Thread: some questions before i start

So i picked this W. Greaves up from the bay. I was really excited that i might be able to do minimal cleanup and start using this one but it arrived while i was out of town and the package was left within the reach on my dogs... The blade is fine but sadly the horn scales are no more. I have some nice dark horn i just got in that i want to use for this razor so any advice with that would be appreciated. I have made 3 sets of scales from wood so far (2 from Katalox and 1 from Black Limba). My main question is about the blade. I can see the faint signs of an etching on the blade but not enough to make out. would i be able to reveal it with a fine grit sandpaper or is there another method i can try that would keep it as intact as possible? These pics are from the listing. I will post a pic later of what it looks like after the dogs.

Are you talking n the side of the blade or the writing on the shank? The wording on the shank will clean up fine. If you are talking the side of the blade I would try metal polish rather than fine sandpaper.

Originally Posted by bouschie

Are you talking n the side of the blade or the writing on the shank? The wording on the shank will clean up fine. If you are talking the side of the blade I would try metal polish rather than fine sandpaper.

It is on the blade. I have some MAAS. will that work or is there a different one i should try?

I've never owned one but W. Greaves are highly rated around here, supposed to be some fine Sheffield blades.

MASS, Flitz, Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish, all highly used and recommended here on SRP. We also love pics here so when you finish how about posting some so we can drool............

Originally Posted by DoughBoy68

I've never owned one but W. Greaves are highly rated around here, supposed to be some fine Sheffield blades.

MASS, Flitz, Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish, all highly used and recommended here on SRP. We also love pics here so when you finish how about posting some so we can drool............

That i will but it will be a few weeks. have a couple others in line before i can get to that one. I have never used the polish on a surface that hasn't been taken through a sanding progression. Is there anything different i should do or just stick with the cloth and polish and some elbow grease? I have a W&B that is in line just before this one with a similar patina. Might test this out on that one and see how it goes.

Originally Posted by UAcowboy

That i will but it will be a few weeks. have a couple others in line before i can get to that one. I have never used the polish on a surface that hasn't been taken through a sanding progression. Is there anything different i should do or just stick with the cloth and polish and some elbow grease? I have a W&B that is in line just before this one with a similar patina. Might test this out on that one and see how it goes.

Yup, keep it simple: polish, cloth, and elbow grease is exactly the way to start IMHO.

Whether or not to sand depends entirely on that you're looking for. If you want it bright & shiny, then a sanding/buffing progression is the way to go. But if you want to keep some of the patina (keep in mind there's a difference between patina (good) and active rust (bad)) then start with a good going over with just polish and see how it work out. You can always remove more later, but it's awfully hard to put back if you go too far.

Greaves are nice old blades - good luck with it, and enjoy!

I always like to start on the High side and then work down. Yes I know that it sounds backwards and it is. But it works for me/perhaps it will work for you

Try the MASS 1st with some well crumpled newspaper (the newspaper has an abrasive of it's own you will get a finer polish when you go to something like an old T-shirt or other cloth)! See what happens! If it's where you think you'd like it fine, if not try some 2K wet and dry take a look and if it's closer have another go with the MASS.

You can always go lower and work back up, but if you start low then you've got a lot of sanding ahead of you to keep removing the coarse scratches from the last lower grit. AND you risk losing the etching!

Here's an example where the owner really wanted the etching to remain and to keep some of the 'Soul' alive.

The Before:



Here's what I sent him:



I never went below 1K wet and dry. The owner understood that any gold wash would be gone and was fine with that!

This razor was going to be the first straight he'd ever used to shave with and he was pleased with the way it looked and shaved.

Oh! The pictures are the owners I didn't have a digital camera at the time. He did apologize for the cat hairs!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I always like to start on the High side and then work down. Yes I know that it sounds backwards and it is. But it works for me/perhaps it will work for you

Try the MASS 1st with some well crumpled newspaper (the newspaper has an abrasive of it's own you will get a finer polish when you go to something like an old T-shirt or other cloth)! See what happens! If it's where you think you'd like it fine, if not try some 2K wet and dry take a look and if it's closer have another go with the MASS.

You can always go lower and work back up, but if you start low then you've got a lot of sanding ahead of you to keep removing the coarse scratches from the last lower grit. AND you risk losing the etching!

Here's an example where the owner really wanted the etching to remain and to keep some of the 'Soul' alive.

The Before:



Here's what I sent him:



I never went below 1K wet and dry. The owner understood that any gold wash would be gone and was fine with that!

This razor was going to be the first straight he'd ever used to shave with and he was pleased with the way it looked and shaved.

Oh! The pictures are the owners I didn't have a digital camera at the time. He did apologize for the cat hairs!

He shaved his cat ?

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I always like to start on the High side and then work down. Yes I know that it sounds backwards and it is. But it works for me/perhaps it will work for you

Try the MASS 1st with some well crumpled newspaper (the newspaper has an abrasive of it's own you will get a finer polish when you go to something like an old T-shirt or other cloth)! See what happens! If it's where you think you'd like it fine, if not try some 2K wet and dry take a look and if it's closer have another go with the MASS.

You can always go lower and work back up, but if you start low then you've got a lot of sanding ahead of you to keep removing the coarse scratches from the last lower grit. AND you risk losing the etching!

Here's an example where the owner really wanted the etching to remain and to keep some of the 'Soul' alive.

The Before:



Here's what I sent him:



I never went below 1K wet and dry. The owner understood that any gold wash would be gone and was fine with that!

This razor was going to be the first straight he'd ever used to shave with and he was pleased with the way it looked and shaved.

Oh! The pictures are the owners I didn't have a digital camera at the time. He did apologize for the cat hairs!

The etch looks white, what did you use to get that effect?

Originally Posted by RezDog

The etch looks white, what did you use to get that effect?

Nothing.

All I had used was the 2K wet and dry, then dropped down to the 1K wet and dry, then back to the 2K then Mothers Mag Wheel Polish on the crumpled newspaper (the paper has an abrasive all of it's own) then finished with the Mothers and some old T-shirt material.

I believe that the lighting is what is changing the way the etch looks.