Thread: Hand Restore - random question

hey everyone,
i just started restoring a razor today since it was my first day of summer!
the razor is a 4/8" Krusius Brothers 'KB Extra' 67. i hand sanded with 150 grit for about 3 hours, getting rid of most of the pitting, but losing the brand etching. hand sanding is tough work, but i'm getting the hang of it.

my question is, will i be able to put normal scales on this blade? (see picture)

the right side of the picture is the tang. i'm not sure if it is clear from the picture, but the shank is a lot wider than the tang. therefore, normal straight scales wouldn't operate right i don't think. how should i go about scaling this razor after i complete cleaning the blade?

That is normal, or looks it to me. The taper is so that the blade snugs in the scales when you open it, creating the friction hold that keeps everything nice and snug. Tapered wedges bow the scales a bit to add to this effect.

The blade that goes into the scales I'm sure is much thinner than that tang. There are plenty of razors shaped like this, scaling should be pretty standard.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

That is normal, or looks it to me. The taper is so that the blade snugs in the scales when you open it, creating the friction hold that keeps everything nice and snug. Tapered wedges bow the scales a bit to add to this effect.

Originally Posted by TheBaron

The blade that goes into the scales I'm sure is much thinner than that tang. There are plenty of razors shaped like this, scaling should be pretty standard.

thanks to both of you. i just didn't want to waste my time hand sanding the blade when i wouldn't be able to scale it in the end.

Krusius Brothers made good razors, so it's worth your while even if you had to do something funky to re-scale it.

Most Solingen blades are/were made without flair or imagination and are much more about functional utility than say Thiers razors (NB this is a broad generalisation and isn't a criticism just an observation regarding design philosophy). I can't recall ever coming across a Solingen made blade that needed non-standard scales.

Originally Posted by Pauly

Krusius Brothers made good razors, so it's worth your while even if you had to do something funky to re-scale it.

Most Solingen blades are/were made without flair or imagination and are much more about functional utility than say Thiers razors (NB this is a broad generalisation and isn't a criticism just an observation regarding design philosophy). I can't recall ever coming across a Solingen made blade that needed non-standard scales.

yeah, that's true. when i first got the razor it wasn't incredibly sharp, but i was able to do some WTG passes, and it felt great. so i figured i'd clean up the blade a little and lost most of the engravings in the process. but i know once it's all honed up it will be a great shaver!

Originally Posted by hcintineo

thanks to both of you. i just didn't want to waste my time hand sanding the blade when i wouldn't be able to scale it in the end.

What you're seeing is perfectly normal.
The trick is to make the scales a bit 'bent' so that they curve inwards near the pivot hole. That way they'll fit nicely. With a razor like that, you really don't want to try and use scales that are completely flat.