Finished! Three Razors with New Scales (with Many Pics)

Discussion in 'Razor Restoration' started by HolyRollah, Aug 24, 2017.

  1. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    I recently acquired another old razor, this vintage Sheffield straight razor made by William Greaves & Sons (mid-1800s). The blade needed a little help with some the black rust present and the broken tip. The scales were in solid shape, although I thought them out of place on this old razor. My plan was to make some new, more ‘traditional’ looking scales from this old Greaves and re-use the current scales on another blade.

    [​IMG]

    Coinciding with this new arrival, one of my old favorites, this vintage ‘all-original’ Fenney Tally Ho began showing signs of wear on the old horn scales. A few cracks had begun to appear on both ends (wedge end & pivot end) and the pivot end was becoming looser with each use, despite repeated attempts to hammer it tight. I finally decided to simply replace the old worn-out horn scales.

    [​IMG]

    The first step in this process was to free the Greaves blade from the scales. The challenge when dealing with scale removal (especially if one is re-using the scales) is to handle them with care! Scale material tends to become VERY brittle with age and I’ve had many sets crack or break during removal. Step One: I file down the cap on one side so it is flush with the washer. Usually the washer will slide off (or it can be easily pulled off with needle nose pliers). I’ll use a 1/16” (or smaller) punch and 8oz hammer to ‘gently persuade’ the pin to begin sliding out. It is a very good idea to support of scales to avoid the scale end snapping off under duress.

    [​IMG]

    Pivot pin removed, revealing an oversized (worn) tang pivot hole & no inner washers.
    [​IMG]

    Repeating the process on the wedge side. The pin was nearly out when…snap!...the end piece at the pin hole snapped off on one side. Fixable, but still a nuisance…
    [​IMG]

    Scale Reparation Time
    A clean break which means a relatively easy mend using superglue. The crack will be reinforced by gluing the repaired end directly to the wedge, prior to any drilling. Wedge end repairs are usually done mainly for cosmetic purposes as many vintage razors develop severe wedge cracks at the pin yet are still quite serviceable. Here are both sides of the broken end, post glue-up:
    [​IMG]

    Choosing a Blade
    I wanted to find a more modern blade to go with these ‘now-repaired’ scales. I sorted through a dozen or so blades (some ERNs, Dubl Duck, Wald, Boker, Red Imp, etc) to find one that fit the scales.
    I settled on a 5/8” square pt Solingen blade stamped ‘Wald-Germany’ with the Crown & Sword emblem. I liked the blade shape and the way it looked with the scales.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    For the wedge material, I choose some natural horn that had a greenish hue. I thought the hue contrasted nicely with the warm rust of the scales. Brass pins and washers…
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Repaired wedge end:
    [​IMG]

    Once the wedge end was completed, I pinned the pivot end (brass hardware, inner/outer) and the alignment stayed true. One of the scales had a slight warp to them but not enough to impact opening & closing the blade with proper clearance on both sides of the blade.

    Wald razor peened, but not yet polished. One down, two to go….
    [​IMG]

    So what about the now-scalefree Greaves?
    I chose to do the traditional black horn common on many of these old Sheffields; (along with white bone wedge and stacked brass hardware) as well as opting for the traditional ‘tear drop’ rounded ends. Following a similar process on forming the scales I posted HERE, I created a thick set of polished black horn scales.

    [​IMG]

    I separated the taped scale halves in order to begin the thinning process…
    [​IMG]

    First measurement indicates how much I’ll need to removed to get the thickness down to a more ‘ideal’ range for balancing strength AND flexibility. At 0.276” this is more than twice the desired thickness. Ideally I’d like to get the overall thickness to .115-.120” , preferably closer to .120 as I like ‘em a bit thicker.

