What have they done to you.
Part 1 - Restoration
It looks like someone tried to sharpen this with one of those pull through kitchen knife sharpeners but it's more likely a regrind, probably done by the store that originally sold it. Whatever was done was pure vandalism. Right, my work is cut out for me one this one!
Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the blade cleanup but I was on and off for weeks trying to remove those hideous regrind marks and eventually managed to blend them in with the rest of the blade. Between the regrind and getting rid of the regrind this leaves a pretty thin edge but it turned out well.
First off, those scales have got to go.
I had a set of dyed red horn scales that suit this razor very well. Pivot end I used a 2mm brass rod with no collars.
Wedge end has a temporary clear (slightly smokey) acrylic wedge with collar.
I honed it up and used it like this for several months and it's a good performer but something just wasn't right and I knew she longed for her original collars. Ok, Ok I'll see what I can do.
As the scales had to come off anyway I decided to give them another sanding. Blade had a bit more work done while it was out and about.
It was also time to settle on a final wedge. I had nothing I could use so went at some old keys with a Dremel and cutoff wheel.
I had a choice of silver or brass. Brass won as the pins would be brass and the silver one had a large key ring hole that shows through the translucent red horn if held up to the light.
Finally reunited with her old collars balance had been restored to the universe.
I can usually peen something in about 10 minutes but gave this one about half an hour with a highly polished ball hammer and lots of light taps.
It's funny how pictures can show things you don't see in person. What look like scratches towards the pivot are actually streaks in the horn.
The scales were sanded then polished with micro-mesh from 1.500 up to 12,000 and they are glassy smooth. They are beautiful in person despite the one part of de-lamination you can see at the bottom middle. I think considering what this blade has been through in a previous life she won't mind that small blemish.
Part 1 - Restoration
It looks like someone tried to sharpen this with one of those pull through kitchen knife sharpeners but it's more likely a regrind, probably done by the store that originally sold it. Whatever was done was pure vandalism. Right, my work is cut out for me one this one!
Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the blade cleanup but I was on and off for weeks trying to remove those hideous regrind marks and eventually managed to blend them in with the rest of the blade. Between the regrind and getting rid of the regrind this leaves a pretty thin edge but it turned out well.
First off, those scales have got to go.
I had a set of dyed red horn scales that suit this razor very well. Pivot end I used a 2mm brass rod with no collars.
Wedge end has a temporary clear (slightly smokey) acrylic wedge with collar.
I honed it up and used it like this for several months and it's a good performer but something just wasn't right and I knew she longed for her original collars. Ok, Ok I'll see what I can do.
As the scales had to come off anyway I decided to give them another sanding. Blade had a bit more work done while it was out and about.
It was also time to settle on a final wedge. I had nothing I could use so went at some old keys with a Dremel and cutoff wheel.
I had a choice of silver or brass. Brass won as the pins would be brass and the silver one had a large key ring hole that shows through the translucent red horn if held up to the light.
Finally reunited with her old collars balance had been restored to the universe.
I can usually peen something in about 10 minutes but gave this one about half an hour with a highly polished ball hammer and lots of light taps.
It's funny how pictures can show things you don't see in person. What look like scratches towards the pivot are actually streaks in the horn.
The scales were sanded then polished with micro-mesh from 1.500 up to 12,000 and they are glassy smooth. They are beautiful in person despite the one part of de-lamination you can see at the bottom middle. I think considering what this blade has been through in a previous life she won't mind that small blemish.