Thread: Razor Warts?

I have some questions on razor staining, and how to resolve it.

Frist, I have some carbon steel blades with a dark stain/tinge to it. Would MAAS polish and a dremel buffing wheel take this out? I tried Brasso, but that didn't do the trick. Is the only way to get it to a shiny state to grind it with a high-grit mandrel? I'm concerned about warping the blade or damaging the grind beyond repair...

Second, I have a couple oldies with a wart-like texture on the blade. The surface isn't smooth, it's actually pitted. I suspect the only way to get rid of that is to grind them out. If I do just that spot, the surface would be uneven at that point. Is better to not mess with that? Is there any way to get the dark, black tinge off of those spots without grinding?

Thanks to all.

I mostly use a dremel equipped with a felt wheel to accomplish that sort of polishing. i use either silver polish or toothpaste as my abrasive.

The answer is probably: "it depends". If the "stains" are superficial, Maas would probably get rid of them in no time. If not, perhaps a bit of sanding would be needed. Working on razor can be tricky and you may want to take a look at the wiki for some general principles: Category:Repair & Restoration - Straight Razor Place Wiki

I am sure that other members will share their experience with you. When you have these sort of problems, it helps a great deal to have pictures.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by Alraz

I am sure that other members will share their experience with you. When you have these sort of problems, it helps a great deal to have pictures.
Al raz.

Thanks Al raz.

I posted from werk, so I don't have pictures available. I'll try to upload some as soon as I can.

Thanks for the info.

With pitting you need to be careful because with a full hollow especially the blade is already pretty thin and if you want to get all the pitts out you have to grind down the entire blade which could affect the grind depending on how deep they are. If they are deep you have the option of just softening them and living with that.

As far as the staining goes yes maas or simichrome will get them off if they are minor but if its more a patina you will probably need to use either a dremmel or hand sand though you could try cape cod polishing cloths too.

In general you want to start with the highest grit abrasive that will clean the metal...
Whether that is MAAS, Sandpaper, flap wheels, Greaseless compounds, or a grinding belt is determined by the razor and your experience.....

MAAS should work, but always take care as not to over do it.

The pitted razor, hmmm, I would discard it as it is unlikely worth the trouble. There are other straights in the market that need some TLC, not major surgery.

Pabster

I hope this picture turns out (I'm a nooB at that too...)



Kinda bad, huh?

It is a full hollow, so I was afraid if I grind it, it will warp it rendering it truly uck-fayed.

What do you gents think? Time to send it to meet its maker?

Thanks for the photo. Yes, I vote for disposal. There is likely more issues with this one than meets the eye.

There will be others that need TLC that justify your time better.

Pabster

yes that's a deep pit, probably too deep. Why not just soften it and get any rust out and use the razor if it is otherwise salvageable. In any case never throw a straight away. Some day you might need something to practice honing or stropping or some other issue and you wouldn't want to experiment with a good piece.