Is it better, pits or no pits?

Ok so for everyone out there that has restored a razor i would like to hear your feed back on how you feel about pitting? I have been working on a few razors and some come out great well others just not as nice. One of the big reasons is when i got them they where in bad shape and have deep pits but i brought them up to a shine and saved as much of the worn away engravings as i could. But they still just dont look as clean as i would like, so my question is is it better just to leave the pitting and hope to find someone to buy it that likes pitting or keep working on it till its all gone and looks like new again? Im sure some people like a little bit of it to remember that is is an old razor and others don't, another problem is if going to deep to remove pitting or scratches you run a higher risk of messing up, so it it just better to leave it and give it a shine or try for more? What do you think?

If not on the edge.pits are no problem,are just unsightly is all,I would never own a blade with pits but thats just me.
Have you ever measured the depth of pits with a dial indicator? I have,most on razors are about .002/.003 in deep,thats a lot of metal to remove in the real world.

It depends on the razor and where they are located. Just remember, the more pits you take off the more likely you are to cause a break or crack. The only must-remove pits are in the edge of the razor.

They are cheap when you buy them with pits , they will be cheap when you sell them with pits. Razors sanded and polished to death may sell but in my opinion that is just not right. You can do damage to a blade that can not be seen just trying to get rid of pits for appearance reasons. Search for ruined temper and micro chips etc. Comments on over buffed razors.

Generally I am pretty picky about getting every last little fly spec when I am restoring a razor. However I have not restored any razors with particularly deep pits. I do have a W&B Diamond Edge that was restored by someone else that has some fairly deep pits that I have no intention of taking out. I do all of my pit and corrosion removal by hand sanding. While I like to be picky I do have limitations on how long I'm willing to go at it on a single razor. I do with them around. I'll work on one for a while and then another. I am also in n hurry, I have other razors to shave with, and sometimes time to kill.

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Originally Posted by jdoc

so my question is is it better just to leave the pitting and hope to find someone to buy it that likes pitting or keep working on it till its all gone and looks like new again?

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Are you restoring to sell, or for personal use ? Many people love the challenge of doing the restoration work themselves.
This way there are no nasty surprises.

I think that after decades of neglect you can't expect some razors to be brought to a mirror finish without the risk of wrecking them.

Personally I like a bit of pitting on some (only some !) of my razors as long as it's away from the edge..
Gives them a bit of character when the bathroom light "catches" them at a certain angle.

Bongo.

i've just started collecting/restoring razors and have been looking for razors in need of cleaning and restoration. some have turned out pretty nice and shiny while others have remaining pits. none have come out with the mirror finish one sees in the custom builds a restorations part of the forum. While they look great, i doubt weather i'll ever get one to that point. It doesn't really bother me. I'd probably worry constantly about it getting scratched or stained anyway.

I suppose it depends on the market you are aiming at, a really highly polished razor with some sort of shiney scales would look really pretty to the untrained eye on eBay, so people who just want a razor to own one would be more likely to buy it, but if the blade has effectively been worn out in the process of polishing is it morally right to sell it? Well as a working razor anyway.
I am not much of an aesthete though I do appreciate pretty things, I would prefer to see the age of something.
I think it's a bit like replacing scales for no other reason than you can.

To me there is no physical difference to light pitting vs etching on a blade. As long as it doesnt affect the cutting edge. Old razors are gonna have wear marks of time. Just like old razor users. Sure an unblemished old blade is nice to look at, but sometimes it wont shave as well.

I would agree with the previous posts so long as the pitting is not along the blade edge you should be ok. I bought a few cheap straights on eBay about a year ago to practice honing. The pitting away from the blade was more visual and didn't effect it's performance after it was honed. The pitting on the blade edge was a whole different thing, even after honing when looking at the edge through an inexpensive 40X-25MM jewelers loupe, the edge looked like a rip saw. Not something you would want to shave with.

I have unknowingly purchased a couple of razors with pits, oddly, both had pitting in the bevel, one a fairly large one (loupe standard) and one had several small ones. The thing about pits is, if you don't accept them, they know it and they get bigger. Pretty soon all you have in your hand is a pit and the razor has been lost to time. Forgot to mention: I really should not be here...these were restorations that I purchased.

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Originally Posted by jdoc

Ok so for everyone out there that has restored a razor i would like to hear your feed back on how you feel about pitting? ?

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Couple of things I have learned from doing a couple of restores:

You do not decide where the razor ends up when it comes to restoration, the razor does..
Restoration is a balancing act.
Murphy's Law of Razors = The pits will inevitably be deeper then the stamps
The worst restores come from an inexperienced eye buying the razor, not from the hands doing the restoration
Shopping wisely, makes restorations much easier
Metal polish and a Rag is not a restore, that is general cleaning
The more razors you take apart, the more you realize what can live between the scales, and the more restoration you do
The condition of a Vintage razor is much more important then the name on the tang
Patina, is Not Black, and is a word that gets way to much usage


These are just some things to ponder..

I would be even more skeptical of the highly polished restos because they are likely machine sanding/polishing to get that finish. Which IMHO is more likely to create a crack or damage the temper.

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Originally Posted by ChopperStyle

I would be even more skeptical of the highly polished restos because they are likely machine sanding/polishing to get that finish. Which IMHO is more likely to create a crack or damage the temper.

