Thread: Mappin Lancet

Been busy so did not get a chance for photos before now.

I wiped the blade down with just some polish on a rag, and it cleaned up nice compared to the deep rust I was afraid of.

Show side is still pretty showy. pile side has some staining that will need more work.
But the biggest concern is the scales. They are aluminum, and one side is missing a piece at the pivot.
I can get a new piece welded on, and then just shape it to match, but for the problem of the delicate wire work.

Yup, the scales are inlaid with fine silver wire, and then were filled in with either lacquer or enamel and small abalone pieces. I sincerly doubt that my skill set is of a caliber to restore these. I'm open to suggestions if anybody has some?

That's a very nice straight considering what you said about it. You might contact some of the custom restoring guys on here like Maximilian or gssixgun. If they can't do it, there's gotta be someone that can. One of them might even know of someone if they can't do it but they are a couple of the best custom restoring guys on here. Great score & good luck! I hope you can get her back to her original beauty.
Steve

Restoring the blade is easy! that fine wire work? THATS gonna be hard! I might just remove the scales and make new ones, and store the originals until I have a better idea what to do with them.

That's a nice blade !!....Someone very recently here showcased an identical blade and maker

First thinking out side the box I found some abalone .
Jewelry Making | JTV

As for the wire . I saw this artist doing this kind of work every year at the Ann Arbor Art Festival. Thats not till July.I will hunt him down then an get his info if it helps or at least get his input. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

The wire looks like something a jeweler would work with. I worked with this artist who is in California. She has the skill set you are looking for. Or your local jeweler may have what you need.
Wire Crochet Jewelry Artist Miriam Chor Freitas |

Just ideas and directions to explore.

Sharptonn and Tarkus have some of the nicest Mappins, and show them off now and then. Was probably one of theirs. That's why I bought this one, I want to be like them when I grow up!

Nice blade. You might ask Zak (Voidmonster) what he thinks about the scales. He has done some fantastic restoration work. Tom (Sharptonn) has also shown some great restos with old stuff. He keeps his eyes peeled for parts razors and gets old scales and what not to use in bringing some of these back to life. Notably his W&B pearl scaled razors. Probably a long shot to find a pair of scales like that, but they probably made more than one.

There is a system used in string inlay to adorn woodwork, part of that is inlaying square wire in fine grooves cut into the wood. I have not had the time to practice but there is a lot of info available on string and wire inlay. The scales are awesome and so is the blade. I think it may take a while to get your ducks lined up for having those scales repaired. I think there are a lot of places that sell the abalone inlay pieces. Here is one mygann on eBay

Originally Posted by RezDog

There is a system used in string inlay to adorn woodwork, part of that is inlaying square wire in fine grooves cut into the wood. I have not had the time to practice but there is a lot of info available on string and wire inlay. The scales are awesome and so is the blade. I think it may take a while to get your ducks lined up for having those scales repaired. I think there are a lot of places that sell the abalone inlay pieces. Here is one mygann on eBay

robsbits in UK does also.
robsbits on eBay
I've purchased from both with good results.
~Richard
Warning, use this link. Someone has swamped the Google search function to list only another 'Bay seller with a similar name. It took about 5 minutes to locate the real robsbits.

Before I add any bits back to the scales, I probably need to remove bits. welding or brazing the scales to repair the damage at the pivot will generate LOTS of heat, and the likelihood of any of the wire or enameling surviving is mighty low I'm betting.

So my thoughts are, I need to gently dissolve the enamel and what ever glue they used to hold the wire in place, and carefully lift the wire off before getting the metal repairs accomplished. This is more like a cloisonné than an inlay. delicate, and intricate even in its simplicity.