Newbie Razor purchase

[daniel]

Just got this off ebay for $8.

Any good? The item description said it was a Wade and Butcher, Sheffield. I'm sort of skeptical as there wasn't any close up pictures of the blade, but $8 is pretty cheap for a practice blade.

 

[Howard Newell]

Uh oh. It could be a poor photo, but it looks like there might be a crack in your scales just below the pin. But from the photo, $8 for the blade doesn't seem too bad. You'll know for sure when you get it. Wade and Butchers are pretty solid shavers when tuned up.

 

[daniel]

Yes, there is a crack there although the guy said it still functions.

How difficult is it to replace the scales?

 

[Howard Newell]

Wellll, do you do any woodworking or house chores?
It's not overly difficult, but it's easier to do it if you've worked with tools before.

 

[daniel]

Wellll, do you do any woodworking or house chores?
It's not overly difficult, but it's easier to do it if you've worked with tools before.

I know my way around a toolbox, but not much of a woodworker-->

 

[Howard Newell]

Well, you can make the pins out of 1/16" brass rod and use #OW brass washers as the collars, or you can go here to get all the supplies you need. You'll probably save more money doing it yourself, but I've been working on razor scales that should've taken an hour for more than two weeks. No matter which route you take, you'll need a small ball peen hammer and a metal or hard, flat surface of some type. What you do is you place the pins in the holes of the scales and gently tap them so that the ends mushroom out, much like a nail's head, and prevent the razor from wobbling inside the scales, and so that the razor opens smoothly without being too loose. Sounds easy, but I've heard of people cracking the scales with the hammer and bending the pins, which is why you want to use a really light taps.

 

[Howard Newell]

Whoops, I forgot to mention. Taz, Joe Chandler, Bill Ellis, and some other members here have more experience with repinning and will probably post later. I'm pretty sure you can send your razor to them for a set of scales and honing for a fee, if that's what you choose.

 

[Doc4]

Whoops, I forgot to mention. Taz, Joe Chandler, Bill Ellis, and some other members here have more experience with repinning and will probably post later. I'm pretty sure you can send your razor to them for a set of scales and honing for a fee, if that's what you choose.

that would be the way to go ... there've been some pretty super pictures of re-scalled razors posted here!

 

[daniel]

Whoops, I forgot to mention. Taz, Joe Chandler, Bill Ellis, and some other members here have more experience with repinning and will probably post later. I'm pretty sure you can send your razor to them for a set of scales and honing for a fee, if that's what you choose.

Thanks for the info, that is probably the route I will take once the razor gets to me and I can look at it.

 

[daniel]

Here she is:

In the box which reads: George Felton Cutlery and Barber Supplies 119 Penn Ave. Scranton, PA and Felton's Crystal Razor Price $3.50

Here's the razor out of the box:

Here's a close up of the crack in the scale and the blade markings, turns out it was a true Wade and Butcher.

Not bad for 8 bucks. I need to send it off for honing and re-scaling though.

 

[izlat]

razor looks good - so what are you practicing, if you are sending it out for honing and re-scaling? Cleaning? Fair enough

Just in case you care for my opinion, I'd say hone and rescale this one yourself and get honing and re-scale from Joe and / or others for blades that are worth it more than this one. Not that this one is a bad razor - just some food for thought

Cheers
Ivo

 

[daniel]

razor looks good - so what are you practicing, if you are sending it out for honing and re-scaling? Cleaning? Fair enough

Just in case you care for my opinion, I'd say hone and rescale this one yourself and get honing and re-scale from Joe and / or others for blades that are worth it more than this one. Not that this one is a bad razor - just some food for thought

Cheers
Ivo

I'd love to hone and scale it myself, but the investment in tools and supplies would be more than I care to spend. I know that it isn't the greatest razor in the world, but it seems to be a decent razor that still has some life. My thinking is that if I get it re-scaled and fixed up a bit then it could be used as a decent second razor when my DOVO arrives. Plus, I wouldn't feel so bad if I messed this one up trying to strop or hone later on down the line.