Thread: Should I work on this TR Cadman?

I would spray it down with WD40 and with a single edge razor blade to cut off all the rust and crud from the blade. A wooden coffee stir stick and a paper towel will get the soap and gunk from between the scales.

Some 000 steel wool and some more WD40 will remove all the rust from the blade and metal polish will shine it some and leave the patina and etching completely intact. Same for the scales then polish them with a paper towel and metal polish.

You will end with a clean razor with a nice patina, and you can decide if you want to go further with the polished route or leave it as it is and hone it.

I do like a razor with character, looks like you may have one there.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

I would spray it down with WD40 and with a single edge razor blade to cut off all the rust and crud from the blade. A wooden coffee stir stick and a paper towel will get the soap and gunk from between the scales.

Some 000 steel wool and some more WD40 will remove all the rust from the blade and metal polish will shine it some and leave the patina and etching completely intact. Same for the scales then polish them with a paper towel and metal polish.

You will end with a clean razor with a nice patina, and you can decide if you want to go further with the polished route or leave it as it is and hone it.

I do like a razor with character, looks like you may have one there.

This is a good method if you don't mind the smell of WD40. For me, I don't like the stuff. It does a good job of getting goop and glue off I'll give it that. I probably wouldn't use the steel wool on the scales but otherwise steel wool and oil are a good combination. Paper towels and the popsicle stick are a good trick but, I'd prefer a cotton or cheese cloth rag over the stick. There can be an advantage in some cases were paper towel or news paper serve as a mild abrasive especially when coupled with some sort of polish, metal, rubing compond or toothpaste on composit, plastic or horn. Polishing the metal may be a good use of that green goop some put on strops. It is abrasive. All in all I like the the quoted method. I just wanted to caviat for the less experienced who may like to have some veriety or alternatives. At least no one has been pushing the use of those dremel tools. They have a use, for something.

Respectfully

Chasmo

If you wouldn't mind my jumping in here (apologies if this is considered rude), I too just started work cleaning up my first, which happens to be a TR Cadman (and not as fancy as the OP). Does anyone have an idea whether there is a chemical that can be used to clean the stamped letters without having to sand down and lose the depth? When I was taking off the rust, I already went a little far on some of the letters. imgur: the simple image sharer Thanks.

Originally Posted by Hubris2

If you wouldn't mind my jumping in here (apologies if this is considered rude), I too just started work cleaning up my first, which happens to be a TR Cadman (and not as fancy as the OP). Does anyone have an idea whether there is a chemical that can be used to clean the stamped letters without having to sand down and lose the depth? When I was taking off the rust, I already went a little far on some of the letters. imgur: the simple image sharer Thanks.

I wouldn't see it as rude at all. What you are asking is along the lines of what this thread is talking about. And, I never thought of cleaning out the stamped lettering beyond what a tooth brush and hot soapy water can do. That way it leaves a contrast and you're not destroying the stamp. That is just my opinion of course.

Regards

Chasmo

I've tried scraping inside the letters with the point of a knife. It's tedious and cannot completely clean it, but it's a start.

For cleaning the etching on the blade, stampings on the tang and jimps, I use a brass brush, tooth brush type (paint dept Home Depot) with the WD40 then some metal polish to remove the rust and gunk.

A spray down with Simple Green or 409 type cleaner will remove the WD40 and the smell from the blade and scales.

You can heat the blade with hot water, wipe off then with a Q-tip apply white vinegar on the stamps and etch. It will darken the lettering, remove excess darkening on the blade with ooo or oooo steel wool, don’t wait too long or it becomes difficult to remove. If you want it darker hit it again. Simple Green will remove the vinegar smell.

Little sanding jig I whipped up.

Originally Posted by Hubris2

If you wouldn't mind my jumping in here (apologies if this is considered rude), I too just started work cleaning up my first, which happens to be a TR Cadman (and not as fancy as the OP). Does anyone have an idea whether there is a chemical that can be used to clean the stamped letters without having to sand down and lose the depth? When I was taking off the rust, I already went a little far on some of the letters. imgur: the simple image sharer Thanks.

Hubris2,

What grit sandpaper did you use? I never use anything lower than 220 when sanding a razor unless I need to clean up deep pitting. For the stamped letters (as well as the rest of the razor), I find that using 220 and then progressively going up (220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, etc) cleans up the razor well. The trick is that on each higher grit of sandpaper, you "erase" most/all of the scratches that you had created on the previous grit. The higher grits scratch less. Once your work you way up, the stamped letters should be clean with the scratches mostly all removed. Also make sure that you use a combination of horizontal, vertical, and circular swirls when sanding. This makes the scratches blur together and be much less noticeable to the eye.

I used this technique on my own TR Cadman to good effect. However, I did sand up to the 12,000 grit (using micro mesh pads). The Bengall letters are clean but not scratched.

One trick I like to use for cleaning up grime is to use sandpaper with a dab of metal polish. I use Brasso. I am not sure what is available in New Zealand. The polish and sandpaper work together to get a slightly deeper clean of tarnish.

Hey Nonick,
I was just admiring your handy work in your pictures again. That sure is a really nice unveiling of a treasure. It truly does look nice especially in a rustic old fashioned way, definitely with character. The tang looks to be of the oval verity rather than the sharp cornered versions. You are going to love that when you put it on the strop. I have an Engles like that and it strops like it is in a stropping machine. You're going to be proud of that razor, every time you shave with it. I'd work to clean up the 240 scratches with progressively finer abrasives until you can go to the polishing method I mentioned earlier and be done with it.

Keep us posted.

Chasmo

Originally Posted by Chasmo

Hey Nonick,
I was just admiring your handy work in your pictures again. That sure is a really nice unveiling of a treasure. It truly does look nice especially in a rustic old fashioned way, definitely with character. The tang looks to be of the oval verity rather than the sharp cornered versions. You are going to love that when you put it on the strop. I have an Engles like that and it strops like it is in a stropping machine. You're going to be proud of that razor, every time you shave with it. I'd work to clean up the 240 scratches with progressively finer abrasives until you can go to the polishing method I mentioned earlier and be done with it.

Keep us posted.

Chasmo

Thanks Chasmo I'm enjoying working on it. I like that it has a little more character than a brand new one, and you tend to value things you've put time into more than things you bought!