Thread: What are you working on?

That takes imagination. Kids now, don't know what that is...let alone, outside.

Stimulation not imagination......................

Okay, subject change:
Mike, I've got to start listening to you more often. Remember a while back I was talking about polishing blades wit 3k W/D? You said you use polish and a rag and I said but 3k works better. Well, I got this Unexcelled in today. When I got it the rust covered the etching till you couldn't read it and could barely tell there was an etching. Damn! I gotta remember to get before pictures. All I have is these from eBay.



Anyway, i have tried sanding rust trying to preserve the etching with varying success but sometimes lose it completely. So I decided to try the 3M Marine polish on a rag and it took all the rust off and left the etching.




The tang and tail had more rust on it than the polish would take off so I used the SE blade then the polish again. Never question you again master.
In fairness the 3k does make a nice polish but I have started using the polish after the 3k and it makes it shiny enough to use as a mirror to shave with another razor in front...of...??
.

That's my system....cut the active rust off with a SE blade, and start rubbing. From there I'll decide weather it warrants sanding. It sure beats sanding a blade to oblivion, just to make it look pretty.

The 3M is more a deep, metal cleaner, than it is a polish. It doesn't remove lite scratches, like Flitz or Maas.

I like cleaning my blades by hand, because using a buffer tends to round off all the crisp edges, and a dremmel leaves swirls, that have to be removed by hand, anyway

Originally Posted by outback

The 3M is more a deep, metal cleaner, than it is a polish. It doesn't remove lite scratches, like Flitz or Maas.

I've been using Simichrome since I had a bunch on hand from the espresso machine polishing days. Any opinions, Mike, on how Simichrome compares to Flitz or Maas? Working well for me so far however I haven't had too many ugly situations to clean up.

I will add this though. The SE blade seemed to take off more of the rust AFTER I rubbed it some with the rag and polish.

3M is the most aggressive especially with 000 or 0000 steel wool. Yes cut/scrape off all the surface rust first.

Maas or Flitz will polish brighter, and if you hand sand with 1 and 2k with a wine cork backer then polish with 3m then Flitz of Maas. I like the Blue paper shop towels or natural unbleached paper napkins to buff out a shine.

You don’t need to hand sand much, just even out the finish.

I polished up an old Nickle plated Stanley 45, compo plane, the other day, using a cut off boar bristle paint brush, (to get in all plated the scroll work) it removed all the rust and tarnish without removing any nickel. The 45 was in the original wood finger jointed box, with all the irons and attachments. Most of the irons have never been used or sharpened.

I've been using a red shop rag. I don't know whether it's good for polish or not. It's the only one I've ever used for it.

Paper is abrasive, unbleached paper is more abrasive, they are free everywhere or you can buy a bundle for a few dollars.

To polish an etched blade, without removing an etch use high grit paper, Micromesh or 1um lapping film. It will not remove the etch but polish the steel. Then polish with any good metal polish.

Gasman you've inspired me, went with aluminum for the C-Mon scales. Roughed up the scales and sheet with 150 grit and attached them with some epoxy.