Thread: Rust!

I recently went on a trip to visit family over the holidays. The morning after I arrived I unpacked my shaving gear and to my dismay discovered rust on one side of the blade where the scales don't cover, from the spine to about half way down the blade. Apparently the leather pouch I keep it in had gotten wet and I didn't realize it. Preventing it from happening again isn't the problem, what I need help with is how to remove the rust and what appears to be very slight pitting, and restore the polish to the blade. This is my first razor and although I haven't been at this for very long I have already formed somewhat of an attachment to it. So any help as far as techniques, tools and other quiptment needed, and any resources that i could check out would be much appreciated. The blade is carbon steel, if that makes a difference, and I have a dremel at my disposal if needed.

Photo's would help with an assessment, if possible. It's best to start out light & work on to more drastic methods if needed, so try polishing the rust away first. Avoid the dremel for now. They can do a lot of damage if things go wrong.

What exactly would I need and how do I go about polishing it properly? The only rust removal like this that I have done has been on an M16 , so I didn't really have to worry about a highly polished finish.

Your question may be best answered in the razor restoration thread, where I assume SRP members who work on vintage razors have encountered and addressed this problem with varying degrees of success.

Let us know what the razor restoration group recommends. I would be interested in knowing what they suggest.

Originally Posted by Perdition

What exactly would I need and how do I go about polishing it properly? The only rust removal like this that I have done has been on an M16 , so I didn't really have to worry about a highly polished finish.

Like ben said, post some pictures of the blade and you'll get more accurate recommendations.

If it's light rust, you can probably just use Maas or Flitz metal polish to bring back the shine. I wouldn't do anything with the Dremel or sandpaper just yet until you post some pictures.

Un fortunatly not all leather and steel is compatable. Leaving a razor or for that matter a knife in the sheath for a long time is not good. Sometimes the chemicals the leather was tanned with will react with the steel. Less likely with stainless but remember. If the steel has carbon in it so that it can be heat treated it is only stain resistant not stainless as is sometimes advertised.

As already stated, start with some polish to see how deep the rust is, then determine which sandpaper grit you should start on based on the results. Then simply move your way up through the sandpaper.

There is a great wiki article on blade sanding for more detailed info under the resto section of the wiki.

I would also suggest if you have never restored a blade before, to stay away from the dremel until you get more experience working on razors. It's too easy to get wavey blade or uneven wear with a dremel.

If the rust formed on a day or so it's probably not very deep. I would imagine some quality polish like simichrome or maas will take it off. The next step would be Cape Cod Polishing Cloths which have some abrasive in them. Don't use a dremmel at this point.

Thanks for the input guys. I also watched the restoration section on lynn's video and it provided a lot of good info. I'm going today to pick up some Maas and try hand polishing it first, I'll let you guys know how it turns out. As far as pictures all I have is a crappy camera phone so it doesn't really show enough detail to be helpful, sorry. Anyway thank you all for your help and I will update with the results.