    BEFORE:
    [​IMG]

    After some serious time on the belt sander and piles of generated horn dust…

    AFTER:
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    The wedge: brass-lined white bone
    I thinned a section of cow bone down to .035” (thick end of a wedge shape); slightly oversized. I then glued and clamped two sheets of .015” brass to both sides of the bone wedge.
    [​IMG]

    While the wedge dried, I moved on to sprucing up the Greaves blade. Using 400 & 600 grit of greaseless buffer compound, I was able remove the majority of black rust present on the blade , tang & tail. I then used black emery compound to soften any scuffs, surface scratches or imperfections. I used my Atoma 400 plate to round over the chipped toe.
    Cleaned-up Greaves blade...
    [​IMG]

    New Nose...
    [​IMG]

    Before finishing the Greaves, I worked on the new pair of scales for the Fenney Tally Ho. I really liked both the feel and look of the scales I made recently for KarlG on his Wade & Butcher. For the material, I decided to use this: faux tortoise shell.
    [​IMG]

    I followed the same scale-shaping process outlined in this recent thread: http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/new-scales-for-karls-w-b.57090/
    One nice aspect of this faux material is there is very little warping. No clamping necessary!

    Polished and shaped…
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    More to come...:happy088:
     
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  2. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    Beautiful. Just beautiful. I wish I had your tools and at least half your skills.
     
  3. mrchick

    mrchick Odd, Terrible Avatar

    I look forward to these threads. Beautiful work.
    Thank you Kevin.
     
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  4. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    As always a pleasure to read your thread you post! You are an artist my friend! :happy093::happy096:
     
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  5. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    Very nice! Thanks for sharing! Where did you get the material for the synthetic turtle? The pattern and color are some of the nicest I've seen:)
     
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  6. dangermouse

    dangermouse Well-Known Member

    Stunning. What a great thread; I love stuff like this.
     
  7. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Kirinite Tortoise shell (available in several thicknesses) knifemaker supply shops such as TexasKnife.com. Six inch length (not 5) is the critical dimension for scales. Other US knife-maker suppliers also have variations.

    I've made 3 or 4 sets of scales from the stuff, but always for someone else's razor. Stuff works easily and takes on a vivid gloss, if one desires. This Fenney may be a keeper.
    Here's a set I did for KarlG last year...
    DEC11_16_zpsoaf1yvce.JPG
     
  8. Keithmax

    Keithmax Breeds Pet Rocks

    :happy096: Another great job Kevin.
     
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  9. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the info, Kev!
     
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  10. Rusty blade

    Rusty blade The Good Humor Man

    Thanks for sharing the pics and the play by play description of your process. Excellent work! You are an inspiration. It is really nice seeing these old gems being restored to their former glory. I am certain the original craftsmen would be pleased.
     
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  11. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Back at it, albeit a bit scattered jumping from one razor to the next...

    Thinning the Tortoise scales for the Fenney Tally Ho:
    Same process as with the black horn scale of thinning the scales halves on the horizontal belt sander for 90% and finishing them at a higher girt on the vert. sander.
    Ideal width on these - 0.115" width. Good strength and still with enough flex.
    [​IMG]

    Cleaning up the Fenney Tally Ho Blade:
    This was the first head-to-toe cleanup on this old blade as the razor was intact with original parts before splitting.
    The pivot hole had widened considerably after years of use. The blade was in very good shape, not much gunk or surface rust to remove. It buffed up nicely.
    The next step is to fill the pivot hole with epoxy, sand flush and redrill. Another option is to use brass tubing to reduce the diameter of the large opening, but this hole was so irregular and out of alignment, the epoxy fill was more expedient.
    [​IMG]

    Back to the Greaves:
    Finishing the brass-lined bone wedge— With the two brass sheets glued to the wedge, I sanded down the brass to fit the approximate dimension of the slightly-oversized bone wedge.
    A quick glue-up and clamp before drilling the wedge end pin hole.
    [​IMG]

    After drilling the wedge end pin hole, I inserted a temporary micro-bolt, washers & nut. It was then I realized I had drilled the hole too far NORTH of the scale center! :(:angry032:
    Its difficult to see in this photo, but in profile (side view), it becomes more obvious that I missed the center mark....
    [​IMG]

    Soooo.........next came the disassembly of the entire wedge end; fill all holes with 5-minute epoxy; sand flush and refinish the scale exterior to match.
    Reassemble the wedge end. Glue and clamp. Re-drill NEW wedge end holes in the proper location. Fortunately, this razor will have large washers so any evidence of hole patching will no longer be visible.

