Thread: My Sort of restoration/customization

And the pictures........
(they are not that great since it is hard to scan a mirror surface...)

Chris,

It always starts off slow and frustrating. I think you did very well. You should be pleased.

My very first "restoration" attempt was on an e-bay 5/8 wedge with silver plated brass scales. It was a lot less ambitious or successful than your project. I was cleaning the razor and pressed a bit too hard on the scales. They bent together shut. When I tried to open them up with a kitchen knife they opened very wide with a nice crease. At this point I got so pissed at my incompetence I crushed the scales into a pretzel and threw the razor in the trash.

Once in a while I look back at how dumb that was and wonder what I could have done with that blade today. The next few attempts were not much better. I chipped a blade while polishing by catching the edge with the buffing wheel and ground another blade to dust with a dremel grind stone because the sandpaper wasn't working fast enough for me.

Like I said, you should be pleased with the results. They look good. Not to mention that it is one fine blade you have there.

Chris...you did good! I have made a few more mistakes than Vlad mentioned so consider yourself doing well.

Good work Chris. I wish my efforts were as successful. Had a setback today.. Used too much glue and they're stuck together so I had to cut another set of blanks lol.

Thanks guys!

One quick question...
How do you guys make the end spacer? What thickness do you make it, and how do you cut it to size?

I just checked the 'delivery confirmation' and it looks like I'll have some supplies to work with when I get home today! Perhaps I'll be with you guys, making the scale from scratch!

Vlad, it sounds like you have what we call in our family 'the Utzat Anger'. When something goes wrong, the "smash it" response kicks in! While I seem to be the least effected in my familey, I have done my share of "fixing" things that do not work

ONe thing that is also a little tedious with this stuff is, I don't have a work bench! I had to sit on a stepping stool and work on the top of a book shelf infront of my computer desk (my ass and back are still killing me from sitting crouched like that on a small wooden stool!).

C utz

Chris, the wedge is a way to show your creativity, but I'll give you a pointer or two. You can either cut it from a 1/8" sheet of hardwood and sand it down to about 1.5mm on the butt end and 2.5mm on the front end or cut it from a small block of wood. This second option makes your job easier because you can cut it to the 2.5x1.5mm profile (well a bit thicker, so you can sand it smooth). I'm gonna try this with maple. Once you cut the little wedge, you use the scale blanks as a template.

Thanks for the thickness info, that'll help. I have noticed in most of the restorations that are posted here, the end spacer is less of a wedge, and more of a squared/uniform size spacer.

What about metal spacer's (brass, steel, etc...), and suggestions? What to avoid? How to work with it?

Is this info in Bill's 'new' restoration CD? I own the CD, but have yet to look over the new one.....

C utz