Mirror polish

Hi guys, This is my first post but I have been lurking for a while reading what you all have to say.The info I have gleaned has made things much simpler so thanks.I have been shaving with a straigh for 2 months now(a Dovo Prima Silver steel) and everything is going well. I have however got myself a couple of sorry state vintage razors from ebay to have a go at restoring them. I have a dremel and removing the rust is not a problem. But Im not sure how to polish out the very fine scratches that have been the result of my labour. I have felt wheels but they seem to do nothing. Do I need some sort of compound and if so, what type? Any help would be great

Yes, you need a compound. The felt by itself won't do much of anything at all. Diamond paste and Chromium oxide will work. So will a variety of light abrasives such as Zam and Fabulustre. You could even use Maas with some degree of effectiveness. At any rate, you'll need some sort of abrasive compound.

Hi and welcome!

I've been using jewelers rouge followed chromox on feltwheels to polish some of my straights after I've finished sanding with wet/dry at 2000 grit.

The first thing is welcome.

The dremel is quite a dangerous tool, especially with a razor. If you snag the edge of the blade with the rotating tool, the blade can shatter and shards of very sharp steel fly especially towards the eyes. Secondly, if you overheat the blade by friction caused by the rubbing process, it is possible to change the edge in such away that it will not hold a good edge.

I tend to clean a blade of rust and corrosion by hand. Starting with a low grit wet and dry sanding paper and slowly progressing up to 2000 grit. If there is heavy pitting/corrosion, I will use a grit as low as 200 to remove the damage. All the hard work is done with the lowest grit. The rest of the process is really to remove the sanding scratch marks.

After the 2000 grit, I will use a dremel with one of those soft drum heads and dip it in the dremel polishing paste. I use the dremel at its lowest setting and ensure the edge is flat onto a piece of timber and can not be snagged. Do not allow the metal to get hot. This is then followed by a new tip with a chromium oxide paste. After that I will hand finish usually with chromium oxide paste. The finished job is OK. Not perfect but not bad. For perfection you really need a proper polishing/buffing machine.

There are few great articles and threads on this subject if you do a search.

Cool, thanks I will keep that in mind, just saw the post man on the other side of the road. My Wapi is due to arrive today so i better fet to the door :P Then I will go percace some paste fore my Dremel, carfully does it though!

You can also go for the satin finish, which I think can look better than a mirrow finish.

Steven

I was thinking about the satin finish, but how do you obtain one that looks good, Id worry that my attempt would just look like an uneaven mess of scratches.

OK, so I took on board what you guys said about needing a compounfd for my dremel felt weels. I went online and ordered a Dialux blea, an extra fine jewlers polishing compound as the scratches on the blades are v fine. To my suprise it came today, bonus. However the instructions are in french and I am an ill educated fool.
The compound is like a crubly bar of soap. Does it need wetting at all or do I just rub it directly onto the felt weel before I start my final polish?

welcome to srp i have always applied that type of polish directly to the wheel or cloth i was using since it has a high content of wax in it i dont think it would mix well with water i did find this for you hope it helps
Dialux Blue Polishing Compound

A select type of super abrasive, uniformly blended with a carrier wax. These compounds have special features that allow good adhesion to the fibers of brushes, buffs or felts. Only minimal quantities need to be used :gl:

ace thanks, Il give it a whirl and see how it comes out, If i mess it up then satin finish it is!:w

A bench grinder is about 40 bucks at Lowes, and they also sell buffing compund and buffing wheels.

I spend most of my time at sea so need to keep kit as portible as posible. Shaving can be a problem as you might imagine. I need to keep a cartrige razor handy for a, shaving my head (not brave enough to do the whole lot with a straight) b, to shave if we spend too much time in rough weather as i am rather attached to my facial features and want to stay that way:)

As some have pointed out, some skills are needed when working on tempered steel with power tools. If memory serves me right, if you decide to buy a grinder, you may want to buy one that has variable speed. I believe that the 3600 RPM grinders are not recommended for work on razors but please correct me if I am wrong. I just cannot remember the thread where I read this. The variable kind of grinder is a bit more expensive than the standard but not outrageous. Are there Lowes in Scotland?

Al raz.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ditch Doc

A bench grinder is about 40 bucks at Lowes, and they also sell buffing compund and buffing wheels.

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i would be careful with a bench grinder i use one to polish my chrome and aluminun parts for my quad and they heat the metal very quickly and i would be afraid of the huge wheel grabbing the blade i would look for a low rpm bench grinder or a speciatlity motor for that i found this though Low rpm electric motor On GlobalSpec
they make all speeds. i might get one of these my self for future projects :hmmm:

Not heard of Lowes no but we have places like B&Q that sell simular stuff. If been warned to ve very careful even with just my 12v dremel, the restorations are just something to keep my occupied and quench my razor adiction when Im offshore for two months at a time

As some have pointed out, some skills are needed when working on tempered steel with power tools. If memory serves me right, if you decide to buy a grinder, you may want to buy one that has variable speed. I believe that the 3600 RPM grinders are not recommended for work on razors but please correct me if I am wrong. I just cannot remember the thread where I read this. The variable kind of grinder is a bit more expensive than the standard but not outrageous. Are there Lowes in Scotland?

Al raz.

One thing that I didn't see mentioned was what kind of wheel was used to take off the rust and tarnish.
If you you used the grinding wheel or the sanding drum you have pretty deep scratches that will not be removed by any amount of polishing compound.

What dremel tool did you use? That info would help us to direct you to the next step.

Its just a 12v mini for arts and crafts mainly. I used a copper brush weel to get the rust and tarnish off as it was not that heavily ingrained. Still looking for info on how to achieve a satin finish without it looking...well crappy!

you may have to do the final touches by hand so you will know how much pressure you are using

Where else can a guy (or gal) get so much feedback.
If it's too hard to find abrasives ,I had good luck w/ buffing compound from an auto shop,it's even in supermarkets. It will do no harm in that it is made to take off the oxidized layer from paint.
Al

I use a 6 inch wheel. 3450 RPM. I keep my thumb on the backside of the blade and pull it off the wheel when it gets too hot to be comfortable. Pretty safe.
Skil at Lowe's: 6" Bench Grinder