Thread: Dremel Buff Pad Ate Away Blade Edge

Question...

A Dremel buff pad without abrasive removed metal from a blade edge which had spider rust. For those with a lot of experience with buffing and cleaning, can a Dremel buff pad eat away metal from the edge of a blade with quality non-compromised steel?

Skip the rest of my response and, if you have experience with a lot of razors, respond. But, details provided below for those interested.

Problem...

I buffed a blade with a buff pad, without abrasive, using a Dremel. When I viewed the blade using a 100x microscope view, the buff pad had actually gouged away some of the blade edge. Imagine a water dam with water running over the top of the dame for a long time, where the water washed away smooth rivulets over the length of the dam. That is what the blade edge looked like.

The gouging was not visible to the naked eye; under a strong light, no matter how much I rotated the blade to catch the light, the blade looked smooth. That will give you an idea of the small size of the rivulets. Nonetheless, skipping the reasons, the before (viewed with microscope) and the after left no doubt in my mind of the fact that the buff pad ate away metal.

This was surprising to me because in my small amount of experience, I hadn't seen that before. And, it was surprising because of the short amount of buffing time.

Background...

The blade looks good to the naked eye. But, with the microscope it clearly has a lot of very, very small rust spots that are visible on the surface. And, undoubtedly, the blade metal was softer than a typical blade - and it was a quality steel and brand; it wouldn't hold a sharp edge. This indicates, I believe, that the blade was most likely softer due to the extensive micro-level rusting.

is the material felt?
A far as I know dremel can damage an edge if not used carefully. The speeds Dremel gives you are pretty high even the variable speed models. Dremel pads probably generate heat and that can weaken the metal @ the edge where its the thinnest.
If you make one of those sanding jigs (similar to what Bill Ellis has) then the edge lying flat on the jig will be less prone to shipping, and the heat sink with the metal surface will help with heating issues.

Here is the rub, polishing out a blade causes damage, that is actually what you are doing is ripping off the top layer of steel then progressively polishing it back....

You will absolutely destroy the edge, then you have to fix it all over again with your stones....

There really is no easy way to restore....

Originally Posted by mainaman

is the material felt?
A far as I know dremel can damage an edge if not used carefully. The speeds Dremel gives you are pretty high even the variable speed models. Dremel pads probably generate heat and that can weaken the metal @ the edge where its the thinnest.
If you make one of those sanding jigs (similar to what Bill Ellis has) then the edge lying flat on the jig will be less prone to shipping, and the heat sink with the metal surface will help with heating issues.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Here is the rub, polishing out a blade causes
damage, that is actually what you are doing is ripping off the top
layer of steel then progressively polishing it back....

You will absolutely destroy the edge, then you have to fix it all
over again with your stones....

There really is no easy way to restore....

Yes, it was a felt Dremel buff pad.
Yes, the Dremel "slow" speed is too fast for my blood.
Between both responses above, I think my answer is in... buffing will remove metal.

As for the Bill Ellis sanding jig, would someone give me a Wiki link?

I researched gentler ways to buff in our Wikis, and the most appealing was a improvised system where some gentle cloth is duct taped to a Dremel shaft. When it spins, the cloth (wasn't it?) whips out and smacks the blade. It buffs, but from the sounds of it, much more gently than a regular buff pad.

Is this the Bill Ellis method?

I made mine with 2x rectangular magnets which I covered with thin stainless steel sheet which acts like a heat sink.

Alternately, I believe Ray-man has a rig like this for sale. At least he did last time I checked, complete with aluminum heat sink and everything. Very fancy.

I ran into Rayman's razor holder earlier this morning. $18. Worth a try. Paypal'd payment...

I've been using rays holder, it's great...just what I needed. I'd suggest to ray to find some way to countersink screws to hold the aluminum plate down, as I had to reglue mine, but no big hassle, overall it's perfect to me.

Wow, that's the first I have heard the T-88 Epoxy didn't hold. If you want that holder replaced, please let me know. That shouldn't have happened.

Ray

Originally Posted by 1971Wedge

I've been using rays holder, it's great...just what I needed. I'd suggest to ray to find some way to countersink screws to hold the aluminum plate down, as I had to reglue mine, but no big hassle, overall it's perfect to me.

It's okay Ray, I can re-expoxy it myself..most of the time with a blade on it, it holds down the aluminum anyways... so T-88 expoxy, where do you fidn this stuff at?

Originally Posted by rayman

Wow, that's the first I have heard the T-88 Epoxy didn't hold. If you want that holder replaced, please let me know. That shouldn't have happened.

Ray