Assorted Straight Razor Restorations

Well, at least I THOUGHT this one would be the easiest to restore…lol.

 

There is a thread I did over at SRP about the bushings, it is easier than you might think..

Go to a good hardware store
Find the K&S metals display (usually hidden in a corner)
Get a brass tube 1/8 od x 1/16 id about $1
put in tang hole
cut then file to fit inside of hole with none sticking out
Done

Remember the hole has been oversize for over 100 years the fix doesn't have to be perfect to just has to take up a tiny bit of the slop, and then only because us idiot Restorists have decided that we like tighter tolerances between the Point and the Wedge.. Look at the Vintage fit, and even some of the new Production fits,,, 1/8 "+ gaps between the point and the wedge are the norm, only those that restore now tighten it in and therefore require a bushing at all...

You will have to do some thinning on the blanks you have there,, .125" or 1/8" thickness is about the thickest I would consider using on a set of scales, honestly without a "Power" sander that isn't really fun

 

funny how that changes as you dive into them,, just be thankful the scales did the last job required of their existence, they broke and saved the razor from damage...

 

Thanks, Glen! I appreciate the thread reference and shopping list!

Great info. Thanks! Power tools I have—I just need to make the time to properly and judiciously use them.

 

Let me know when you are ready to start thinning I have a slick trick for keeping them even while using a Belt-sander that costs about $2 that I have never posted, and I have 5 sets to do Today and Tomorrow so I can take some snaps and do a tutorial for ya...

 

Great. Will do. The blanks should be arriving in a few days. I need to cut them down and create a cutting template. A belt sander was going to be one of tools put use. I look forward to seeing the pics!

 

Hi Kevin, regarding the pivot hole in the blade here's a little tip get a piece of 1/8 brass bar, now cut a piece ever so slightly bigger than the thickness of the tang where the pivot hole is now place the brass piece inside the pivot hole now lightly tap the bar on your anvil both sides until that piece of brass is solid inside the pivot, now file off until it's perfectly flat and even both sides now drill a 1/16 hole through the brass with your drill press now there's your new snug fitting new pivot hole for your 1/16 brass pin.

 

Thanks for the tips, Jamie! They are all appreciated!

 

While deciding the best way to approach creating new scales for the Rodgers Faux Frameback, I have another blade in dire need of some TLC.
This Wade & Butcher 3/4 'The Celebrated Hollow Ground' came from an farm estate sale. It supposedly belonged to the late 93-yr old widow's husband. Bottom line is the scales were in terrible shape, breaking away at the pivot point. The blade & edge look solid—but we'll see more once it gets cleaned up. Whether I can maintain the blade 'stamp' (etching?) because of the evident deep scratches remains to be seen.

 

You are really diving in to this with a challenge. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

 

Polishing up the Rodgers faux frame back:
I figured since I hit a 'hiccup' in the Rodgers restore (broken scales ), I spent more time on finishing up the blade.
So I spent the time hand-sanding the blade until it polished up nicely. You can see is still some evident pitting in some spots ('character'?), but overall, I'm happy with how the blade came out.
My process: After much time spent @80-100 grit, I progressed up— 220, 300, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000. Finished with a buffing using Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish.




BEFORE…


AFTER….

 

Looks awesome so far, can't wait to see the end result with those horn scales.
Great job!!!

 

You've done a fantastic job! Keep it up!

 

A couple more shots (blade is mounted on my sanding block, held firmly in place w/ rare earth magnets).

 

I'm working on some ideas for the look of the scales for the Rodgers. I could simply follow the original design, or try something 'new'.

 

After an initial application of polish to help with the clean up of the gunky Wade & Butcher (see post#29 above) , I was pleased to see that the blade stamp, 'The Celebrated Hollow Ground Razor' is free from any severe pitting or scratches that may interfere with the restore. This is however plenty of pitting on both sides near the toe of the razor. With the loupe, it appears near the edge, and I've some work ahead to minimize the depth of the marks.


On the second side, I've begun 100grit sanding, hence the more noticeable markings….

 

Added to the List:
This Joseph Elliot 'Best Silver Steel, 11/16—in need of some blade clean-up and some new scales. The edge is in good shape.
I currently have about a half-dozen razors in need of new scales so it looks as though I'll be getting some good practice in scale making. I'l be posting images of the scale-making progress so all can see my attempts—hopefully more successful than not, but we'll see...

 

A New 'Old' Toy: I picked up a 12" craftsman bandsaw over the weekend (the ancient bandsaw I inherited was beyond salvaging) and am in the process of tuning it up.
New belt, wheel bands and a little spit n' polish. Replaced the blade guides as well; all bearings in good shape. Pretty sweet deal for $45.

Here is it as I got it—in need of a facelift....

 

Wouldn't you know that in my area (the SF Bay area), there are numerous hardware stores, but only one carries the K&S line and none appear to carry brass tubing of the correct diameters. So I wound up ordering some of the 1/8 od tubing online from a hobbyist site. $2 for tubing; $7 for shipping. what a deal....but at least I found some.

 

I have had luck with brass tubing at a local hobby store. Usually its in a display in the corner (jsut like the hardware store) and is fairly reasonable.