Thread: Wade & Butcher 7/8- I didn't think it was possible

So I picked this up this last weekend at an antique show. I had my doubts about being able to make it usable. It still needs some work, but I really want to hone and shave with it. I will go back and get some scratches out, but the pitting is mostly going to stay. I'm amazed it came this clean. It has minimal spine wear and the corners on the tang are still nice and crisp, not all rounded over.

That will be a good shaver. I won one once on eBay for really cheap that had a large, heavy blade but it was rusted. I sanded it out & it was pitted but a good friend of mine who is also a wet shaver asked me if he could hone it for me, so I let him take it home & hone it. Awhile later he sent me a text of a short video clip from his phone & it was popping hairs!!!!! It turned out to be such a good shaver, I added it to my rotation so what you have there is a great shaver. It will clean up nicely & when honed & stropped will give you a shave you will never forget!

That come up great,
the pitting is no where near as bad as it looked like it was going to be
Nice score

Nice find. Good thing the text was stamped instead of etched, or you wouldn't have been able to save it.
Was it hand sanded or cleaned on a polishing wheel?

Originally Posted by JP5

Nice find. Good thing the text was stamped instead of etched, or you wouldn't have been able to save it.
Was it hand sanded or cleaned on a polishing wheel?

A lot of the work was done with a dremel. I removed the rust with a wire wheel on the dremel. Then I worked the back side of the blade with a sandpaper progression and finished with a polishing wheel on the dremel and Maas polish. There were some scratches left and I went back with 000 steel wool with Maas and then the polishing wheel again.

After assessing the back I knew I wouldn't be taking all the pitting out. So with the front I just spent a lot of time with the 000 steel wool and Maas finishing up with the polishing wheel on the dremel and Maas. In the end, there wasn't a whole lot of difference in the outcome between the front and back.

Indeed, sanding on one is a slippery slope. Sometimes you get to a point and think you liked it better before you started.
I am using the CroOx and WD40 a lot these days and Maas after. Leave the age to them.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Indeed, sanding on one is a slippery slope. Sometimes you get to a point and think you liked it better before you started.
I am using the CroOx and WD40 a lot these days and Maas after. Leave the age to them.

What are you using to work the CroOx with?

Originally Posted by 57vert

What are you using to work the CroOx with?

So far, just a 3 inch square, folded 3 times of paper 'shop towels' . Cut it off as necessary every inch or so. Someone spoke of using chamois?
Beauty of it is, you can go all directions and not have a scratch pattern!

That blade cleaned up pretty well! I have bought some razors with far less visible corrosion that ended up being useless after sanding enough to remove the surface damage. (Which uncovered deep damage!) I have two Wade and Butchers, they are nice shavers.
Nice score

Originally Posted by Ernie1980

That blade cleaned up pretty well! I have bought some razors with far less visible corrosion that ended up being useless after sanding enough to remove the surface damage. (Which uncovered deep damage!) I have two Wade and Butchers, they are nice shavers.
Nice score

Yep, been there done that. Had a big blade a while back I had a lot of hope for. Only when I got the rust removed was I able to see the crack in the blade going from edge to spine about 3/8 of an inch..... not a good day in shaving history.