Wade & Butcher 19th century Straight Razor - Shave Ready

Description

This is a straight razor that is marked "Manufactured by Wade & Butcher Sheffield." I would guess this was made in the late 19th century. This would probably be regarded as a 'half' hollow blade, the bottom half of which is quite thin. It has a thumb notch, which is not easy to find in this manufacturer's razors, and it adds very much to the comfort and control of the grip. The thumb notch has jimps.
I acquired this as a loose blade that was rusty and patinated but I was able to clean it up nicely using both hand sanding and a polishing wheel (I kept it cool with water while using any power tools so the steel would not go out of temper). It's a testament to the high quality steel that makes Wade & Butcher razors so highly sought after that sanding away the rust reveals very little depth of pitting or oxidation.
I made the scales from acrylic, in a transparent red. I usually like to stick to something more in keeping with the style of the era, but this particular blade just looks amazing with these scales, so sue me ;-)  The scales are not quite perfect. If you look closely you can see a very light scratch pattern that I never fully erased (life is too short for perfection), but they are quite glossy and lovely to look at (and to look through!)
The blade width is 5/8" and the blade length is about 2.75 inches.
This shaves marvelously! I brought up the edge to shave-ready with a progression of natural whetstones (Arkansas, Belgian, possibly a Vermont green slate if I remember correctly, and probably a secret French stone...not in that order) and a series of strops. After a test shave I thoroughly sterilized and stropped it again, so it's good to go.
As with all the razors I sell I am sad to part with it and if you win this thing at a silly low price I will never forgive you (just kidding...sort of)