Thread: Some advice please.. Blade etch... more trouble then they are worth?

Hi everyone, I am quite new to straight razor shaving/restoring, and there are sooooooo many questions I would like to ask, but I would be here typing all day,, and probably bore evrybody literally to death, so I will just ask one newbie question if thats alright, and hope somebody will be kind enough to give me some tips.
Well its simple really, I am a carpenter and have been restoring old tools for years,,, now lately razors aswell. I have no problem bringing a rusted pitted bit of steel back up to scratch, but the razors that have things etched onto the blade are another matter

I have a nice Joseph Rodgers 'The Celebrated HOLLOW GROUND' razor, and it is the first straight razor I ever purchased,, and I love it and shaved with it this morning... It is in quite good condition, well very good really,, virtually zero pitting but it does have water marks in spots on the back of blade, quite a lot on the spine and a few spots on the face side of the razor,,,
The blade etch is very clear and there are pretty much no water marks on the etch part,,, but if I was to go down the sanding at progressive grits road,,, I would want to do the entire blade, (not just work around the etched part) as It would otherwise turn out quite uneven,,, and crap frankly.
So my question/questions is this.... Will sanding over the etch (and cleaning it how I would normally clean a blade) rub it away?
If so then how do you guys go about cleaning a blade that has a nice blade etch that you would like to keep as is?

Any hints/tips would be greatly appreciated
The razor really is in great condition other then the water marks, and I have just left this razor as is, coz it was my first and besides I am not in the 'mirror polish for all razors' club, but when I shaved with him today,, I dont know if the water marks have got worse, (I doubt because I always clean and oil my razors after every use), or if it just bothered me more then usual because I am not in the best of moods today, (long story and a totally different subject lol),,, but anyway, for the first time today I looked at my beloved Rodgers razor,, and thaught,, hhhmmm,, maybe you could do with a little clean after all

sorry for the long text,,, Any advice wud be Great,, if you would like me to add some pics of the shaver in question, then I can do that,, will need to charge up my phone, but that needs doing anyway so.....

Thanks in advance guy,, (unless you all blank me up, in which case you are all Mean mean MEAN!! Took me ages to write this... If I wernt a man, It would be my time of the month lol.. Nothing is going right today

Well if the etch is NOT a gold etch then I would use a non abrasive polish such as MASS or Blue Magic. If you find the "water spots" are actual light pitting, then try using some 0000 steel wool with the polishing compound mentioned above. This will clean out the pitted areas very well. If it is a gold etching then al most any cleaning you attempt will destroy the gold.

BTW, pics would help steer you in the correct direction, but the above will be a good start regardless.

So my question/questions is this.... Will sanding over the etch (and cleaning it how I would normally clean a blade) rub it away?

Depends of the depth of the etch, really. When working with felt or cotton wheels and polish compound, or with micro mesh for example, you won't brush enough metal to reach the etching in most cases, if it's deep enough.

Picture ?

If so then how do you guys go about cleaning a blade that has a nice blade etch that you would like to keep as is?

Either I do, or I don't. If there is too much rust or pitting and it hides completely any other detail, then yes, I will.
If I have some small black spots, and brushing them to have a clean blade would ruin the etching, then I don't.

Personnal rule, not to take as a general advice.

But once again... Picture ?

just took some pics,, sorry they are not the best,, I know threads can be boring without pics of the razor in question so there you go,,, was very hard to show the water marks but I hope they give some reference,,
cheers guys, all the best

Thanks for your quick response guys ,, I have not figured out how to reply with the quote marks above ect,,
what do you think from seeing the pics?
I agree that if the tarnish is not soo bad,, perhaps its best to leave it as it is?

Looks like a surface etching. But then again I never actually had a W&B CHG in my hands, hard to judge, you'll get better advice.

As for myself, I wouldn't touch it. Or, worst case scenario, I would cut precisely some adhesive tape, and only use finishing polish cream (don't have the technical term, but something like Puma pink)

If I were to do anything, it would be to use 0000 steel wool with a polish like Flitz/Mass/Mothers mag polish and see where I wind up. Would almost bet that would be enough.

Bob

[QUOTE=Aggelos;1405183]Looks like a surface etching. But then again I never actually had a W&B CHG in my hands, hard to judge, you'll get better advice.

Yes it does look like quite a shallow etch, most of my razors have plain blades so I am not very sure of how deep/shallow the etches on razors go, but I do get the feeling with this one, that if I was too sand even on a high grit,, it may fade quite a lot
Thanks, yes I think for now, just a very light clean, no sandpaper on this one

I hope so, thanks for the advice Bob,, I think I will go gentle and see what happens. Think I just got a bout of razor envy at all the perfect mirror polished ones I see on this site! I guess I can live with a few water marks if it comes down to it,, rather then a clean shiny razor... with an all but invisible etch (which I think will be the result if I do clean too aggressively)
Its a shame, I was hoping for some gentle miracle cure that cleans all water marks/shallow pits without damaging the etch...... But I guess if that was the case then people would use this 'miracle method' on all razors etch or no etch!
Thanks for your response , all the best
George

Originally Posted by ToolFiendG

I hope so, thanks for the advice Bob,, I think I will go gentle and see what happens. Think I just got a bout of razor envy at all the perfect mirror polished ones I see on this site! I guess I can live with a few water marks if it comes down to it,, rather then a clean shiny razor... with an all but invisible etch (which I think will be the result if I do clean too aggressively)
Its a shame, I was hoping for some gentle miracle cure that cleans all water marks/shallow pits without damaging the etch...... But I guess if that was the case then people would use this 'miracle method' on all razors etch or no etch!
Thanks for your response , all the best
George

If you can feel the etches depth with your thumb nail then I would not think it is a surface etch like done with a laser today. For sure I would shy away from sanding but still go with a polish paste for the water spots. Your razor and your call though.

Bob