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

... but gave it a try and found out you can! This razor was so tarnished you could not really read 'Radio Steel' on the side. I found a link on the Forum mentioning using a piece of leather and polish so I cut up a pair of gloves and picked up some Flitz and gave 'er a try. The picture is not great but the blade came out pretty good snd only has some random spots to work on. But, it took HOURS! While we were watching movies with the family I just kept up a good pace and it worked out. My hand tells the story... That was AFTER washing my hands!

I have sone donor scales and a pinning kit so we'll see how that all works out tomorrow... I polished my peening hammer earlier which got me rolling on that razor as the hammer turned out pretty good as well!

This is just a blast!

that looks like it is going to end up a very nice razor, well done.

I never heard of using leather with Flitz . I use Flitz all the time , and I get great results using cotton , gun cleaning patches . If I need a little more abrasion , I use one of those nylon polishing pads (the kind , that work like steel wool) with the Flitz .
BTW , nice job!

For a little more backbone in your rubbing, you can use 0000 steel wool with Maas or Flitz.

You did a darn fine job on it my friend. There is nothing about restoring, making, or even honing a razor that is clean...except the shave. It's that end result that we are all after, a smooth & clean shave. Thanks for sharing, on your blade clean-up & of course I expect to see more.

I look at your post count, how long have you been at straight razor shaving?

Really nice work, it's looking great. In addition to the other options you have gotten on products and techniques, I remember Charlie (spazola) using, and I adopted it, an eraser instead of your finger, especially around the edge. It's one of those erasers that's about two inches long and rectangular. I trimmed one end of mine to kind of round it and it really works nicely with 0000 steel wool, sand paper, etc. and takes that risk of a slip up around the edge and a bad cut out of the process. Good Luck!!, and Great Shaves!!

Regards,
Howard

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!