Mirror Polish: Just For Looks?
Still haven't finished my first restore, but Santa brought me some things I needed to get the job done.
I started to wonder about etching the blade (with vinegar?) after polishing it. Why? The contrast between the honed edge and the dark blade might look cool. Additionally, I am a novice honer, and the contrast might help me during bevel creation.
But what happens when you etch a piece of steel? As I understand it, the etching agent dissolves the metal. At a microscopic level, the steel crystals or grains hold onto each other in a jumbled fashion, each oriented randomly. This causes the crystals to dissolve at different rates relative to each other, and the surface transforms from a smooth plane into a pitted, uneven one. Any light bouncing off this surface will be diffused or scattered, and the metal will appear darker.
Now, for the practical side of the question: Will it affect how well the blade resists corrosion? After shaving, a razor is covered with an array of potentially harmful chemicals in the form of water, soap, skin, hair, oil, and whatever else might have been on your face. If your razor has a mirror finish, this gunk merely rests atop the smooth plane of metal and is easily wiped or rinsed off. But is etched steel so easy to clean? Are the molecules of these "pollutants" small enough to fit into the pits of the etched surface? If so, will they evade my [conventional] efforts to cleanse the blade? And finally, if they do, will they cause the metal to corrode faster than it would if it was mirror finish and completely free of gunk?
Anybody with theories, advice, or experience, please chime in.