Another finished restoration

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07-08-2007, 08:06 PM
Bruno

Another finished restoration

Today I finally finished a restoration for one of our members.
The blade is a 7/8 solingen blade. the makers stamp is too faint to make out the exact brand.

I proposed to restore the blade, reuse the original scales and then hone it.
Someone really molested that blade with a rotary tool and a drum wheel. The blade was covered in deep gauges, and despite that there was still a ot of pitting damage.

This is what it looked like (sorry, bad pic)
http://www.bdvd.be/images/spr/resto1/before.jpg

We agreed on a very fair price and I was given carte blanche. I could take as long as necessary.
The blade is really tough as ball bearings so my original plan of rough handsanding quickly evaporated after spending a hour without making any progress at all. Then I went to machine sanding with a 80 grit and 150 grit flapwheel that fit in my high speed drill.

After a good 6 hours (yes, 6) the blade looked like this.
http://www.bdvd.be/images/spr/resto1/rough1.jpg
http://www.bdvd.be/images/spr/resto1/rough2.jpg

I handsanded for an hour going up the grit scale, and then polished it with my dremel and chromium oxide.
It was OK but I didn't like the way the reflection still showed hidden lines so I handsanded each side again for 2 hours, going from 180 to 1000. An hour of polishing with the chromium oxide brought out the shine.

At this point I had spent so many hours that I didn't want to put that blade back in those fugly black scales. I had already started making a pair of scales in meranti wood for myself and they were the exact same size as the original scales of this razor so I decided to finish the scales and use them for this razor. (for free).

This is what it looks like now:
http://www.bdvd.be/images/spr/resto1/after1.jpg
http://www.bdvd.be/images/spr/resto1/after2.jpg

The butt spacer was shaped out of red brass. The insides of the scales are finished with 3 layers of CA to prevent moisture from creeping in.
The outsides are treated with transparent antiques wax. Once the wax got soaked in and buffed up the colors really came out.

I am very proud with how this one turned out.
07-08-2007, 08:14 PM
Jimbo

:eek: :bow :bow That looks fantastic Bruno. I'll have what he's having!

James.
07-08-2007, 08:20 PM
Bruno

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo

:eek: :bow :bow That looks fantastic Bruno. I'll have what he's having!

James.

That can be arranged .... :w ;)

Btw, congrats on your 999th post.
07-08-2007, 08:20 PM
Viktor

Simply amazing. :bow :bow
Keep up the nice work. :tu

Viktor
07-08-2007, 11:30 PM
DwarvenChef

Keep up the good work :D
07-09-2007, 02:00 AM
JoshEarl

Bruno,

Your patience and attention to detail are truly inspiring. Great work. :D

Josh
07-09-2007, 01:35 PM
Kyle76

Are spacers glued into place or just held by the pin?
07-09-2007, 02:04 PM
Bruno

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle76

Are spacers glued into place or just held by the pin?

The butt spacer is held just by the pin.
I thought of glueing them into place but I decided against it because
1) CA sets really fast. :)
2) I only tighten the butt pin completely once the blade has been pinned because that way I have a bit of leeway for centering the blade.
07-11-2007, 09:50 AM
alfborge

What can I say except thank you and wow! Are you sure that's the same blade I sent you? As for the scales... I'm speachless. I can't wait to get home from the French Riviera to try it! Which makes me realize that I might not be completely normal as the weather is just lovely and Antibes is a lovely little city. Again, thank you so much! You rock!
07-11-2007, 02:09 PM
Dewey

Fantastic Job Bruno - you set the bar so high for rehab razors! Just beautiful.
07-12-2007, 01:09 PM
Kyle76

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruno

2) I only tighten the butt pin completely once the blade has been pinned because that way I have a bit of leeway for centering the blade.

How do you adjust blade centering? Do you use more spacers on one side than the other.
07-12-2007, 01:45 PM
Bruno

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle76

How do you adjust blade centering? Do you use more spacers on one side than the other.

Nono.
It is actually very easy to center a blade by tapping the butt pin. When I get home tonight I will post a picture of how I do it.
Not that it is so incredibly difficult, but I don't think I can make myself clear in a couple of words, and a picture says it all.
07-12-2007, 01:48 PM
Kyle76

Thanks, Bruno. I'll be on the lookout for your reply. :tu
07-12-2007, 08:37 PM
Bruno

1 Attachment(s)

My wife already packed the camera so I had to use paint to make a schematic.
Actually this schematic is even better because you immediately see what's happening.

For this to work you have to make sure that the pinholes are properly aligned to start with. If you look at the picture you can see that the pins will work as levers. Depending on where you tap, they will force the whole assembly one way or the other.

I always pin the butt first, but don't tighten the pin completely. Just enough to keep everything together and the spacer into place.
Then I pin the blade with the blade folded shut at first in order to get as close to the ideal position as possible.
If the shape of the blade / scales is so that it comes a bit loose when opened, I tighten the pin with the blade open.

Finally I tighten the butt pin, checking every dozen taps if the blade is still centered.

From the schematic you can conclude that you can also correct the blade center by tapping the pivot pin, but the problem is that you also risk tightening the pin too much so that opening the blade becomes difficult.

The butt pin does not have this problem so you tap it without having that problem. Of course you have to take care that the scales don't crack, or the wedge it it is fragile.