wb celebrated fbu quality question

Howdy all. Like many i have a bad case of RAD and have been browsing for a few months for a nice 7/8 or larger wb fbu.

Would a razor per this bay post be considered in good condition in relation to its age and restore quality without direct consideration of selling price or scales? Like many i really like the wb celebrated fbu and seem to find rarely one where the etching is good and pitting is near non existing. Before i bid on future prospects, i want to be sure the overall quality of what i think is good is in fact good, or if i am missing something.

thx for the input!

The Celebrated Hollow Ground Razor for Barbers Use Wade Butcher Shave Ready | eBay

Welcome to SRP hillbillyreverend, the link doesn't work for me.

Hmm. The site didn't work for me either. Solingen is a hotbed for SR. I have heard of Wade Butchers, but never had any real experience with them. If the price is reasonable and you have the tools to hone it, its something to consider.

Pabster

since the link wont work, here are a few of the pics.

I am curious to know how often one can be found in similar condition as I havent seen any on the bay or from forum sellers here or on B&B....and is this really considered very good condition for a restore?

I would venture a guess that this razor has already been restored

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

I would venture a guess that this razor has already been restored

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Glen,
I think the question is whether this is a good restore (blade only).

The blade condition in those pictures is OK. There are a few things that I look for. Cracks and chips, deep pitting, and the over lines of the razor. That is where it gets a little tricky. If you look along the heel at the stabilizer you can see if the lines are crisp or not. They should be well defined and square edges. Where the bade and the spine meet there is usually a dart that easily gets lost with buffing and regrinding. The etch on the blade, both on the face and the makers mark are important to me. The finish on the blade is not that important to me, unless it is a new blade, or a very expensive blade, then it may come into play. The scales can make a big difference on what I am willing to pay. On this one is where I fall down. I cannot tell if these are true Mother of Pearl scales or faux that have been done up to look like the real McCoy. They are nice, but real MOP in that big of pieces is kind of rare these days and could reflect on the price quite a bit. There is my 2 cents

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Originally Posted by hillbillyreverend

.and is this really considered very good condition for a restore?

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Ok Ed I guess that could be taken either way hehhehe

I thought he was asking if it could be Restored :p

The blade has been worked over, no doubt. Looks OK, though. My concern is that much of the perceived value is in the newly-made scales.
They look thick and clunky, heavy to me. I had rather have accurate or original horn scales, but that is just me.

Dang, looking at that one really shows me how much was ground off the WB FBU I just BIN'd on dabay.
The lower arrow is ground off completely and the faces have been gouged up quite a bit. This one looks nice in comparison. Presume it's gone by now.
I'd probably opt for different scales as well, assuming it's fake MOP on them.
Cheers.

The blade looks OK but for a razor like that, whoever restored it should have put a bit more time into it to get a flawless mirror finish.

I dunno. I would be happy he stopped where he did, myself! ;)

I tend to agree with you Tom. Although I appreciate, and am still chasing a self made mirror finish on a vintage razor I can be proud to achieve, on these bad boys a little age and character work.
What I was appreciating was just how much detail has been previously removed from my new restore blade based on this one, and the one you recently posted which I saw before mine arrived.
My logo arrow and rear stab are ground away by some hack job on a grinder who knows how many years ago. I have no expectation of mirror finish although I am going to try. I will be happy to smooth out the damage and call it a shaver again at the least. Going to try to save the scales too, worm holes be damned. ;)

Gee, Mike. I tend to think 'clean' these days on the old ones. A buffer finish seems false to me on them.
The ones which had a mirror finish in the old days, saving the lines, details without blowing out the tang stamps, all somehow seems impossible now? I like to make the oldies clean and tight, not much more. They seem silly as done too shiny, JMO. Of course the wedges have lots of meat on the bone!
Some of those need the blade reshaped a bit to make all well. I feel your's could benefit?
I shall start a thread on it as I begin.

Looks very nice, for something that is 150+ years old it's in great shape IMO. If I didn't have a 7-Day set of them already, I'd be very interested in acquiring that one.:D

Scales are a matter of taste as far as I'm concerned, but you don't see many of those blades come along in such a nice state.

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Originally Posted by MikeB52

Dang, looking at that one really shows me how much was ground off the WB FBU I just BIN'd on dabay.
The lower arrow is ground off completely and the faces have been gouged up quite a bit. This one looks nice in comparison. Presume it's gone by now.
I'd probably opt for different scales as well, assuming it's fake MOP on them.
Cheers.

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Seems like it was posted back in March? I expect Phrank has it by now! :roflmao

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Originally Posted by Phrank

Looks very nice, for something that is 150+ years old it's in great shape IMO. If I didn't have a 7-Day set of them already, I'd be very interested in acquiring that one.:D

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Your descriptions of your experiences with these big blades prompted my interest as well Andrew. Your pics of Val's awesome work certainly didn't hurt either..
Love the new avatar, Father Guido's way less creepy than Alex was.. ;)

I should start a new thread in the workshop as well. Mine definitely needing some reprofiling, or significant smoothing out. I will keep an eye out for yours Tom, tips are always consumed with appreciation.
I may need counselling on thread jacking from professionals, been doing it a lot lately, hehe.
Or become a pirate....

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Seems like it was posted back in March? I expect Phrank has it by now! :roflmao

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True Dat.
:roflmao

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Seems like it was posted back in March? I expect Phrank has it by now! :roflmao

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If I had of seen it back then, I might have grabbed it...those W&B's complete me:D

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Originally Posted by Phrank

If I had of seen it back then, I might have grabbed it...those W&B's complete me:D

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They seem to be top-shelf, first division! Always have?