Whats up with this W&B?

[The Badger Rider]

Got this reaaaaalllly cheap on ebay. I could kind of see the notch thingy in the Ebay pics, but wasn't sure. I got it for such a low price that if there is, in fact, something wrong with it I honestly don't care. I didn't break the bank on this one.

Does it look like it's missing something? I can't imagine it came from the factory this way. I looked at all the pics of W&B's and didn't see this one on the list. Do you guys think someone ground it this way as a repair or experiment?

 

[Firewalker]

It's missing the frame back by the looks of it.

 

[The Badger Rider]

You're right. I've seen blades like that a bunch of times, but I didn't know they were called "Frame Backs". I did a quick search for Wade and Butcher frame back and this was one of the first results. An Ebay listing with the same COMPLETE razor

Anything I can to with this blade other than pick my fingernails with it now?

 

[Gamma]

get some kind of tubing, cut it, make a new 'back' for it.

 

[KindestCutofAll]

Some brass tubing might look real nice. It'll age a bit and look good with the age of the blade.

 

[The Badger Rider]

Is the frame back made to come off? Whats the purpose of a frame back or is it just there for aesthetics?

If I put some kind of metal tubing on there, would I fill it with epoxy or something to keep it adhered to the blade?

 

[suits123]

It looks like aesthetics to me. It looks so clean and intentional at a factory level.

 

[Kentos]

It is what lifts the spine higher than the edge giving you a bevel when you hone the thing.

 

[Kailand09]

You can search around for a frame back with a brass frame, I recommend that. It looks great (self promotion- I just restored one posted in restoration subforum, Johan razor)

 

[ANeat]

I agree; Get a piece of brass, (I would use a solid piece) and make a new back. If you need a piece milled out let me know, Ive got a mill....

 

[paco664]

^... take him up on this offer....

that razor would be sweet with a new back...

 

[Gamma]

Although Im not entirely certain, milling a solid piece for a back would seem to have advantages over fitting some tubing.
I don't have a mill so my fix would be tubing but an offer to get a new milled back sounds like something to explore for sure.

It'll be quite special for you to have saved it from the bin, and I bet it'll look cool and shave great when done.
One big plus - you can really clean up that blade with the back off.

Im really glad you posted this thread and that photo.
I've never taken a back off, in fact I've never seen a back off before yours.
I wonder if that's usually possible to do without causing issues.
I've always contemplated this because the thought of shave-funk-stuff creeping up the blade and under the back always creeps me out.

 

[ANeat]

If it were mine I would first determine what diameter to make the back using one of the angle calculators. Most of the 1/2 or 9/16 blades would probably need approx .170 or so. Possibly 3/16 or 5/32 brass rod would do the trick and leave room for tape when honing.

Milling the slot could be a little tricky since it looks like the top might get pretty thin but nothing that cant be worked out.

Once the slot is cut you would need to use a little trial and error fitting/bending to get the arc just right since the back isnt straight. Then the heel end would need shaped to get a good look on the transition.

After all that I would probably look at one of the bearing adhesives to attach it and fill in any voids.


Looking at the blade I would guess the original was tubing, I would also guess it slid on from the front and utilized the hook at the front and rear plus an interference fit to hold it on.


Another idea if you wanted to use the blade, you could use any of the blade sharpening fixtures to clamp it in and get the correct angle.

 

[Shawn557]

You can search around for a frame back with a brass frame, I recommend that. It looks great (self promotion- I just restored one posted in restoration subforum, Johan razor)

Yep, I never pass up an opportunity to show off mine!!!

 

[The Badger Rider]

You can search around for a frame back with a brass frame, I recommend that. It looks great (self promotion- I just restored one posted in restoration subforum, Johan razor)

Yeah I'll definitely check that out! The one posted below looks great and I definitely wouldn't mind having something like that.

I agree; Get a piece of brass, (I would use a solid piece) and make a new back. If you need a piece milled out let me know, Ive got a mill....

Thanks for the offer! I'm definitely interested. Will be shooting you a PM.

^... take him up on this offer....

that razor would be sweet with a new back...

The blade is in excellent shape minus the missing frame back. As soon as I saw his offer, I already knew I'd be contacting him

Although Im not entirely certain, milling a solid piece for a back would seem to have advantages over fitting some tubing.
I don't have a mill so my fix would be tubing but an offer to get a new milled back sounds like something to explore for sure.

It'll be quite special for you to have saved it from the bin, and I bet it'll look cool and shave great when done.
One big plus - you can really clean up that blade with the back off.

Im really glad you posted this thread and that photo.
I've never taken a back off, in fact I've never seen a back off before yours.
I wonder if that's usually possible to do without causing issues.
I've always contemplated this because the thought of shave-funk-stuff creeping up the blade and under the back always creeps me out.

I'm going to restore the blade completely before sending out. It will have a mirror finish and a new piece of shiny brass should compliment it nicely.

Yep, I never pass up an opportunity to show off mine!!!

View attachment 318777View attachment 318778

That looks amazing! Incredibly classy. I'm going to make this happen one way or another haha