Here's one I just put the finishing touches upon yesterday: a vintage Frederick Reynolds of Sheffield 'Near-Wedge.' Some Specifics: Date: Mid-to Late 1800's (pre-1891) Blade: Carbon Steel, 11/16" wide, hollow point/barber’s notch at the nose Scales: Horn Wedge: Metal—too hard for lead. Pins: Silver nickel pins with double-brass external washers This blade was in pretty sad shape, and the scales were totally shot. Thankfully, there's plenty of steel on the blade which allowed me to remove the majority of pitting. I had another set of horn scales I salvaged from a broken razor and was able to reuse those scales here after some serious sanding & buffing. I was pleased to give 'new life' to an old beat-up blade and scale set that together worked out nicely! I opted to go for more of a matte finish on the blade vs 'mirror.' I've never shaved with a wedge, or 'near wedge'—so I look forward to it—providing I can hone a decent edge. I've heard wedges can be a challenge…
Beautiful work Kevin, as ever. Those scales really came to life. I'm sure you're familiar already with Glens videos, but I'm finding his 3 vid set on honing a smiling wedge really interesting. It's pretty dense stuff for me, basically just lots of good information vs.no experience actual on my part (I haven't yet invested in any hones...but I'm getting close! ), but it's presented in a very concise and comprehensible (teachable?) way. Lynn's vids I'm finding very instructive as well. Talk about "standing on the shoulders of giants" eh? It's a great time to be alive!
