Thread: Wade and Butcher in Bone

I have no experience in Ivory, but I do believe it is bone very thin bone at that. I saw this in the local antique mall today and couldn't pass on it! it had a high price tag and I got them to knock $10 off so I wasn't completely upset later. Any comments on it as to its age would be great! thanks for looking. Also is that a lead spacer?

The scales certainly look like bone to me. Nice find. Age is pre 1891 but apart from that it's hard to be more accurate. Judging by the shape of the tail, it's after 1825.

not much of a razor expert but the scales look like bone imhe

Thank you both. so far good info.

I'd agree that the scales look like bone. I would guess a 1870's or 1880's. The tail looks on the modern side, so that says post 1850 to me, but there is no England on the stamp, so pre 1890. The wedge could be lead, pewter, or silver, but I can't tell from the photos. Even in person I usually can't tell.

She's beautiful.
I would send her out to one of the pro's to have her cleaned up. She's a keeper.
A great find.

As noted above the scales 'look' like bone. It also looks like it was rescales since the pivot pin has a collar and the wedge end doesn't. The pivot pin also looks like it was wacked a few times where original pins won't. The Wedge pin not having a collar does raise a question as to if it is bone though. The easiest way to know dor sure is to clean the scales and repost a picture. You can use tooth past and an old tooth brush, or some other type of polish. I have used Maas on scales w/ good results but it is not my preferred polish. If ivory, put a thin coat of mineral oil on them. This may also clean them a little. A soft eraser is also good to clean ivory. Nice score.

I could be wrong, but it looks to me as if the wedge pin has a collar too. It is hard to see, and one of those 60x illuminated Chinese magnifiers which sell for a few dollars on eBay can be a very useful thing for the razor enthusiast to have.

I'd agree it could be ivory, but is a lot more likely to be bone. It would be a nice piece of work in bone, though, and well preserved, so there is nothing the matter with that. It wouldn't be too difficult to restore yourself, for the only rust which might be quite deep is that patch near the spine, which isn't that bad, and could be treated quite aggressively without touching the edge. It looks a bit more hollow than the usual wedge, but it is still a type of blade doesn't put you on dangerously thin steel, as a full or extra hollow ground would do.

I agree with what has been said about the dates, but I think it is probably Victorian, i.e. not before 1837. Before that date (approximately) Wade and Butcher certainly produced a different, "concave" type, with a thin , near-flat grind transitioning into small-radius curvature near the spine, and therefore not producible with a wheel moving at right angles to the blade. I don't know how long this overlapped, in production, with true hollow-ground blades, but not, I think, by many years.

Originally Posted by Caledonian

I agree with what has been said about the dates, but I think it is probably Victorian, i.e. not before 1837. Before that date (approximately) Wade and Butcher certainly produced a different, "concave" type, with a thin , near-flat grind transitioning into small-radius curvature near the spine, and therefore not producible with a wheel moving at right angles to the blade. I don't know how long this overlapped, in production, with true hollow-ground blades, but not, I think, by many years.

It sounds to me like you are describing a Faux Frameback, also sometimes called a long grind and seemingly sometimes referred to as a rattler. These were in production for a long time, and there examples from various regions as well. They seemed to be particularly popular in Sweden, but I have seen American, Sheffield, and French razors with that grind as well.

I don't think I have seen any of that type from before 1837, however. Maybe 1870 or 1880.

Looks like bone scales to me. I don't think the spacer is lead. Usually lead develops a dark tarnish and has no shine to it unless it's been polished and then has a very characteristic color to it which that doesn't have. Also lead is very soft and has a tendency deform in places over time.