W&B FBO

I snatched this up off that auction site for a very nice price, from a seller I've bought from several times in the past with good results. The price was probably low because of that big ding. But the blade is over an inch wide, so even with the chip honed out it will be pretty big. The scales seem to be original, and are in very good shape. I'll soak the whole thing in neatsfoot for a while, and the scales will need to be slightly straightened (the blade closes in the center, but caution is needed because there's not much clearance). It looks like there had been a fair amount of rust at some point but was cleaned up (probably by the seller, I didn't ask). The pitting that remains isn't close to the edge.

This is my first For Barbers Only, and I'm very happy to add it to my collection. Over the years I have built up a nice selection of Wade & Butchers, almost all of which were small restoration projects. Every single one is an excellent shaver.

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Nice catch..That ding is nothing too bad.Congrats

There is always a risk of cracks near or in dings so it’s good that you got it at a reasonable price. I look forward to seeing you getting it all fixed up and back in action.

Nice catch. Loves me some Wade and Butchers too. Looking forward to seeing it restored.

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Originally Posted by RezDog

There is always a risk of cracks near or in dings so it’s good that you got it at a reasonable price. I look forward to seeing you getting it all fixed up and back in action.

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That's a great point, RezDog! I checked it out more carefully, and can't see any signs of cracking in the steel. But I suppose it may show itself in the honing process. I'll hone it first before anything else, to make sure it will take an edge. The toe will need to be reshaped a bit, it's in kind of rough shape.

It does need some love but odds are it will be great.

I had some time to myself today, so I spent it with this razor. I reprofiled the toe and heel, and took it to the 400 and 1000 stones to see if I could set a bevel. It took a while, especially at the toe, but eventually it got there, so I'm happy. There's a lot more work to do, but at least now I know that I can move forward without wasting my time. So I killed the edge, and it's currently soaking in neatsfoot oil. There's some pretty bad pitting to remove, which will be the next step.

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There doesn’t look like a lot of pitting, but it does look deep. Likely you won’t get it all out, and that’s ok too. It is still a good save.

There's a lot of reflected light in the photo I just posted. I didn't worry about it because I mostly wanted to show the new blade shape. But there's a fair amount of pitting, some near the edge - and you're right, RezDog, some of it is deep. Most of the bad pitting is at the toe or on the spine, so it should turn out ok.