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I would beg to differ, :hmmm:



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I forgot to add, unless you trust it to a restoration expert like gssixgun :D And I have had the pleasure of using a restored 8/8 Wostenholm wedge by you. A fine looking shaver and a fine shave.

Thank you...

I just don't want to discourage people from trying, but really it comes down to picking the right razor to restore when you first start out, start simple and easy and build up to the harder stuff..

Every single restorer here that I know started with sandpaper in one hand and a rusted razor in the other and slowly learned the tricks that it takes.. Now I do agree that anyone rushing into this hobby whether it be shaving, honing, or restore, is likely to have not so good results :(

In the end though they are your razors and your faces, so it is in your hands..

Myself I started restoring razors because I refuse to use Rusty, Dirty, Pitted, steel on my Hollywood face, so it was either buy new or learn to clean them up... I did both :rofl2:

I give pitted razors a quick cleanup and hone, then sell to people who want to try straight shaving on the cheap. Unless it's something really rare, it just isn't worth the work.

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Thank you...

I just don't want to discourage people from trying, but really it comes down to picking the right razor to restore when you first start out, start simple and easy and build up to the harder stuff..

Every single restorer here that I know started with sandpaper in one hand and a rusted razor in the other and slowly learned the tricks that it takes.. Now I do agree that anyone rushing into this hobby whether it be shaving, honing, or restore, is likely to have not so good results :(

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Man is that ever the truth! You did forget one thing though - rusty blade in one hand, sandpaper in the other, and at some inevitable point a fingertip covered in Crazy Glue to stop the bleeding....

Glen that razor is fantastic and what I aspire to in my restorations.
While I agree with what everyone has been saying I would just add that if you can get a pitted old piece of crap for cheap, say $10 or so, it can be a great learning tool. Better to learn and mess up something that was borderline useful anyway to begin with, than to take a fine old blade and destroy it while learning.

"You can learn something from anyone. Sometimes it is what not to do."

You have some very nice work there so good sir could i ask for your help then as to how i can get the pits out of this one? The ones i am talking about sit right up under the spine. Should i try or just leave it at the point i have got it to?
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Here is an opinion take it for what it worth...

If I get a sense that there is going to be left over pitting of stains or marks I always back the finish down to a Satin, personally I am not that fond of Near Mirror and will shoot for a perfect Satin Glow anyway but that is just me.. A nice Satin will help to hide any imperfections rather then bring them right to the front like when they are on a Near Mirror...

Note that I said Near Mirror as very very very few Vintage razors can hold onto a perfect mirror finish, they have had too much "life" in the past...

Just a thought and it is easy to see what it will look like start at 600 and you can bring the grit up until the marks become obvious then stop

Ok i hear what you are saying and i agree that satin is better for hiding the hard life a razor may have seen and getting a mirror is not always worth the effort. what grit are you taking it to for the satin finish and do you think the one i posted would be better off that way? How do i finish under that spine edge?

Kinda hard to tell from the pic but it looks like some marks there by the front..

Are you handsanding ????

Nice work, I’d leave it as is, the blade goes well with the scales.

What are those scales, very nice?

As far as getting up into that spine area, you need to have sandpaper attached or wrapped around something of similar shape.
I would get one of those old Erasers we used to use in elementary school, you know, those pink ones, and shape the nose of one end to match the curve you are trying to get into. Then fold a piece of SP over the edge and go at it.

The following is NOT recommended if you have never used a power tool on a blade. This can be a very dangerous thing to do:
For a more radical approach, tape piece of SP around a small dowel and put the dowel in a variable speed drill. Mount the drill to a workbench( I use a simple clamp)
Turn at a slow speed, and being VERY CAREFUL, work that area.
DO NOT let the metal heat up.
DO NOT let the dowel get near the cutting edge.
Always make sure rotation of the dowel is going from the SPINE TO THE EDGE.

Anyhow, I would try the eraser first.

I love pitting in my razors! Cheaper to buy, minimal cleaning required (aesthetically), and they shave just as well as a polished blade!

No i am not hand sanding, I use a buffer and compound. The scales are jade and black layered G10 that have been hand pitted all around. I will try the hand drill idea if i cant get it by hand but may just leave this one alone for now :)

“The scales are jade and black layered G10 that have been hand pitted all around.”

Did you use hand tools or a Dremel?

Is the process similar to Pipe Rustication? Nice Scales.

If you are using a buffer you did not cut deep enough on you first grit. Get all the pitting and discoloration you want off on you lowest geasless grit.

To completely remove it now you may have to re buff it all over.

Personally I like the look.

Thank you, i think they look nice :) I used a Dremel with a small round tip bit and did all the pitting after i had shaped, sanded and fitted the scales. It is very much like pipe rustication but when i am done i hit it with a buffer as a last step.
When using my buffer on this one i was worried about going to deep because the pits are deep and i didnt want to mess up the spine and change its thickness but i may go back someday on this one. How would you hold a blade to a buffer to get that spot safely? I quit using 80 grit geasless as i want a slower cut to take my time with.

Unpin and cut from toe to tang or reverse. Once the marks are cut out, buff edge down spine up. Are you using greaseless compounds?

Did you wire wheel the scales before the buffer?

Thanks

Yes i am using greaseless, No i did not need to use a wire wheel just ran a wire toothbrush over it real quick :)