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Historic W&B Restore - Uncommon Blade
Hey there all, just wanted to share with you this weeks restoration. I did not post this in the 'Show and Tell' Section as there a little more to this restoration then just an old blade given new life; I have only seen one other like it, which was discussed on one of my favorite old thread entitled 'what is silver steel and what is it doing in my razor?'
That thread opened a can of worms regarding the inclusion of fine and precious metals in to the smelting of early crucible steels. The main pioneer of the movement was started by Faraday in the 1820's. It was also discussed that whether the advertising claims of the day were factual or just a ploy to sell their razor brand; obviously there were many mixed opinions regarding the whether or not fine metal were actually included in to razors of the day with just as many if not more nay sayers then believers.
A razor same as the restore I just completed was depicted on that thread as evidence of the claims that Silver Steel may have actually contained silver at one time. This razor to me signified more then just advertising rather a moment in time... An important moment in the evolution of modern steel. The razor depicted in that thread is the only other i have ever seen like it...
Here's the rare features:
1- Spine stamp- Silver Combined with India Steel
2- Full Hollow Toe- Way more hollow then a typical Notch of the day
4- The straight lined tang with deep ridge type hand filed jimps
I'm dating this W&B to the Late 1830's- 1840's Here's why-
1. Faraday experiments took place in the 1820's and reached wide spread publication and popularity in the 1830's
2. Silver steel replaced cast waranted steel in the 1820-30's
3. Jimping was introduced in the 1830's and the jimping on this blade is different then later styles
4. Hollow toes were also introduced in the 1830's-40's, this notch seems to be a play on an early notch
5. Pronounced single stabilzer heel on a full wedge grind suggest earlier production
6. The tail is forged 'thinner' than later models, longer then previous stub tails yet still drawn thinner then a typical W&B tail
About the restoration.....
I bought the blade on the bay, and it came in rough scales that were made out of a 1930's style hardware store ruler with a peened nail in the wedge end and the pivot. The blade had a heavy, even patina that revealed a fair amount of deep pitting. So not to change the geometry of the blade i removed the majority of the pits and staining but couldnt get it all on this one. The pitting is way more pronounced on the pictures and dont really detract from the razor when you see it in person. For the scales i opted for a redwood burl with black G10 liner and a polished CA finish with Double washered brass all the way around. I had to add a middle pin as ther scales bowed a little bit more than i had hopped, but all in all im happy with the way it came out.
As always Let me know what you think!
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