Do you think these are the original scales?

[Davide]

Here is a recent purchase. I am going to restore it. Do you guys think these are the original scales? If they are, I might try to salvage the inserts.

[Navy Chief]

I don't know if they are original or not, but I do like them and think that it may be worth the time to try to save them, just my .02..

[Antique Hoosier]

...it may be worth the time to try to save them...

EXACTLY what I just pm'd this member.... might as well restore the entire blade and scales keeping it intact. Super unique piece!

[Davide]

The scales are cracked on the back, and warped really badly. There is also a huge chip on one of the edges.

Do you all still think it is worth the time (given my description and no additional pics)?

This is my first restoration by the way...

One more thing: I just lightly sanded the scales, and the dust that comes off seems to be whitish, and it smells a little "off" when I put my nose to it. Does this sound like the properties of bone? (or am I just sanding off some top coat?)

[gunner6477]

Two words come to mind when looking at your pics...Bill Ellis

I'd get his opinion/help before doing ANYTHING to that beautiful razor.

[Navy Chief]

+1

Two words come to mind when looking at your pics...Bill Ellis

I'd get his opinion/help before doing ANYTHING to that beautiful razor.

[tpoof]

Ya, pretty much what they said.
but I think the white powder might be the old finish coming off those scales...
hard to tell really in the pic.
she's a beauty and is going to be sweet all right!
You got some good stuff going on , old razors, hones...
once again... lucky dog!

[BillEllis]

David...

Please don't take offense. This razor is going to take some considerable experience to restore. Additionally, this is one of those razors that should be left in its original condition unless you really are good at restorations. You will not be able to successfully remove the inlays from the horn scales without ruining them.

I think you would be better off finding something else to work on, especially considering that this is a first attempt at doing the work.

[Davide]

No offense taken whatsoever. You would have to say much worse to offend me!

This is my stance: I didn't pay very much for the thing since it was in such bad shape - Deep pitting, cracked, chipped and warped scales, and general lousy shape. Even though ruining it would be a pity, I have very little to loose, and much to learn in the process. If the cost of learning is the death of this razor, so be it. There are plenty others out there (waiting for me to destroy ).

Having said that, if anybody has some tips that may help to avoid the (inevitable?) decimation of this poor razor, they are welcome and appreciated...

[gunner6477]

No offense taken whatsoever. You would have to say much worse to offend me!

This is my stance: I didn't pay very much for the thing since it was in such bad shape - Deep pitting, cracked, chipped and warped scales, and general lousy shape. Even though ruining it would be a pity, I have very little to loose, and much to learn in the process. If the cost of learning is the death of this razor, so be it. There are plenty others out there (waiting for me to destroy ).

Having said that, if anybody has some tips that may help to avoid the (inevitable?) decimation of this poor razor, they are welcome and appreciated...

my 2 cents worth...If you are looking to practice your resto skills, find something not as nice to practice on. Museum conservators would not think about "learning" or practicing their craft on the Mona Lisa. IMO, that razor is too nice to practice on and it would be a shame if it were destroyed.

[Limey]

That razor is in great shape compared to many that I have found and worked on plus that blade and scales go great together. How about a few more pictures of the scales so we can see the condition of those better and to see the flaws that you mentioned?

[professorchaos]

That is a damn cool razor!

[Davide]

I do appreciate the stance that it is a pity to destroy such a nice blade. I can hear the groans and gasps of incredulity that are coming from the readers of this thread. I do understand.

There are a few things, however that I must consider:

1) I would never pay anybody to do the work for a custom restore job. There is no shortage of great razors on B&B and eBay that are in far better shape for much less than a restore would cost.

2) If I destroy the blade, it is NOT the end of the world. It is a true pity if this happens, but if this blade gets ruined, and this is the most horrible thing that happens to me this year, I will consider myself quite fortunate.

3) I started on the blade two days ago! In fact, it is probably already ruined! (the part about it being ruined is a joke)

[Haiku]

Were I thinking along the lines that you are, I would remove the blade from the scales and otherwise not touch them.

That said, what I would do is buy a $2.00 razor off the 'bay or from a junk store and work up some restoration techniques. I wouldn't start on a razor that has the kind of potential that this one seems to have.

[Aevum]

those skales are rotten, i doubt you can fix them,
its a problem if wooden skales are damaged or poorly sealed, remember, its exposed to water and soap on a daily basis, if the seal failes, the wood will rott,

[Davide]

I also thought they were goners...

[BillEllis]

I can hear the groans and gasps of incredulity that are coming from the readers of this thread. I do understand.

I'm gonna have to say, David, that I don't think I quite agree with your take on the understanding part.

There are times when we can all look back on our past actions and say to ourselves, "Man, that really wasn't the smartest thing I ever did". Some day this specific "restoration", as you call it, will be one of those instances that should very likely make that list of things.

That was not a junk razor. It WAS actually a semi-valuable razor from the very early 1800's. We're talking Davy Crockett days. I would gladly have traded you a nice shave-ready razor for it. You're right, though. It's not the end of the world... just the unnecessary end for a nice piece of history.

[Davide]

I must say that I have not had a single straight edge shave and only three DE shaves. I am obviously rather new to the wet shaving arena. I have recently spent hours reading this board, bought a ton of cremes, soaps, AS, etc... I also bought two razors on eBay for bargain a basement price and even the Bill Ellis razor restoration CD. I must admit that I was a little bit more excited about the whole wet shaving venture before this thread...

I picked the razors that I bought based on the aesthetics of the razors and the fact that they were banged up, inexpensive, and therefore "restoration" (as Bill likes to put in quotes when referring to my actions) candidates. I am not going to argue against the destroying a piece of history part - I clearly may have to some extent. I also know that this razor has likely spent the last 100 years going unused, unseen, and likely forgotten to rust in some attic box. It very well may have lost some monetary value from a collector's perspective due to my lack of restoration competence. I guarantee it has. I am at least going to clean it up, use it, and appreciate a shave from a 200 year old razor that I brought back into serviceable condition with nothing but my own sweat.

The last thing...I didn't ask if it was a valuable razor and THEN go ahead and plow through the thing with a blatant disregard for its historical value. I bought a junker on ebay, started "restoring" it, and THEN asked a question about the scales. What done is done and I can't change that. It has been on my work bench for the last 72 hours. Had I posted a thread entitled "Should I use this razor as a practice toy?" and got a similar response to that of above, then likely this razor would be in a different state than it is now. Perhaps it would be in an envelope on its way to Bill's house. Who knows?

I will post some picks of my other razor that I have yet to touch - Perhaps there will be some strong opinions regarding that one too (probably not...). Only one way to find out...

[Limey]

Another nice looking Sheffield grind blade. You've done well with your first two pickups. Good luck and don't be put off by any posts here. Press on with your way of doing things and post the final results for us to be jealous of!

[Davide]

Thank you for that post Limey ;-)