Thread: What are you working on?

So...here's the thing.

1. I SUCK at this, apparently.
2. I don't actually own any power tools, or really anything beyond super basics.

Anywho, here's the pic of the blade when it first came to me.



And here's attempt#1



Any advice would be SUPER appreciated. I want to do this, as much as possible by hand and leave leave as much of the original patina as needed/possible. So like, only remove active rust and anything that will actively damage the steel further.

Originally Posted by Tjh

So...here's the thing.

1. I SUCK at this, apparently.
2. I don't actually own any power tools, or really anything beyond super basics.

Any advice would be SUPER appreciated. I want to do this, as much as possible by hand and leave leave as much of the original patina as needed/possible. So like, only remove active rust and anything that will actively damage the steel further.

That razor's around 200 years old, it looks 'Good To Go' to me!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

That razor's around 200 years old, it looks 'Good To Go' to me!

I like to round UP to 300
Good to know, though Thank you! I'm now only worried about that brown spot on the tail.

Ok, I can't quite figure out how to post full size images here, so here it is: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5uSt3hGJthdx9qw56

Yeah, looks like a little Neetsfoot oil on the scales is all it needs. Awesome blade!

It is very very old for certain, and with that in consideration, it is in amazing condition. There are several grades of steel wool, the one you want for this job is 0000. Use it plain, and that will be the most aggressive, then with wd-40, then with polish, Mothers amp and Aluminum polish is probably the easiest to find. In this case I would not unpin the blade. Then soak blade and scales together in neatsfoot oil.

Originally Posted by Gasman

Thanks, Tim. I will look into that next time. LOL.

Here are the two sets of Wood scales I made today. Zebrawood and Walnut. Contrasting wedges and the 2nd pic is the first coat of true oil. Maybe next week I can get them put together.

Attachment 318067Attachment 318068

Wow, impressive work, Jerry. And those are twisted paper clips on your drying mat, correct? I've finished 3 lately, one Wostenhom in birdseye cherry burl; one American blade, a Springer and Schueller of Kansas City, Mo. (but has the Swift with the race-horse logo on the back of the tang)-I did that one in walnut with TruOil and the fancy-pants lined wedge; and finally, a Boker in black canvas micarta. Funny-I had to keep killing the bevel while working on the blade face; those Bokers will take a bevel set without even trying! Alas, I've been too busy catching up on yardwork and other Spring Break projects to take pics lol!

Oh, and nice brush JJ, and I concur that that 200 year old razor should get minimal restoration-nice old blade!

Okay, I took a few quick pics in my photography studio/light box/deck rail lol. Top to bottom:
1. Boker 376 in black canvas micarta with black acrylic wedge and stainless collars. Probably gonna work on that front end a might more. This was my first time with micarta-I finally gave up on a fiber-free shine. Funny, this one kept taking an edge while I was working on the blade face-love that soft Solingen steel!
2. Joseph Allen Non XLL Medium Size Hollow Ground in stabilized black cherry burl scales on G10 liners, with a rosewood wedge, brass collars and pins.
3. Springer and Schueller/Swift of Kansas City blade in English walnut with brass-lined wedge and those little brass collars. I don't think I'll use these again on wood, as I'm not crazy about the look, and they depressed the wood a bit while pinning. I made the wedge a little fat as I forgot to account for the brass liners lol-but it sits fine in the scales anyway. This was the one with the ultra-hard steel, but I tamed it with a little more work, still refining the edge.



Now back to yardwork lol!

Nice work Aaron!

Mail call and I'm all knotted up over it.
Same order as the Handle pic.
Now for the fun.. bloom the badgers and whip the synths.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Paul-Have you used a very hard (surgical black, or translucent, for example), well-burnished Arkie for a razor? Your 1st seriously bangin' razor edge on a fine Arkie is a revelation, truly.

I'm trying to get Steve at Dan's to find me a really big (like aircraft carrier size!) primitive cut black or trans black for a good price-he's got a few he's looking at. Trying to be patient (which helps with the finer arkies), but their versatility can't be beat!

At the risk of beating a dead horse or picking off the scab I want to circle back to this. It's a shame that I got cross-eyed stumbling and made an ass of myself about the pyramid because I was going to a rational place with it beforehand. As Marty said people will read this and draw conclusions. That is true and I want to be clear that I am not trying to be argumentative but I would also be remiss in light of that not to say that the pyramid DOES work. If it is done correctly it gets a perfectly good edge. I've read some things where people said it only works with the Norton water hones. I don't know but I have only ever used it with the Norton 4K and 8K so I cannot say one way or the other about that. The directions that I read I followed down to the letter including using a light touch on the 8K and lightening the strokes as I went. I know That some people, don't like the pyramid and yes, it seems counterintuitive, I don't pretend I understand the science behind it, all I know is it does in fact work.
Now having said all of that I don't think that it's perfect. The problem that I see with it is that it's not a method, it's a system. What it has caused me to do is follow a pattern or a "system" rather than paying attention to the blade and getting feedback from the eyes and ears. I think it can be compared to the difference between playing an instrument by ear or by reading sheet music. I have heard that people who are taught to play exclusively by the sheet music cannot improvise at all. That is somewhat like what the pyramid did in my case and more and more recently I have felt that I have wasted a lot of years and kept myself from going to new places with honing because of it. I am now trying to start from scratch and re-learn. In short Aaron I am all ears about the stones you mentioned and any others worth hearing about.