Vintage WADE & BUTCHER Straight Razor 13/16"+ Buffalo Horn Scales RESTORED HONED

Description

This Razor: This is a nice pre-tariff 19th century WADE and BUTCHER heavy chopper-style straight razor in restored condition manufactured in Sheffield, England. It measures 13/16"+ in width. It has a beefy wedge-to-Quarter-Hollow grind. The blade has a nearly straight spine with a generous bellied edge and new custom dark brown to black scales made from black water buffalo horn. It retains its original iron collars with brass pins and its original lead wedge. The blade still shows some pitting throughout. please see photos for further details.
Wade & Butcher was one of the truly legendary Sheffield razor manufacturers and the enduring quality of their blades even now remains very highly desirable. Since this blade doesn't show the country of origin, my assumption is that it was created prior to the 1892 tariff. The style and iron pin covers makes me believe it was made in the 1860s to 1870s. just a guess.
It has been refurbished/restored as detailed below:
The Work: I refurbished this blade by unpinning it, removing all rust, polishing it to a nice sheen. I made custom scales for it from dark water buffalo horn, re-pinning it with brass pins and the original steel pin covers. Not as visible, I included brass washers in the pivot to reduce wear over the years. Please scrutinize the photos for details.
This razor has a nice feel in the hand. There's good reason these old W & B choppers have a broad and loyal following. The steel is so good. There's something about Sheffield razors that is forgiving on the face. It's still going strong, ready to serve several more generations!
I honed this razor with great care, as I would for my own razors I use for personal daily use
with the following progression with two layers of tape to protect the spine:
Naniwa Chosera 1k
Shapton Kuromaku Ceramic 2k
Shapton Kuromaku Ceramic 5k
Seuhiro Kouseki
Nakayama
Vintage Scottish Linen Fire Hose 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,
and, through great effort and dedication, have 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 blademaker so that I may bring them back to life for you, my customer.
I will sanitize this razor with Clippercide before shipping.
Please note that this auction is for the razor only. Any props (holders, whetstones, strops, etc.) Are not included in the auction unless specifically listed in the title or descriptions.