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Hey all!
I stumbled across a pretty clean Wade & Butcher barber's notch razor from an antique store, bought it for $35, and now don't know what to do with it.
It's only my second razor after a Wapi, and only has a little staining on the blade.
Should I ship it off to get "restored" or should I pick up a whetstone and hone the puppy?
Either way, do some research (ie wiki) and do it yourself my friend. No better feeling.:nj
Pictures always help.
If all the blade needs is a good honing, you could always try to do that yourself if you are inclined to do so. If you think the blade and the scales need some work, or maybe even a new set of scales are in order, then ship it out for restoration. I did the same with a $10- W&B blade and the result is great. You can have a look at it on the "Restored custom razors" section of Introduction to razors to give you an idea. Scroll down to the "Before & After Gallery" and you will see how the razor was transformed. Mine is the one furthest down.
+1 on posting pictures. How much money do you want to spend on restoration and hones? How badly do you want to learn how to hone? Do you want to learn how to restore razors?
It sounds like the razor is in pretty good shape. Personally, I'd get some metal polish and polish up the razor myself. And since you only have one working razor, I'd send it out for a proper honing. There are members that will hone for free, you pay for shipping. There are others you can pay to do the job.
Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds
It really depends on what you want to spend your money on, and what you wish to learn. It's your choice. Hopefully some of the questions posed will help you make your decision. You can always purchase a few razors off of eBay, or possibly a local antique store, and practice honing and restoring on them.
Hone it and shave with it! A little Maas or Simichrome will reduce and help stabilize the staining.