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When do you stop chasing stubborn pitting?
I found my first George Wostenholm Pipe Razor at an antique store in Cadiz, KY and couldn't pass it up. I loved the design on the blade so I was hoping to bring it back to life, but the bottom edges of the design were lost to years of honing (I assume), and the whole blade was covered in pitting of varying depths. I worked on it all day today (the exact process as well as before and after shots are below) and even though it looks much better than it did - I still have an urge to 'chase' the lighter pits that cover the razor. I would really like to restore this blade to its former glory, but my questions to you gentlemen are - at what point do you stop chasing the pits in order to ensure the integrity of the shaving edge isn't compromised? And what else can I try to get rid of the lighter pitting that remains? At the end of the day I don't want a display piece - I definitely want a shaver.
Here's what I have done to it so far (about 12 hours start to finish):
1 - 2 very low speed, careful passes with 180, 280, and 320 grit polishing wheels on the dremel
2 - Wet/Dry sandpaper (180 grit to 2000 grit - started adding WD40 at 400 grit)
3 - Micromesh (3200 - 12000)
4 - Maas (Let it ALMOST dry, then rubbed off with a hand towel)
5 - Honed (Naniwa progression)