Here's a recent restoration of an old Wade and Butcher (blade only) I picked up a while ago.
The blade overall was in pretty good shape, although the blade surface was rough; edge was good. As with many of these old blades (mid to late 1800s), the pivot hole can sometimes be worn oblong.


For the new scales, I used silver and black (hey, I am a Raiders fan! ) acrylester, which sands and shapes very much like horn without the warping issue. It is prone to chipping when shaping so some care had to be taken.

The 'Lion's Share' of my time was spent in bringing the blade back to life. It required several passes through the buffers with low-grit compounds to remove some significant surface scratches and pitting on the tail. This was followed by some more time hand-sanding. Only some minor pitting remains which should not effect the overall performance of this blade. 'Low-profile' (less curvature) scales. Next step is to hone it up!

Some specifics on this razor:
Blade: Wade & Butcher, Sheffield England (circa 1870-1890) carbon steel, 6/8" wide; quarter-hollow with a rounded square tip. Pivot hole filled and re-drilled.
Scales: Silver and Black acrylester, .0115 thickness, polished to 5k grit
Wedge: Black Buffalo Horn; .055
Hardware: Stainless steel pins and domed Stainless washers

Well done indeed!

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Beautiful restoration as usual! Love the scales too!

I considered adding a small RAIDERS shield icon to the scales, but the way the Raiders have presented themselves on the field for the past...oh...dozen years...I fear the re-sale value depreciation hit would not be worth the effort.

Stunning work

Absolutely beautiful Kevin!
Man, you've got the touch.

Sweet!!

One of the best I've seen

Sad, but true!

Remarkable restoration!

Man, that W & B looks good. Nice work, Bacon-man.

If you even attempt to actually use that, I'm calling the cops! That belongs in an art museum in a locked case! Lol!

Stunning work as usual sir!

I really like those scales Kevin as far as the Raiders go I still remember the 70's Raiders there was none tougher at the time...

I have an alternative idea...

Led by Bama standout Ken Stabler!

Probably my favorite raider of all time. Saw plenty of games at the coliseum with the Snake at quarterback. 1975 went to the Super Bowl vs the vikings.

That's so awesome! I was shopping in Las Vegas in 2009 and had the chance to meet him. Unbeknownst to me, he was at a memorabilia store, signing for the owner. It was in the morning and the shop was deserted when I walked in. I was wearing a crimson wool Bama baseball cap, and I heard "Rollllllll Tide!", turned around to find where the voice came from, and it was Stabler himself. We sat and chatted about Bama, the state of affairs in NCAA ball, and various things. I found him to be very approachable and pleasant to speak with. He signed the photo below that day, I keep it on display in my study.

He was about an approachable, easy-going pro athlete as I've ever met. Real nice guy. Someday maybe he'll get a shot at Canton.

I was a dedicated Viking fan in the 70's...

So was my older brother....Fran Tarkenton, Mick Tingelhoff, Ron Yary, Fred Cox, Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, Paul Krauss, Stu Voight, John Gilliam, Chuck Foreman, Coach Bud Grant.
Great times to be both Raider and Viking fans—except for the Vikes super bowl games!