Thread: W & B Mystery

I picked up this Wade & Butcher today, but cant for the life of me seem to find what model it is, what year it was made, or even pictures of someone who has the same one.

Tang stamp reads:

WADE & BUTCHER
SHEFFIELD
* Circle B Arrow Cross *

The blade is about 11/16" at it's widest at the heel and about 9/16" at the toe. I cant seem to find any other W&B's that have the same slope to the toe.

The blade grind is either Near Wedge or Section (Microtome).

No barbers notch, no jibs. I am having a hard time figuring out the scale material, but it appears to be horn due to the coloring and the way the edges are lighter colored and peeling back. They have lots of flex, which makes me question that it's horn, but with age and wear, it is possible.

blueprinciple says here: http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...tml#post245630
that that trademark was in use in 1819, but I cant find any other back up for that statement.

Any ideas?

That W&B is pre-1895 for sure, and seems like it has seen better days. The slope that you refer to is actually hone wear. I'm not saying that it's unsalvagable, but you'd probably want one of the pros to handle the honing of this one.

That is worn seriously worn and tired blade. As Ryan says it is most definitely pre 1895

One of my biggest problems with W&B's is they very few razors that could be given actual model names. Makes it hard to know what to call them, especially for things like the Straight Razor Database.

I was noticing that when I was going through the database and doing some searching. It is always essentially just a description of the razor, not really a "model". Definately makes searching for the same one a lot more difficult!

The massive hone wear on this one is actually a pretty appealing look. It's got a really nice flow to it. When it is this worn, I can imagine that it would pretty much have to be taped to be honed properly as well, correct? I would think if that much material is removed from the top, there also has to be quite a bit removed from the sides as well

Wait a second - that slope from the top of the spine IS NOT hone wear. The hone wear is the thinner band at the widest point of the spine.

That sloped spine with a ridge at the top, while not extremely common, is not really all that rare.

You don't necessarily have to tape the razor - you don't necessarily have to tape any razor. As with any razor, taping will stop further wear to the spine and (probably) reduce the amount of time it will take to set the bevel (though it's impossible to say by how much without actually doing it).

Originally Posted by aeon

When it is this worn, I can imagine that it would pretty much have to be taped to be honed properly as well, correct? I would think if that much material is removed from the top, there also has to be quite a bit removed from the sides as well

I think the opposite would be true. You don't need to worry about hone wear aesthetics and when the spine is worn that far, the surface is wider so the pressure would be spread farther and so the rate of wear would be reduced. In order to maintain the proper bevel angle, I think it would be better to not tape it. I would only tape it if you find that your bevel set is not reaching all the way to the edge.
You might want to tape the edge and the spine and spend some time honing down the shoulder stabilizer if it is interfering with the edge making contact with the hone.

Thanks for the clarification holli I was a little bit confused as to how the ridge along the spine could wear that much lol *facepalm*

Originally Posted by Utopian

I think the opposite would be true. You don't need to worry about hone wear aesthetics and when the spine is worn that far, the surface is wider so the pressure would be spread farther and so the rate of wear would be reduced. In order to maintain the proper bevel angle, I think it would be better to not tape it. I would only tape it if you find that your bevel set is not reaching all the way to the edge.
You might want to tape the edge and the spine and spend some time honing down the shoulder stabilizer if it is interfering with the edge making contact with the hone.

So, if i'm understanding this correctly, what you're saying is that over time, as the blade wears more, the rate of the wear slows down because of the increased surface area contact on the hone?

It's a little bit tough to see in the pictures, but the dark little "triangle" just to the left of the stamp appears to be wear on the shoulder. Initially as I checked it out I figured it was a double shoulder that had been worn out, but It seems as though it's actually a single shoulder that has wear on it. That wear point terminates just below where the honing wear along the side is, so I'm pretty sure that's what it's from. I never did take a picture of the back side of it, but on that side the wear line actually runs right over top of the shoulder, just past the heel of the blade. Would that be a sign of uneven wear?

Originally Posted by aeon

Thanks for the clarification holli I was a little bit confused as to how the ridge along the spine could wear that much lol *facepalm*
Excellent point. I did not look closely enough to notice it.


So, if i'm understanding this correctly, what you're saying is that over time, as the blade wears more, the rate of the wear slows down because of the increased surface area contact on the hone?
Yes, but as the spine wears and gets wider, the edge is also receding and eventually reaches a thicker part of the blade. In theory, I suppose this will balance out.


It's a little bit tough to see in the pictures, but the dark little "triangle" just to the left of the stamp appears to be wear on the shoulder. Initially as I checked it out I figured it was a double shoulder that had been worn out, but It seems as though it's actually a single shoulder that has wear on it. That wear point terminates just below where the honing wear along the side is, so I'm pretty sure that's what it's from. I never did take a picture of the back side of it, but on that side the wear line actually runs right over top of the shoulder, just past the heel of the blade. Would that be a sign of uneven wear?

I'm not sure of what you described, but you can easily determine if the stabilizer is in the way. Hone a few strokes on a coarse hone and see if you get any scratching on the stabilizer. If you do, then you will need to deal with it.

If I'm getting even wear along the blade, would I still need to deal with the stabilizer?