Thread: Destroing a beautifull rasor

Their saving grace is to do a lot of tasks - but not necessarily do them well, when compared to dedicated tools.

When making horn scales, I quite like to use a dremel to remove the bulk of the material from the blank sheet - leaving the rough banana-ish shape which can be refined into something that looks nice. Having variable speed settings is a big help - trying to control it while in 'maximum-whirling-death-mode' is a nuisance and came close to ruining blades, before I upgraded.

I use a Dremel to polish blades very carefully. I watched Lynn's video, the dvd you buy, on how to correctly use a Dermel on a blade but I was very unsuccessful on a polishing wheel with two very nice Wade & Butcher blades when the wheel grabbed them & slammed them into the pedestal of the buffer. Now I rarely use the buffer for that & next time I think of using it, I'm going to duct tape padding or towels all around it. I was sick when I destroyed not one but two Wade & Butcher beautiful blades!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a right way to use a Dremel & it has to do with the direction the tool is spinning when using it. I CAN see where it would be bad news to use one. Any kind of power tool can be disastrous if used the wrong w/o knowing it! Any power tool can be a disaster to a razor if used wrong & sometimes when we are going at it & everything is working out just fine we tend to forget the proper way of using one. It is very easy to do, especially when you're comfortable doing it. You can chip a blade very easily if the tool is spinning the wrong way. If you are going to use a Dremel, watch Lynn's video, the one you buy & he shows the correct & incorrect ways to use a Dremel power tool on a straight razor. Excuse my typing if it is screwed up. My Macbook Pro went dead on me the other day & I have this Dell I had to re-learn how to use all over again. If you ever get an Apple, it is the difference between dial up & high speed internet. Imiss my Apple while it is being repaired!!!!!!!!!

Two things that I find very important with a dremel. One is the ability to reverse the blade direction and the other is a foot pedal, and I use the term dremel generically. I use mine often, never for blade polishing. It is great for cleaning jimps, taking a pin out and a few other things. I most often hand sand and polish and on occasion use my buffer. I am still learning about the buffer and need to go slow, as we all should when learning new skills on new power tools.

I use mine for pin removal & other things but I also use it for polishing a blade with Maas polish & it works like a charm. Next time I polish one, I'll show a before & after pic & they come out shining like a mirror. You must use it spinning in the right direction which means you must orient the blade at different angles. I learned that from Lynn. All due respect to others who choose not to do so & each to his/her own. I have not destroyed a blade yet with either of my Dremel's but I have used extreme caution doing so & I've polished a lot of blades with them. That's just me though. I guess I've just been a lot luckier than with my buffer. I have also used my buffer more & have not destroyed any ever since the two incidents. I agree with RezDog about going slow with the buffer. I think I just got in a hurry in fact I know I did.

A trick I learned with a buffer is to turn in around 180*. That way you are working with the top of the wheel or buff or what ever. You can see what you are doing much better. Now for heavy grinding you might want to work with the wheel going counter clock wise but for the light work on razors & knives when polishing clock wise rotation just makes sense to me.

Slawman

Originally Posted by RusenBG

I am not a seller , just a fan and colector . But what did you mean with better tools . Is there some kind of bufing that is safe to be cosidered as beter . Some ideas .....???

Well, for one thing, I'd use a stationary buffer with 2" felt wheels instead of a dremel with those tiny buffing wheels. Because the dremel approach is much more time consuming, and has a much higher risk of uneven polishing. I wouldn't call it 'safe' exactly, but it is a better and more efficient alternative.