Thread: I Want To Preserve The Patina

My post yesterday about this razor over in Show and Tell generated a fair amount of discussion, and also the recommendation that I post here for advice.

I'd like to clean up the blade a little bit, while preserving as much of the patina as possible. My plan is to gently use Flitz. I've searched the site for info on how to go about this, but haven't found any specific advice.

Does anyone have any comment on this plan?

A little flitz,A rag, than rub it,only advice I have.

My comment would be to remember that patina is also steel that has been damaged somewhat. While I can understand the motivation for retaining it, just remember that it will require vigilance to insure that the patina does not turn to rust. That would mean keeping it dry and well-wiped.

Patina is a very thin layer. Pitting otoh is deep, and a trap for moisture. Your question is like showing up at the garage with a car that has rolled over a couple times and is dented, scraped and has holes poked through the body. And then you would ask 'I want to clean this car, what can I do so I don't hurt the paintjob'.

If you want to preserve that razor in a usable condition, forget about patina, because any sort of necessary maintenance is going to remove the patina. But just like the car in my example cannot be fixed without ignoring whatever paintjob it still has, your razor cannot be fixed in any significant way without removing the patina.

How to say this nicely

That is not Patina, and there is the biggest problem of the shave forums, Patina is lovingly created through years of care, not by years of neglect..

That is Black rust and the pitting associated with Black rust ... and is looks like a bit of spider rust also maybe a bit of the grey inbetween all the rust could be called patina, maybe

Now if you are good with shaving your face with a rusty blade then by all means leave it be, it is your razor your face and your decision ..

Thanks to everyone for the comments! But how about some concrete advice on how to proceed?

Since the consensus so far is that the stuff that I called 'patina', isn't, and that it has to go, am I correct to assume that means hand sanding? Or do I need to do something else?

Thanks in advance!

Hand sanding is the safest way to proceed, take it one slow step at a time and see what the cleaning brings...

Doing it that way also let's you really see what is there, and how the rust works it's way through the steel, I found it to be a great learning experience myself


ps: If you are at all in doubt between Patina and Rust simply look at it under well lit magnification the difference is quite obvious...

Post #2, pixel said it. A little Flitz, or similar and rub, rub, rub.

Y'know Gssixun and Bruno have probably forgotten more than I'll ever know about restoring/refinishing razors, but one thing I know about is patina on straight razors. The difference being they remove it and I do not. IME Flitz, Semichrome, Wenol, or something of that genre, applied with a Q-tip and then after a few minutes rubbed with a paper towel will remove some of the stuff and preserve the blade from further corrosion. Assuming the blade is dried off and kept in an environment that is not exposed to moisture.

For serious rust and black stuff a piece of 000 or 0000 steel wool, with a bit of light oil, is good to remove more of the offending stuff that is beyond patina. Not everyone is alright with leaving a blade 'dirty' with patina let alone shaving their face with it. I like it if it is uniform and not all pitted with devil's spit and what not. In fact some bridges, the New River Gorge bridge in West VA being one of them, are designed with a steel that attains a patina which protects the metal from further corrosion. No painting required.

I don't know that patina will protect a razor when it is taken care of as noted in the first paragraph, but I've had no further deterioration of those I've left in that condition. These W&B FBUs are a noteworthy example of what I'm talking about. They've been in this condition since I gave them the 'treatment' and have shaved fine, and no further corrosion. Not 'presentable' to some eyes, but I'd rather have them with that patina they've earned than polished up like a new dime in a goat's a$$.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Y'know Gssixun and Bruno have probably forgotten more than I'll ever know about restoring/refinishing razors, but one thing I know about is patina on straight razors. The difference being they remove it and I do not.

This is not actually a true statement I remove "Rust" the actual discussion is "What is Patina" vs "What is Rust" I simply do not agree with calling Black Rust, Patina..

The difference is very easily determined by looking at the steel under well lit magnification you can easily see the damage caused by Rust, True Patina causes no damage it protects the steel...


Hart posted a pretty good pic of Patina in the other discussion thread on the subject here

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ml#post1327712


Edit: A good way to look at the difference, Gun Blue it an artificial form of Patina, you would not remove it as it is there to help protect the steel...