1800's w&b horn scales

i just decided to soak my wade and butcher razor scales and blade in neatsfoot oil. ive read enough to know it wont hurt,it may be greasy for a bit, it will allow me to tighten the hinge pin on an almost 200 year old beautiful razor with a minimal chance of cracking the scales. i have a couple of SMALL wormholes and i dont care if i can repair them. this razor has come a long way and i just honed it before soaking. when it is done i will shave and post a pic. gotta love the old survivors. do more here feel like i do , that you should not always make things perfect?

I'd much rather have an original razor, bug bites and all, than a 200 year old razor with acrylic scales, with the patina buffed off of the blade and it shining like a chrome car bumper. So I'm with you there. Different strokes for different folks.

I dont know what it is. Depending on how I feel I will keep the blade vintage and just clean it up. But sometimes I find an old blade and say I need to make this new again. I think the stamp depth and placement is a key factor. I have noticed if it doesnt have a stamp on the blade face and the tang stamps are really deep I try and make it new again. I do try and save the original scales as long as they have form fit and function. So yes Bakepit I do feel the same way about certain older blades, especially if I will keep that blade and add to the collection. But if someone asks me to make their blade a mirror I have no problem doing that either.

I have 2 older w&b's. One quarter grind with writing on the blade that I am keeping original since I like the look and feel of it. The other is much older VR era wedge I just got in that I am cleaning up and putting new scales on it (granted I am putting factory style blonde horn instead of black). When I got it I honed it and went to shave and the scales just felt too heavy at the end so it was awkward.

But fore it very much depends on the razor and my mood when I get it.

I Was Totally Into Making Them Look New... But I Am Now Liking The Older Used Look....

Like Jimmy said. . . . It comes down to character. If the blade is sound and relatively rust free, and the scales are intact, I wouldn't change a thing. Seeing the razor in it's naturally aged condition is appealing to me. But if the scales are broken or the blade has significant rust, then all bets are off.

Regards - Walt