Thread: Wade and Butcher "For barber's use"..Cracked!!! But not all is lost............

Hey Gents,
I recently found this WB "For Barber's Use" for a "too good to be true" price so I took a chance. Original scales are in decent shape and I was simply going to leave the blade "as is" with the petina and hone er' up and put it into the shave rotation. Well, that DID NOT happen.

I was getting ready to hone this old girl up but before I did....I wanted to take a quick look at the edge with a 10x loupe before I started as I always do just to see what I would be working with. I started at the toe and was pleasantly surprised at the decent / workable condition of the the edge until very near the heel I saw it........the dreaded hairline CRACK creeping about halfway up the blade toward the spine.

After several disappointing and agonizing minutes passed as I was coming to the realization that this razor would not be joining my weekly rotation and my search for a WB FBU was not over, I calmed myself and took some deep breaths. I then reminded myself of the small price I paid for this razor and then noticed I had room in the display case where my other "handsome non-shavers" live and she now has a new home on the wall within the display case.

The crack is very hard to see and I tried to point it out with the tip of a pen. It is visible from both sides.

I also found a new favorite quote that fits perfect for this situation and many others in life.

"If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment."
Henry David Thoreau

Sorry to hear about the crack; I think those scales would look great on another W&B.
Keep them, W&B's are always showing up that need scales.

That's a problem, but not an insurmountable problem. Here is my solution to a very similar crack.

Regards - Walt



Just a suggestion . . . .

As Walt pointed out...where there's a will, there's a way

Thanks for the suggestion Walt. Unfortunately in my case the crack extends too far up the blade to modify the heel like that. On the opposite side of the blade (not pictured) the crack is only about an 1/8" from the spine. Nice work on yours though, glad you could save it.

So close to the heel, could You not just sharpen up to there and flatten after that. Or is the crack so that the blade in total is not stable anymore?

Not that it's advisable... But (and at your own risk)

Cracks are problematic if the blade flexes, exposing the sharp edges of the crack. On heavy grind blades, that really doesn't happen. I had one of those at one time that was cracked, and I shaved with it. Not much, mind you, but I did.

Also, with the crack in that area of the blade, it would be really easy to keep it off your face.

As a side note, it will probably take some doing to get that wave out of the heel of the blade. And was there some light grinding done just above the edge? That area looks... not normal.

The pictures show the blade as I recieved so I am not sure about what anyone did prior to me recieving the razor but in my humble opinion I don't think anyone messed with it besides normal honing.

The blade is hefty though and the crack hasn't seem to make the blade unstable or shifty or anything. Just curious to how the blade cracked on this thick beast. I know it's an oldie but someone must have torqued it pretty good or dropped it off of a roof. Doesn't look to be caused by heat or grinding but who knows.

Maybe if I get bored one day (10 day old baby and 17 month old at home) which isn't happening anytime soon I will try to make it a shaver and just carve "avoid the heel" in the scales.

Appreciate the input, thnx.