition A couple of scales, a polish and hone all done you will not go wrong at all with these I think

I do have some good dremel tools I could get started with as far as polishing goes but I'm thinking I may look for a low RPM benchtop polisher which would get use on some watches as well. Much more research to go before I attempt to re-scale the one.

Is the wedge end of that cracked scale wired or is that a horizontal crack ?

Yes, it is wired. The end piece of the scale is broken off but all the material is still there. I think I've read that the horn scales can be epoxied back together and refinished but it seems it my not be an easy job given the location of the fracture. Oh, and thanks for the info on the Shumate

Thanks guys!