Two Restored W&B Straights

[xChris]

I had bought a couple of Wade & Butcher straight razors on eBay months ago when I was still getting into wetshaving. They sat around for awhile before I finally got them to Joe Chandler for all out restoration. Joe serviced these razors with re-grinding and handle replacement.

He did a really great job, was patient with my questions and responsive to my e-mails (primary means of communication for me). The razors look brand new (hardly would think they're 100+ yrs old!). He also managed to clear some warping out of one of the blades. I can't wait to put these to use once again!

The photos below will show the two razors with before & after photos; each razor will be shown in before & after condition consecutively.

[xChris]

Wade & Butcher "Celebrated -- Fine India Steel Razor" before restoration efforts...

[xChris]

Wade & Butcher "Celebrated - Fine India Steel Razor" after restoration with maple scales and a malachite wedge...

[xChris]

Wade & Butcher Swayback before restoration...

[xChris]

Wde & Butcher Swayback after restoration with bubinga scales and a turquoise wedge...

[Padron]

Mmmmmmmmm, Mmmmmmmm Good.... Joe is Awesome, Great prices, Excellent Quality... I love the Curly Bubinga, looks like Burl. The Turquoise wedges look Sweet!!


Enjoy your new razors, they are Very Nice..:D

[Scorpio]

Well that does it!!! Now I have to send Joe some of mine!!! Beautiful work indeed.

Raf

[Joe C]

Hell, I just appreciate his patience. Those two razors were a series of misadventures, primarily due to me being overwhelmed with work, and very ill. (I wouldn't have been overwhelmed with work had I not been ill. :p) It was a pleasure to do them...and just wait til' you see your next two. :D You have to keep stepping up your game when Bill's posting stuff. lol

[PalmettoB]

Joe, very nice looking. Superb!.

[Bill]

Simply outstanding! Anyone would be hard-pressed to do better than this, especially with those two mediocre blades as a base. I can truly appreciate the work it took to do this magic.

What I really like is that the scales match the blades so well. I am a firm believer that each blade exudes a personality and Joe captured both of them perfectly.

What is even more impressive is that the scales are not too thick. In fact, they are spot on. This is the biggest restoration mistake many guys make - having scales that are too thick and bulky.

The profiles are also right on. Nice flowing lines with the proper end designs, the great wood choices, and the excellent pin placements. There is more to doing this stuff than some people realize.

Joe has definitely arrived... and it is work like this that will help change the minds of those who think it is sacrilegious to tamper with vintage razors. These two razors have been given a new life and have become more valuable because of this excellent restoration.

I have been working hard for many years to see those stubborn minds in the collector world change. It's a hard nut to crack. With guys like Joe, Peter, Gary, Jason, and my man Vlad... it will eventually happen.

I love watching all this progress. I have never been jealous of good work... I embrace great talent and it's showing here. Congrats, Chris... you got yourself some dandies. Great photos, also, by the way... whoever took them.

I can't wait until Joe gets his grinder. We might be seeing some slick new straight razors on the market. If he can do it in the $200 to $300 range, he will be one busy man. That would be so cool... :happy096

[Joe C]

Simply outstanding! I can't wait until Joe gets his grinder. We might be seeing some slick new straight razors on the market. If he can do it in the $200 to $300 range, he will be one busy man. That would be so cool... :happy096

Well, I did get my grinder in. I love it! and I think Beaumont Metal Works (the people what made my KMG grinder) are the dog's balls. Great service, and an outstanding machine. Considering what I've been making knives with, and regrinding with for a while, it's like heaven. :D I've also gotten my first batch of razor blanks off to Mr. Bos for heat treating. All blades are CPM154CM, and will be tempered (and tested) to 60-61 Rc. We'll see how they survive that process, but I have absolute faith in Paul Bos, and I haven't had any yet warp beyond salvaging. Paul's great at straightening them, too, if they happen to warp. All but one of them are fileworked, most very heavily, which adds another layer of danger to the ht process, but again, I've never had one break or crack during ht, so I'm cautiously optimistic. Looks like (and I'm not completely sure, as I haven't actually finished one) that they'll all be in the 7/8-9/8 range (with one 6/8 spike...started out as an oblique point, but I decided to change it. I'm glad I did, as I'm much more pleased with the overall flow of the design as a spike point) and probably be $250-350. Damn steel's expensive! Again, that's not definite, but that's what it's looking like right now.

