I just finished this one earlier today. I've charted some of the progression on this restore in a separate thread. See HERE. This restore went fairly smoothly with no surprises nor catastrophic accidents…. Final specs on this razor: Wade & Butcher 'The Celebrated Hollow Ground Razor' Engraved carbon steel blade; 7/8 width; hollow point Scales: Black buffalo horn; thickness .116" Wedge: Brass-lined Bone; thickness: .065" Brass domed washers and solid brass pins Brass inner thrust washers Renaissance™ Wax finish
Thanks for the kind words….. One note about designing custom scales for razors that is worth mentioning. Glen posted a while ago about how the 'old masters' truly knew what they were doing when they originally designed the scales for their blades, taking into account a variety of applications that can impact the function and comfort when using the razor. One important factor is the transition from scale to tang. This is particularly important when it comes to holding the razor wide open as one does when stropping. Many of the vintage scales have a very smooth even-width transition. Why? For comfort and ease of handling. Clunky or oversized (thick) scale ends on a narrow tang is not only uncomfortable to hold, but one's ability to easily flip the razor when stropping can be compromised. I tried to follow the vintage approach on the angular-edged 'modern' scales, having the curve of these scales follow the curved top of the tang. As you can see in the photo below, I could have reduced the overall width of the scale ends even more if I so decided. As it is, the razor is comfortable to hold and flip in the hand as the transition is relatively close. I am glad I decided to round the tapered edges, though. Hard or pointed scale edges can grow uncomfortable in the hand when doing 50-100 laps on a strop.
Kevin All I can say is that is WOW great looking work. I know what I want now. Where did you find that razor. Again great looking results. WOW !
