Thread: What are you working on?

As has been said I was given the raw material and can't remember what wood it is. I do know that it was stabilized and with the build up of excess stabilizer there were questions if after sanding things down if the wood would indeed be flexible.

I'm glad that they were. They look nice, can't wait to see the project finished and honed.

Since the different lighting gives much different looks to the scales--which one is closer? Just wondering.

The bottom pic is more like the real thing.

Originally Posted by Gasman

The bottom pic is more like the real thing.

Thank you. That's pretty much what I'd envisioned what it might look like after the built up stabilizer was sanded away.

How do you like the feel? Also does it look 'plastic' to the eye? Yes, No--Maybe so

It looks a bit like plastic, but enough wood in it you would take another look. It feels like plastic and is very flexible like soft acrylic. Very easy to bend and flex. but I think it got enough strength to be nice for scales. But just barely. It's that flexible!

Originally Posted by Gasman

It looks a bit like plastic, but enough wood in it you would take another look. It feels like plastic and is very flexible like soft acrylic. Very easy to bend and flex. but I think it got enough strength to be nice for scales. But just barely. It's that flexible!

It's my understanding that 'Stabilizing of wood' is reserved for softer woods to give them strength. It will be interesting to see how they work once you've got them pinned up.

I think they are cool! Reminds of old celluloid 'end of day' patterns.

Crazy colours in those scales for sure.
Nice work gentlemen.

They look great Jerry.

I think that if it were me, I would put a thin layer of G10 as backing just to be on the safe side.

Pete <:-}

Am I the only one who occasionally goes through the razors and just handles them, sorts through them and "fondles" them for lack of a better term?
Anyway, I was perusing them last night and looking for my next project and I pulled this one out. Sorry, these are eBay pictures. Again I neglected to take some good before pics.

Second one up from the bottom

I had gotten this one in a large lot with ones I was much more interested in, namely the pre '90s Wade & Butcher right below it in the second picture. I looked it over and it was so stained that the lighter portion from the hone wear looked really exaggerated plus it had some serious scars just under the spine which you can see in the after pictures if you zoom in. I don't know what on earth they did to this poor thing but when I looked at it last night for some reason it caught my eye. It really didn't have any pitting and so I said, "hey little fella let's see what we can do with you."
About an hour later we have this.



It's by no means perfect but with the deep gouging it never will be but what's wrong with it is sheerly cosmetic. I have decided that I really like the look of the barber notch, humpback, faux frameback types that look really cool but I just don't really like them to shave with. This is an extra hollow which I love to use. I honed that bad motor scooter up and shaved with it this morning. Nice, smooth, comfortable, close shave.
This one definitely goes near the front of the rotation.

Edit: I forgot to mention and you probably can't see it in the picture but it's an Imperial Razor Co. New York - Germany and is marked registered 20507

Careful Paul-Too much fondling of your razors will make you grow hair on your palms and make you go blind.

Seriously, though, I do that all the time! In fact, I've got about 3-dozen bare blades I bought in various lots this summer for re-scaling; they are all neatly ziploc-bagged in a re-purposed plastic storage bin. Periodically I will get them out to play with until one just jumps out at me; then I will pair it up with some scale blanks and complementary pinning/wedge components, or at least some build notes to go in the bag with it. But as I just started getting serious about the upcoming school year (which promises to be my most challenging ever with a record-sized AP class, and moving a 14-person department into a new building with mostly new administrators-oh, and lots of new testing!), they are going to be lonely for awhile.

I don't know, though. I hope to do 1 a month if I can-shop time with razors is a great stress reliever!