Thread: New old razors

I went to the flea market today and bought four razors all of them are really rusty but not on the edge.
I think I read on here that vinegar will remove rust. How long do I have to leave them in the vinegar for it to work. ?

Originally Posted by mackie

I went to the flea market today and bought four razors all of them are really rusty but not on the edge.
I think I read on here that vinegar will remove rust. How long do I have to leave them in the vinegar for it to work. ?

if they are carbon, the acid will start to corode the steel. the way to remove the rust is soak in WD40, or elbow grease, to loosen the rust. you can also try scotchbrite, or higher grit sandpaper. there is also rust remover liquids, but I can't tell you if they work well enough for razros

How long will depend on how "thick and deep" the rust is. Vinegar will eat the rust but also good metal. If your edges are free of rust, I don't think I'd use vinegar altogether... but less than a couple of hours shouldn't harm them or it would probably mean a bit more time on the bevel setting. Couldn't be much worse than low-grit sandpaper. I always start out restorations with an application of MAAS so it removes the more superficial rust, to see what the bulk of the work will be.

+1 on the wd 40, I put it in a small bag and drown them in the stuff, tie the bag and leave if for a week or so. Try not to breath it though.

Taking a tangent on the vinegar theme, I just bought a regular old whetstone. I asked the clerk how best to remove the metal buildup on the hone that is deposited there during honing. One suggestion was to soak it in vinegar, which is acetic acid, a weak acid.

So, I think it makes sense that vinegar will degrade a steel blade.

But, soaking a whetstone in vinegar, (which is my tangent), might be a good tip for someone. It seems to work well for me.

The only thing that will truly remove the rust is elbow grease.


Elbow grease and an array of wet/dry sandpaper.

Elbow grease and an array of wet/dry sandpaper, and time...lot's of time and effort.....and patience......



And did I mention elbow grease?