7 day set arrived, how'd I do?

[Big Red]

all right guys, got into a bidding thing on ebay on a set I was watching and ended up at like 225 or something for this set.

the bad news is the box is dead but possibly I can salvage the internals, the marking on the back of the blades (wash?) is almost gone, on Saturday it looks to have been polished off at some point.

good news, all scales look pretty good, almost all razor center and none seem loose. all stampings are strong, no damage at all that I could see on edges of blades.

couple things I noticed, the spacers all seem to be some white materials (probably synthetic like the scales) except on one which was dark but when scratched with my nail seems to be lead. they are definitely a set though, all marked exactly the same. although all blades say 3/4" I noticed a slight variance (pic of one of the wide next to the smallest) of about 6/8 to 13/16.

I think honestly that if I knew how to clean them and sterilize them they'd be good to go after getting a honing.

[Big Red]

by the way, I'd love to do this with the thumbnail then you clikc and it brings up the bigger image in a light box, like in B/S/T/ all the time. how do you guys do that?



I don't know how well it would work but I have a friend that works at a trophy shop and they do engraving, I though I might be able to have him engrave the same design and days on the back of the blades. I don't know if it is worth it but I know an actual hand engraver too, probably pricey though.

[Big Red]

last one

[nun2sharp]

225 divided by 7 =32.1$ per blade, not bad. I would also try to salvage the box if possible. Clean/hone them up and enjoy the ride.

[toolarts]

Excellent deal.

When cleaning, here are some important warnings:

1. NEVER EVER put them in any kind of chlorine bleach. It will destroy steel almost immediately.
2. NEVER put two razors together in the same container of water. The different alloys can create a battery effect that immediately starts pitting one of the razors.
3. ONLY LOW, WET HEAT. No dry heat from a hair dryer, and no water hotter than your tap (120 F), these things will destroy celluloid.
4. Do not store or soak the razors for any period in water or alcohol based solutions. Alcohol absorbs water from the air and does nothing to impede corrosion. Soaking for few minutes is OK, but not for hours or overnight.

1. Do not sterilize them, no need. They have been sitting dry for a long time and the only thing that might be on them might be mold spores from the box. Don't keep them in that old box, but save the box.

2. Sanitize. That is the key. You want to remove as much dirt and loose rust as possible, and with it any spores from mold or mildey.

-Wash the razors thoroughly with liquid dish washing detergent and use a toothbrush (carefully!) to work around the pivot pin and down between the scales.

-Once the scales have been wet for a while, I find I an get out the rest of the dirt with a folded paper towel. Slide it between the scales dry, then put some soapy water on it and slide it back and forth and up and down between the scales.

- Now you could dip it in Barbicide or something similar if you want, but it is unnecessary. Do not soak or store the razors in anything water based as there is a risk of corrosion. Dry is the key.

- After each razor is cleaned (do them completely, one at a time) rinse it in the pure hot tapwater for 10 seconds, then dry the metal with a soft cloth. Pass a dry paper towel or tissue through the scales and let it sit for a minute or so.

- After a few minutes, it should be completely dry. Coat the blade with sewing machine oil. Also put a dab in around the pivot pin and then exercise the razor a little.

[toolarts]

One other warning.

If you decide to go after the razors with some M*A*A*S or other plishing compound, be aware that all such treatments WILL REMOVE ANY GOLD WASH present on the razor.

It only takes a few rubs with the M*A*A*S and the gold is gone. Well, actually not gone, it will be on the polishing cloth. Same with Formula #7 and any other metal polishing compound.


M*A*A*S is nice for razors that have no gold wash. It cleans scales, blades, tangs, pins, even logos as long as they have no gold. Brass, plastic, celluloid all look great after a little treatment with M*A*A*S.

If you have rust spots on the inside of the scales, it will remove those too.

[Big Red]

thanks, I will avoid the spine but MAAS is probably good on the blade? just put it on a 6" muslin wheel and hit it on there?

Red

[nun2sharp]

Watch the speed and direction on that wheel!!! Chipping,breakage sharp flying shrapnel, lions, tigers and bears Oh My! I think I would try the old tried and true hand method myself, Hopefully someone with more machine experience will chime in here, and offer some real tips and advice.

[Big Red]

frankly hand method is much easier if it is as effective. I don't have my buffer setup right now, would take me probably an hour to move a stand, drill the hole pattern etc. etc. you get the picture. I'll go by hand. gotta find a place to get the polish now though.

Red

[toolarts]

Yeah, considering the condition of these razors, you should not touch them with any kind of machine.

The great thing about M*A*A*S is it works very well by hand.

A soft clean cloth (like an old T-Shirt) and rub down the razor (except for that gold wash) and then polish it with a clean part of the cloth and it will dazzle you.

I have actually tried putting tape over the gold-wash area. It was a great help in cleaning up the razor and protecting the gold wash, but it left a border around the wash that looked a little funky. I am going to keep experimenting with this, though. That gold was is really worth protecting.