    Speaking of washers: here are the type of washers I'll be using on the Greaves. I buff and polish the pinned washers before assembly.
    Here is a buffed & pinned washer (left) and one unfinished.
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    Wedge end finished...
    [​IMG]

    Pivot end finished: solid brass pin; brass outer washers and brass inner bearing washers....
    [​IMG]

    Wedge end with blade...
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    The Greaves is nearly finished.
    Nice & tight! A slight blade pull to the right required some extra attention with the ball peen hammer, but I eventually convinced the blade to behave. The wedge end was a real pain—especially with the amateur moment on the drill press. I am happy with the way it turned out.
    (Before and after....reversed)
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Two down...one more to go!
    Still more to come....
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2017
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  12. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    Really nice, Kevin. The brass really sets off the bone wedge. It's those "extra" details that can truly set one razor apart from the rest. :happy096:
     
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  13. dangermouse

    dangermouse Well-Known Member

    I've really enjoyed this thread, so far. It's been terrific. Thank you for going to so much trouble and for taking so many pictures. Fantastic. I love the 'Talley Ho' razor, I've not seen pictures of one of those before. I love that little fox, on the tang.
     
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  14. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Thanks! I'm attempting to have the process make some sense photographically so I dont have to type so muchbut I failed to get a few shots in.
    I'll be a bit more determined to take more photos as I finish the Tally.

    Re: The Tally Ho's — Frederick Fenney (Sheffield) in business 1824 - 1852 (died); Charles Thomas Bingham then bought the Tally-Ho rights— but then in 1863, Bingham sold the Tally-Ho Works & the running fox then went to George Wostenholm.

    Three_tallys.jpg
     
  15. Kokak

    Kokak Well-Known Member

    I am just speechless.
     
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  16. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    Bravo. Like really Bravo.
     
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  17. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Finishing the Fenney

    For the faux tortoise shell scales, I decided to go for an 'understated' material that matches well with the scales: amber.
    I took a small piece of amber wedge material and test-fit it on the scales to ensure 1/8" minimum clearance from the blade arc as it pivots.
    Once I had clearance, I drew the scale outline and wedge hole, drilled the hole and test fit again (pictured here)
    [​IMG]

    I thinned the .15" thick material down at an angle on the horizontal belt sander (300 grit) to form a consistent wedge shape from front to back.
    My goal was to get the thickest part to be .050 -.060"
    Close enough....
    [​IMG]

    Fitting & positioning the wedge: Here's where those micro-bolts, washers and nuts come in handy— the dry fit.
    Here are the scales with the oversized wedge in place ,glued and held fast with nut & bolt. The clamp is just to ensure even pressure as the glue dries.
    The faux wooden tang is helpful in aligning the scales on both ends...
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Once the glue has dried, I'll take the scales (still held in place with the microbolts) to the vertical belt sander and sand down the wedge to close to the scale material.
    Next step is to hand-sand the end with 600>800>1000>1500grit; then buff the polished end.
    [​IMG]

    Final blade prep:
    I had filled the oversized pivot hole on the Fenney blade with epoxy. I then sanded it flush and polished the blade tang to remove any epoxy 'spill-over.'
    I created a new 'centered' pivot hole on the drill press. For scale, compared to the new drilled hole for the pin, you can see how large the old pivot hole had worn.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    FINAL ASSEMBLY of the Fenney:
    All brass hardware: brass pins, small brass washers and brass inner bearing washers.
    Here is the pivot end completed:
    [​IMG]

    Alignment is true (blade in scales) and the pivot end is tight (no floppiness in movement). The razor feels very balanced in the hand.
    [​IMG]

    The TRIO, finally finished and ready to be honed...:happy093:
    [​IMG]
     
  18. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    Just fantastic. Makes me drool for the opportunity to get serious and do some of this. I already have a corner of a bench in the garage that's going to be mine someday. Thanks, Kevin.
     
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  19. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

  20. Redfisher

    Redfisher Doesn't celebrate National Donut Day

    Such a treat! You are an artist!
     
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