My First Restoration Project

Just a reminder of where this 5/8 wedge started...

BadDad that restoration looks great. I'm not surprised that you had trouble with pine and butternut. Pine is generally to soft and unstable. You might have more luck with southern yellow pine but I'm not sure about that - I'm speaking from the perspective of a journeyman carpenter from a couple of lifetimes ago. Teak was an excellent choice as its a very water resistant wood and quite hard and stable - so hard that if you're working a lot of teak you will have excessive wear on all of your saw blades and edged tools. Its a wood used in marine applications, boat cabinets and decking and what not. Other good choices would be ebony, walnut or even white oak and cypress. Maybe some exotics like koa, padauk, or cocobolo would be nice and could handle being worked to such thin pieces. Good luck on your future restores, I see the makings of a sideline business here and I'm looking forward to seeing your projects.
Marko

BadDad  that restoration looks great.  I'm not surprised that you had trouble with pine and butternut.  Pine is generally to soft and unstable.  You might have more luck with southern yellow pine but I'm not sure about that - I'm speaking from the perspective of a journeyman carpenter from a couple of lifetimes ago.  Teak was an excellent choice as its a very water resistant wood and quite hard and stable  - so hard that if you're working a lot of teak you will have excessive wear on all of your saw blades and edged tools.  Its a wood used in marine applications, boat cabinets and decking and what not.  Other good choices would be ebony, walnut or even white oak and cypress.  Maybe some exotics like koa, padauk, or cocobolo would be nice and could handle being worked to such thin pieces.  Good luck on your future restores, I see the makings of a sideline business here and I'm looking forward to seeing your projects.
Marko

I couldn't agree more, Marko!

Chris (BadDad), those scales are even more striking, I think, than the first pair you showed us.  As a one piece, it only has the pins at one end and the look of continuity is just beautiful.  Now that we know what you can do with teak, I (excuse me, WE) cannot wait to see what you do with some of those resins.

Chris, some great work there. Very impressive for a first time.

Very good work. I didn't know you can restore old razors.

VERY nice, Chris! I'm impressed with progress to date.

A quick thought: since tung oil dries to a matt finish, which tends to obscure the grain, you can shine it up very nicely by rubbing the scales down with a piece of terry cloth towel with a dime-sized (or even less) drop of "Fine cut" automotive polish like Meguiar's 105 (or the equivalent.) Give the finish at least 72 hours before rubbing down and use moderate pressure with fairly fast strokes with the grain. You'll be amazed with the results!

Another thought: If you really want that wood to "pop," consider a light application of brown (lite or dark) Rite dye before oiling. Allow to dry overnight, then rub down with 0000 steel wool.

For reference, here's black walnut pepper mill I made (and sold) last year. Three coats of tung oil buffed as described above.

Thanks guys! I've actually done a few at this point. This is my most recent:
[Image: 2586bf9807ffd55e36c488f4112453f1.jpg]
Allegheny Instruments Corporation 4/8 near wedge in teak with butternut spacer. Finished with tung oil and pinned with stacked washers polished and domed. My favorite razor...


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I'm thinking about getting a vintage style straight razor when I'm ready for a straight. But like I said before, I didn't know you can restore old razors.

I'm thinking about getting a vintage style straight razor when I'm ready for a straight. But like I said before, I didn't know you can restore old razors.

Yup...I have about 30 at the moment, in various stages of use and repair...

Thanks guys! I've actually done a few at this point. This is my most recent:
[Image: 2586bf9807ffd55e36c488f4112453f1.jpg]
Allegheny Instruments Corporation 4/8 near wedge in teak with butternut spacer. Finished with tung oil and pinned with stacked washers polished and domed. My favorite razor...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks very nice