Just finished up some restoration work on this fine old frameback—a rare 8/8" IXL frame back razor from George Wostenholm & Son. I've shaved with this razor once before—but have since replaced the worn brass hardware and cleaned up both the large engraved blade and original horn scales & lead wedge. **After I took these 'finished' photos and honed the razor, I've decided to go back and blacken the engraved lettering on the blade face to better match the original look. Heres the razor pre-restoration work. The pins were loose on both ends and areas of black rust on spine, tang, blade and tail. The scales were in good shape with one minor wormhole near the wedge. Afterwards: Honed using Chosera 1k; Naniwa SS 3k thru 1212k; finished on Apache Strata natural.
Wow, Kevin! Question, what do you use to blacken the letters after they have been polished like that?
I'll use a generous amount of cleaner/degreaser to the blade first, ensuring the surface is both clean & dry (free of finger oils, polish, etc). I've had success using a slightly thinned water-proof enamel (Testors) and apply several coats, wiping off excess.
Because of the rarity in the size of this type of razor, Mitch, it may be! Unless, of course, someone down the road makes a hard-to-refuse offer!
