Thread: So, I was going to post asking if you can effectively polish a razor by hand...

Thanks for the information and encouragement! Here's some better pics along with the old scales and new scales.

I hadn't thought of an eraser and was worried about using steel wool as I work in Healthcare and people get kinda testy if you have scabs, blisters and bandaids when you go to touch them. ;-) I have a Dremel but just wanted to go totally old school and so tried that first... The corners where the blade comes in to the shoulder was tough and I ended up using a cotton swab but eraser would have been WAY better!

I have been using a straight for three months... Two months effectively. I have a goatee and I love this new form of shaving but I'm not shaving my goat so I learned pretty quick as I just had the easier areas to do. I also have a long background in Healthcare and have done wound care using scalpels in the past so that gave me a boost with blade control (.. people kinda scream, cry and bleed if you don't have that.. ;-).. ) so that was a fairly easy part for me as I'd also done wound care on myself (I now know why you MUST turn the lawnmower off before filling with gas!) in the past.

I also had been collecting/light restoring knives since about '98 or so. I actually honed my first razor using knife stuff and it shaved but not well. Once I picked up the right honing gear that wasn't too tough. I have watched a lot of videos here and read a ton so I've just been taking it one step further by going hands on.

I am somewhat embarassed how deep this hook got set in me... I've got a corner cabinet filled with old cups and brushes and some vintage advertising/signs as well as about 30 or so vintage blades, 6 blades from the Classifieds here, 3 I've honed myself all in rotation and now have all the tools to restore as long as I stick to doing it by hand. I had a way out of control case of RAD and have found taking the next step to restoring is helping to chill that RAD right out and my wife really likes that part!

This is just absolutely addicting and a total blast. I have been looking for my next Hobby for quite some time and this is working really, really well... And, the environment of this Forum and all the information and encouragement has just really fueled a huge drive for me!

Scales get pinned tonight! More pics after!

A few surprises but no big mistakes. I was so focused on remembering to put the washers in I almost pinned the blade upside down... And, right at the end I dropped her tail down and she skewered my toe (Damn Flip Flops) but at least no damage!

I wish I would have remembered 'before' photos as the difference is dramatic! My one major error initially was watching too much TV. I was watching American Restoration and saw a Tip where they mentioned you could use apple cider vinegar to remove rust. This razor had a couple spots so figured I'd try it. I saw some references that said you left stuff overnight or for days but that was car parts. 30 minutes I thought would be safe. Yeah, not so much... Rust was definitely gone but razor was twice as tarnished as before. Not sure if you just don't do that with this kinda of steel or if I didn't soak it long enough but I wasn't going to risk learning this way. To make it a little worse I just wiped it off and applied the Flitz and got some kind of reaction as there was a little waft of funk as I started polishing. So, I washed her down and started over. Definitely need ti learn to slow down but I was excited!

That came out really well!! On the steel in these razors. It is quite different than mild steel that most of us are used to. I used to cut rust on mild steel by soaking it in turpentine and it would turn to a paste consistency and brush off. Tried it on a razor or two for a week and it had no effect. For vinegar on a razor, check out this thread by carlmaloschneider about what he's doing. http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...ed-patina.html

Regards,
Howard

Wow... He really got a different affect with his process! I did a tour of Chris Reeve Knives in Meridian Idaho and they used Joy soap as a medium along witg electrical current to anodize titanium and they got ROYGBIV reaults in cool patterns as well.

Mine was nothing like either... More of a, "Man, I screwed up!", result. The razor did have a different pattern on the bottom though. I wonder if you could paint designs with Suoer Glue, let set then soak in vinegar to get a patterned result?

There are just sooooo many directions you can go... Awesome!