Thread: John Barber Comeback!

I didn't feel the need to document the whole damn build this time, but look at what a couple of hours and $8 worth of wet dry sandpaper can do to a 175 year old blade.

Before



After





You can see that I left a little bit of pitting on the tang around the makers mark. The j and the o were starting to disappear and I wasn't going to take any chances. It's old enough, I don't want it to look like a new blade anyway. Had someone not tried to [poorly] clean the blade up before I got to it, I'd have just left it alone.

I'm telling you guys, it's a high to get a blade this old back in beautiful shape again. I'm ready to get it honed and shave with this piece of history! It was made around the time when Andrew Jackson was president! Think about that! Sorry I'm a little bit excited. Now, to find a true stubtail.......

John Barber is looking proud!

Looking sharp!

I would like to rescale it in period correct materials, something that would have been seen on a higher end razor of the time period. Ideas? Also, would a higher end piece have had a mid-scale pin?

Ivory would be the classic high end material, but horn is always good considering the availabilty and cost of legal ivory. The 3rd pin is I believe a later invention.

Yeah.......I'm pretty, like 100%, sure my wife wouldn't go for me spending the money needed for real ivory scales, as much as I'd like to! Is there something that comes close? I've thought about honey ox horn, but I'm just not sure.

Do you know about how much later the third pin came about?

Ox horn would be a good choice. Translucent horn was commonly used, more expensive razors being decorated with pressings or inlays.

Where would I find translucent horn? I don't see anything like that on masecraft.

Look at their Buffalo horn, the lighter blond colors are pretty translucent.

Originally Posted by WBK

Look at their Buffalo horn, the lighter blond colors are pretty translucent.

The darker one is pretty nice one.