Thread: First restoration on a vintage straight

Just a reminder. If any of you need thin, wedge sized pieces of yellow brass and nickel silver I have literally buckets of it In the way of old scrap keys. I'd rather give it away than let the scrap metal people beat me up over it and I don't like throwing it in the garbage. Because it's heavy hit might require some help with postage if you want very much but other than that I don't care about making any money on it.

Oh yeah, nice work on the restoration. I love bone. It's one of my favorite scale materials. Keep up the good work and keep the pics coming. The nice thing about taking before pictures is that you have something to compare your work to once you're done.

I grew up living, eating, sleeping, crapping, bass fishing. I wasn't rich, like a lot of guys fishing pro tournaments, so I tried to climb the ladder through the Ohio Bass federation.

Did well enough to make it to a few state championships, then my wife got spooked about me making it to the National tours. I'd be gone from home for months, and she couldn't be alone like that.

After are economy crashed, so did the investments that kept me fishing state events. That and the price of gas, at the time. My winnings were nothing in comparison to my bills for gas, food, lodging, which was sometimes the reclined drivers seat of the truck. Age, back, arms, legs. will keep me from ever returning, now.

Made more chedder, fishing local, one day tournaments close to home, than I did running all over the state

Thank you very much outback and PaulFLUS for the kind offer!

I have never tournament fished but my friend has been hounding me to enter one. I live in Silicon Valley and everything is epensive and me leaving for some time and not making any money just is not doable for me. I do love bass fishing and try to get out as often as I can. Lucky for me lots of good places to choose from localy! I just got into those big swimbaits and that is a world into itself. Lol! Stay cool and keep your line's tight!

how is really more of a hunter and a fisherman although I like to fish too. It's nice that we have a pond in our neighborhood like less than a quarter of a mile from my house that stopped. My son caught about an 8 lb largemouth in that little bitty pond.I've heard those tournaments can be so competitive they take the fun right out of it. A friend of mine here's a go have been a professional surfer. He lived in Hawaii and served for a living which to me seemed like heaven on Earth but he quit doing it which I thought was insane. He said to me one day you would think so but surfing for a sponsor they tell you when to surf. They tell you where to surf. They tell you how to surf. They tell you what to wear when you surfing. They tell you what you can do even when you're not surfing if you're in public. It's like they own you which in a way they do. I could see how fishing and tournaments could be the same way.
Hey Mike, did you ever fish Bienville Pantation in White springs Florida? My understanding is they have massive fishing tournaments there. I've hunted that place. Shot my first deer there as a matter of fact.a friend of mine who's a lot better healed than I am had a membership there and took me as a guest. That's high dollar hunting there. Beautiful place but far beyond my means

Nope, all my tournaments were here in Ohio,Paul.

@Toroblanco, swimbaits are the $#1t. I keep one tied in at all times. I've won quite a few tournaments on the hollow bellied types. Limits like the pic above.

A tip...fish them from deep to shallow. Up hill is always best, it makes them commit to the bait more often.


7lbs 3oz, on 5.5" shadalicious swimbait, the lake was ice covered a week earlier.

I beveled the edges on the scales and love the way it came out. I was going to do the scaraper route but this covid stuff cut off my access to a grinder. So I used plan b, a dremel and a little hand sanding. In the end I love the way it turned out. I took my time but it was well worth it in the end. Now I am doing some brass liners for my next project!

A pic of the original scales, I used the originals for practice pinning and to get a idea of the shape I was going to use.

looks great. Nice choice with those collars and pins. I dig it.

Nice work-I look forward to seeing your brass-lined wedges. I think that technique looks best with horn or dark woods with same or similar material inside the liners; I save it for my fancier razors, personally. I'm pretty sure the brass sheet stock I ordered are .010". My 1st few attempts involved some cursing, but things got easier when I switched from CA to epoxy, was more even with my clamping, and made them a bit longer and taller than necessary to allow for even stock removal and polishing once you get it pinned up.

It's a bit more work, but worth it when you get it right!