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This Razor: This is a beautiful early-ish-mid-19th century "For Barber's Use" cutthroat straight razor manufactured by therenowned Sheffield cutler, Wade & Butcher. With an absolutely classic wide early-style barber's notch, a heavy large format and a wonderful quarter-hollow grind, this razor is a venerable old war-horse.The hefty blade measures just under an 7/8 at 13/16"++ at its widest. It has a gorgeous older-style type-face tang stamp and has some visible residual pitting, discoloration and hone-wear on the blade after polishing. This razor has been restored with newly crafted custom-made scales original lead wedge spacer. I reused the magnificent large pin-collars on this razor to emphasize its elder status.
The Work:I refurbished this blade by unpinning it, removing all rust, removing as much pitting as I could without negatively impacting its overall vintage essence, carefully polishing it to a nice sheen. I made new scales from a gorgeous piece of black water buffalo horn, pinning them together with new brass pins and the original brass bulls-eye collars, and its original wedge spacer made of lead.Less visible to the eye, I added brass pivot washers to enhance the razor's already impressive longevity.
Please scrutinize the photos for details of both razor and box.
I estimate this razor was made in the 1840s...180+ years old and still going strong, built for the ages and ready to serve several more generations!Wade & Butcher was one of the truly legendary Sheffield razor manufacturers and the enduring quality of these "For Barbers Use" blades even now remains highly desirable.These gorgeous old For Barber's Use W & Bs razors were built to withstand constant professional use and I have never had one that's anything but a great shaver. The heft and balance of them is incomparable in the hand, and they shave more quietly than fully hollow blades.
I honed this razor with great care, as I would for my own razors I use for personal daily use.
This razor was honed with the following progression with two layers of tape to protect the spine and optimize bevel angle:
Shapton Kuromaku Ceramic 2k
Shapton Kuromaku Ceramic 5k
Seuhiro Kouseki
Nakayama
Flax linen strop
Tony Miller Rough Out Strop
Tony Miller Fast Bridle Strop
My Story: I fell in love with vintage straight razors some years back when I became irritated with the exorbitant cost of disposable razor cartridges. I taught myself to refurbish antique straight razors, utilizing my background in jewelry and sculpture in learning to make custom razor scales, to pin them properly. Over some years Ihave gained a reputation for nicely honed shaving edges. Each of these blades is a journey, with a history. A man's hands created it long ago to last for generations. You and I are part of those generations. I try to be sensitive and cognizant of the historical context of each razor, as well as the spirit and intentions of the original blade-maker so that I may bring them back to life for you, my customer.