P.S. Thank you for the kind words. It (and the damn eye candy you keep posting :D) keeps me motivated and striving to improve.

[SSLSTudio...]

:drool :drool :drool

restoration guys make me :drool incredible metamorphosis....

[xChris]

Hell, I just appreciate his patience. Those two razors were a series of misadventures, primarily due to me being overwhelmed with work, and very ill. (I wouldn't have been overwhelmed with work had I not been ill. :p) It was a pleasure to do them...and just wait til' you see your next two. :D You have to keep stepping up your game when Bill's posting stuff. lol
Man, you could of told me you were under the weather! I would've understood a little delay -- I wasn't in any hurry. I appreciate all the effort you put into this pair though. Good to hear that the other pair is working up good too!

[SIZE=3]
What I really like is that the scales match the blades so well. I am a firm believer that each blade exudes a personality and Joe captured both of them perfectly... The profiles are also right on. Nice flowing lines with the proper end designs, the great wood choices, and the excellent pin placements. There is more to doing this stuff than some people realize... Congrats, Chris... you got yourself some dandies. Great photos, also, by the way... whoever took them.
After checking out so much of Joe's work -- including the re-grinding service -- I knew these razors were great candidates for his work. While he helped me to select the woods, I gave him carte blanche on the scale designs. I'm glad I was smart enough to hand these over to someone (not me) that could really bring out the potential of these razors.

I did the photos, so thanks for the complement -- I really wnated to show their beauty. When I get the next ones back, I'm gonna change a couple of things to hopefully improve the shots.

I've also gotten my first batch of razor blanks off to Mr. Bos for heat treating. All blades are CPM154CM, and will be tempered (and tested) to 60-61 Rc. We'll see how they survive that process, but I have absolute faith in Paul Bos, and I haven't had any yet warp beyond salvaging. All but one of them are fileworked, most very heavily, which adds another layer of danger to the ht process, but again, I've never had one break or crack during ht, so I'm cautiously optimistic. Looks like (and I'm not completely sure, as I haven't actually finished one) that they'll all be in the 7/8-9/8 range... and probably be $250-350. Damn steel's expensive! Again, that's not definite, but that's what it's looking like right now.
Is anyone else using powdered metal right now for razor production? It'll be stainless, but should have a fairly refined grain structure from your choice of steel. Coupled with the target hardness, they should hone up well, and keep a keen edge too. Are all of this batch spoken for yet? (:cool: :D )

[garythepenman]

Joe's work is top class and he's getting better all the time. What he can do with a badly pitted worn blade defies belief.

His scales are also suitably impressive and he marries the design to the blade perfectly.

Nice work Joe as always.

Gary

[C utz]

Simply amazing! :drool

I love 'before and after' pictures. Those are great!

C utz

[Bill]

Bump...

I just thought everyone should look at these again.

[SSLSTudio...]

Bump...

I just thought everyone should look at these again.

Oh you Razurbator... ! :rofl

[IsaacRN]

Im glad it was bumped..beautiful razors

[Padron]

Im glad it was bumped..beautiful razors

+1, they are very nice.

[minderasr]

Wow! Simply amazing.

:drool

[bg42]

I cant say any more that has already been said ,simply stunning:drool ,I`m going to have to put my head down and bum up to try and keep up
Well done
Kind regards Peter

[Joe C]

I cant say any more that has already been said ,simply stunning:drool ,I`m going to have to put my head down and bum up to try and keep up
Well done
Kind regards Peter

Oh, pleez...I do ok on the grinding, but your MOP scales beat hell outta mine. I'm not a big fan of composite scales for myself, but I love to see what you do with them.

[coolsimon]

Joe ,Peter Im happy getting one piece scales looking good but you two...definately ROCK...to coin a phrase....i will show mine soon as Im having spacer problems....which really bums me out.

regards,simon