Thread: Wade and Butcher resto thoughts.

Just wondering if anyone has some insight as to how far I should take this? I don't intend on selling the blade but would like it as nice as possible for my own personal shaving use!
I really don't want to lose any etching/stamping. Would it be worth removing the patina or should I juts leave the blade the way it is, remove any visible rust, and hone it for a daily shaver???
Brand new at this so I'm not sure what it all entails!
All your thoughts are welcome!!!

I'm thinking you should expect a BROAD spectrum of opinion on this one!

Personally I like patina and I'd do more or less what you suggested above *if it was for my personal use*. Clean it up, make sure you deal with any active rust, then focus on getting a good edge. But that's just me. I kind of like patina, but I know it drives some of us here nuts.

Great, another "discussion" between the Clean & Shiny crowd -vs - The Rustiques crowd

There are basically two trends here on SRP when it comes to restores

The leave it be crowd

The as good as possible crowd

It is your razor you have to decide how far you want to go, then the razor will decide if that is possible or not

If you don't want to lose that face etch, then you have already decided.. LOL because as faint as it looks in the pic if you stare at it too hard it is gone

Yes I'd expect an even split of answers.

Personally, I'd hone it and use it. You can always take it farther later, but you can never really go back to the look it has now

First throw the cigarettes in the garbage and you'll shave with it a lot longer and healthier. (running and ducking for cover)

That one looks rough right now. Do a metal polish on a paper towel and see how much improvement that and some elbow grease can give you. If you buff or sand it ... put it in a tumbler, you'll lose the etch. One of those can't have your cake and eat it too situations. I like to leave them as is unless they are really bad.

By 'as is' I mean cleaning as much as I can with metal polish, q-tips and paper towels. A buddy of mine that restores takes 10 hours to sand a razor to ready for the buffers. He does it while watching TV he told me. I don't watch TV and sanding 10 hours ain't my cup of tea. I'll take the patina over that.

Is the toe a little bent? If so can u bend it back?

Glen,calm down your gonna have a stroke here,Jimmy.smoke your pipes,esophogeal and mouth cancers (prevalent amoungst Pipe smokers,cigar smokers and chewers will kill you just as dead as cigs.
Hone the sucker,just shave with it.have a nice day

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

First throw the cigarettes in the garbage and you'll shave with it a lot longer and healthier. (running and ducking for cover)

That one looks rough right now. Do a metal polish on a paper towel and see how much improvement that and some elbow grease can give you. If you buff or sand it ... put it in a tumbler, you'll lose the etch. One of those can't have your cake and eat it too situations. I like to leave them as is unless they are really bad.

By 'as is' I mean cleaning as much as I can with metal polish, q-tips and paper towels. A buddy of mine that restores takes 10 hours to sand a razor to ready for the buffers. He does it while watching TV he told me. I don't watch TV and sanding 10 hours ain't my cup of tea. I'll take the patina over that.

When using a metal polish like mothers etc with q-tips/paper towels, is there any worry of removing etching?

Any thoughts on the blonde horn scales? looks like there might be some worm damage but they're still 'functional' in the fact that they aren't broken and the pins are still tight.

Best thing for horn is neatsfoot oil. You can find that at a saddlery if there's one nearby. You can wipe it on, but the best thing is to just let them soak in it. After they have been oiled, you'll have a far better idea of what kind of shape they are in.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

Best thing for horn is neatsfoot oil. You can find that at a saddlery if there's one nearby. You can wipe it on, but the best thing is to just let them soak in it. After they have been oiled, you'll have a far better idea of what kind of shape they are in.

I've done this with two w&bs and a J.elliot and it works great....just a little wiping off after letting them soak for 24 hrs or so and they look 'healthier'. I'll also add a +1 on the metal polish....especially at the pins. With a little rubbing, they'll turn nice and brassy. The blade, however........I say they're already scratched, the etching's too faint.....go for a nice shiny finish! I'm happy with my W&B 8/8ths that way, but w/ the J. Elliot, the patina was just too smooth, consistent, and had that "I took 180 years to look this way, get the hell away from me" look to it