Wade & Butcher 8/8 restoration journal

[Reckoner]

I scored this Wade & Butcher straight for $40 from an antique store down the street from me, just in time for the 2013 Gentlemanly restraint cutoff. Hopefully the fun of my first restoration will keep me on the straight path. My other two straights are both Harts, so this is my first foray into vintage razors and my first restoration.

Everything seems to be in decent/salvageable shape. The dark spots on the blade edge are just surface spots and not chips. I love that hand-carved T on the last pic. After I ring in the New Year, I'll take a few more "before" pictures.

My first of many questions:
The blade measures 17/16ths--exactly halfway between 8/8 and 9/8 by the ruler. What's the right way to label the size of the blade?


Wade & Butcher 2012-12-31 on Flickr


Wade & Butcher 2012-12-31 on Flickr



Wade & Butcher 2012-12-31 on Flickr

 

[jred]

Nice score!

 

[Reckoner]

Thanks! I'm pumped!

My first of many questions:
The blade measures 17/16ths--exactly halfway between 8/8 and 9/8 by the ruler. What's the right way to label the size of the blade?

Just saw this at SRP, which calls it 17/16. My wife is creeped out: "I DON'T WANT A HAUNTED RAZOR IN THIS HOUSE!"

 

[Doc226]

That is a fantastic blade, I would start with something else. You might be fine and not screw anything up, but if you do then that will be a horrible thing with this razor.

If you go forward with this razor, please no power tools of any kind on the blade.

 

[Kentos]

That would be well worth a professional restoration job! Nice score.

 

[gimpochin]

Those guys are getting scarce. In good shape they go for $400 on ebay. Let a pro do it,hell its probably 100+yrs old. good luck.

 

[Reckoner]

The tone I get from ya'll and from reading up on B&B/SRP, it looks like the 8/8+ W&Bs are something special. Whatever I do, I'll proceed with an abundance of caution. I'm handy overall and have done sac, vac, piston, and polish work on fountain pens, so I'm no stranger to delicate work on old things. Still, this sounds like a special case.

I noodled around with 600 grit wet or dry paper to get the score of things on the blade. It's in remarkably great shape. There is some slight wear and tear on the edge of the scales, but no real damage as far as I can tell. No warping and the blade centers just about perfectly.

I'd really like to get in there with a drill press to get the pins off, but I'm holding back for now. The most important part of this will be preserving the scales and hardware. I imagine I'll send it off for pro work, but I'm not in any rush. This guy's been sitting around for 130+ years, a little longer wont hurt.


Wade and Butcher 2013-01-01 on Flickr


Wade and Butcher 2013-01-01 on Flickr


Wade and Butcher 2013-01-01 on Flickr

 

[Kentos]

That clean up on the 9/8 looks good! I would hone it up and use it as is!

The problem is many guys over do the sanding and buffing, so all the crisp edges get rounded over, the surfaces get wavy and it is ruined.

I'll give you 50 bucks for it

 

[Reckoner]

I pulled out the drill, rigged a makeshift jig, lit three candles to Saints Cosmas and Daminan*, then drilled out the pins. I did some more sanding on the blade--went down to 320 for some of the deeper gunk, brought it back to a wet 600, then finished with a light 2000. I think I'm not going to do too much more. A blade this old has earned it's patina (and I don't really go for the whole mirror polish anyway). I'll probably take some Simichrome polish to even it out, though.

Next in my sights: the handle. How'd I do on the drill job? Are the washers salvageable? Off to read up on cleaning, sanding, and buffing horn...


Wade and Butcher 2013-01-01 on Flickr


Wade and Butcher 2013-01-01 on Flickr

*Patron Saints of barbers, natch...

 

[Reckoner]

Going off to be yet another W&B in Mark's pile. I should have sent it to him at the start. Can't wait to see what he can do.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Going off to be yet another W&B in Mark's pile. I should have sent it to him at the start. Can't wait to see what he can do.

I imagine you will be all the happier for it!

 

[Kentos]

It will look like it was made last year, or stored in a vacuum for the last 100.