Thread: 1820s Wade and Butcher Tempered Steel

I've often wondered the same thing while working on old scale and cleaning them. Like the really nice mottled colour wasn't desirable and was all dyed black. I good soak in neatsfoot will do those wonders. I usual put them in a plastic bag for the soak. It requires much less oil that way. I have soaked whole razors that way right after I get them and them give them a squint when I've got a little time.

200 years of filth & grim build up doubtfull as I have a late 1700's stub in light horn that has nowhere near the coating of god knows what yours has by the look of it, but you never know maybe someone put a coating of something to keep the bugs away on it cos it looks tarish in the last photo??
Surely someone on here has come across something like this before ??
looks like if will clean up real nice but, great score

Agree with Rezdog the neatsfoot will do them a treat, before you sand even, I have 2 soaking now and have put all horn scales straight into the oil for a week before I start playing with them just to rehydrate them them as it helps with a lot of the minor laminations & flaking a lot

Nice snag, can't wait to see how it turns out!

Just finished pinning. I wanted to replicate the original black finish so I ended up spray painting the scales black. It's unorthodox for sure, but I like the effect.







And if anyone's curious how the steel collars looked originally, the inside was well preserved:

Great razor- i love the early ones.

great razor, mayby i own one for my self in the future

Beautiful work. I have seen some of your other pictures, you have an amazing collection! Worthy of a museum.