Info please on W&B

Hello All,

I recently had the privilege of meeting a woman who said she had about 20 or so straights that were available. I made arrangements to meet with her and was able to obtain about four blades.

One of them is the following W&B, and I'm hopping that someone can help me with this one.

I’ve seen a lot of W&B’s both here and on other sites, but never one with this etching (if it's been posted here, please accept my apologies. I did go through the "Wedge" thread, and much of the "Butcher Shop" thread, but haven't yet seen another one).

It appears to be a 7/8” near wedge. It’s so close to being a wedge that the grind of “near wedge” could have easily just been the human error factor. There is however an ever so slight hollow. There is still some gold wash left on the shoulder, and underside of the tang (seen in pics). The etching appears to say, “The Americans wish for PEACE” towards the toe, and towards the heel it appears to say, “… with Honour and FREEDOM”.

The blade is also ¼” thick.

It’s a shame, but I don’t think the etching will survive any rust removal process. I’m more the sort that is more interested in functional, but also respect rarity, and collectability. If I thought this was a rarity (or of some importance), and that it could be salvaged, I’d probably have someone with the necessary skills do so.

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/8...stampsmall.jpg

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http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/7...getchsmall.jpg

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If you want that really cleaned up it will be quite a job and the edge will need major work. If you want to send it out, a well worn blade like that may not be worth the cost unless it has sentimental value however you will need to have one of the pros here examine it to better tell you what it needs and what you want and what is reasonable.

I have never seen a W&B with goldwash before; I'm inclided to think that is some sort of crud and/or rust.

If you want to get the razor functional, you should at least get of all the red rust. If you want to do that as gently as possible, you could use repeated applications of MAAS and a soft cotton cloth (like an old t-shirt). If the "etch" on the blade is just a frosting, it will almost definitely come off too. If there is a light etch under the frost (which there sometimes is), you'll keep that and lose the frost. If it's actually etched, you'll have some more room to play.

After that, I'd suggest at least two or three layers of tape to get those chips out, and even then you'll likely have the back end of the bevel run into (and remove) part of the design on the razor.

To be honest, though, given the extent of the rusting on the face of the razor, I would just say forget the design and clean her up all the way. I'm in a phase where I think "If you're gonna clean it, do it for real. If you leave stuff behind, it should be a nice patina." But that is just my opinion from my current outlook.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I have never seen a W&B with goldwash before; I'm inclided to think that is some sort of crud and/or rust.

If you want to get the razor functional, you should at least get of all the red rust. If you want to do that as gently as possible, you could use repeated applications of MAAS and a soft cotton cloth (like an old t-shirt). If the "etch" on the blade is just a frosting, it will almost definitely come off too. If there is a light etch under the frost (which there sometimes is), you'll keep that and lose the frost. If it's actually etched, you'll have some more room to play.

After that, I'd suggest at least two or three layers of tape to get those chips out, and even then you'll likely have the back end of the bevel run into (and remove) part of the design on the razor.

To be honest, though, given the extent of the rusting on the face of the razor, I would just say forget the design and clean her up all the way. I'm in a phase where I think "If you're gonna clean it, do it for real. If you leave stuff behind, it should be a nice patina." But that is just my opinion from my current outlook.

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I sort of figured that would be the consensus.

Folks, I realize that I'm a newb at this stuff, but it doesn't mean I'm totally new. I think this is gold wash, and not rust. It looks much like the stuff on the Saginaw razor I picked up last week in this thread.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...r-help-id.html

Furthermore, all the red rust turned black from the several treatments with Gunzillia, and the bronze brushing I put it through. I plan on doing the restore myself if there is no saving the frosting (I don't think there is), but I'd even be willing to send it to one of the pro's here if they would like to verify it. I had also never seen GW on a W&B in the pics I've seen while researching this stuff (as well as this particular etch), and that is another aspect that made me think it might be a significant find.

I didn't even notice the GW at first. It was only after a day of cleaning it up that I saw it, and even then in the right light.

wow...straaange....I just picked one of these up this morning for a whopping $5 and is almost in the exact same condition minus the rust Thought that maybe my eyes were deceiving me because of those same designs....let me know how you clean it up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by volleykinginnc

wow...straaange....I just picked one of these up this morning for a whopping $5 and is almost in the exact same condition minus the rust Thought that maybe my eyes were deceiving me because of those same designs....let me know how you clean it up.

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I've been treating rusting and tarnished blades with Gunzillia. It is supposed to remove rust, and it has done a decent job of removing some tarnish, and turns red rust black, while removing the excess. I don't think this will survive the rust removal process with the GW, and etching intact. Sad as it sounds like an unusual piece.

ETA:

Is there GW on yours, and if so how good is it?

A razor's dignity is in its utility. In my opinion, a razor that doesn't get used is worth nothing.

I vote for sanding it down, polishing it to a shine, honing it up, and using it in your rotation.

Those rust spots look like pits to my admittedly untrained eye, and you'll not likely get them out while preserving the etching, IMHO. If you do, please let us all know how you did it!