Thread: Polishing/buffing with wetsanding

I am working on restoring some razors and have some questions about wetsanding the blades. I started with 360 grit to clean them up, then moved to 400, 580, 1000, 1500, then 2000. i guess its my methor or something but im just not getting the shine i want. also side not, I am using hand sandpaper...probably the biggest issue right there. i dont have access to all those fancy grinders but i have a dremel tool i could buy some heads for. reguardless, what is yalls methods for shining/buffing blades with sandpaper?

If you are using wet dry sandpaper you are using the right stuff. It is easy to wreck a razor with a dremel. They have their place, but it isn't sanding blades, I always back my sandpaper with wine corks. When I get to 600 grit I start wet sanding by wetting the surface with WD-40. I have no idea what brands you have available. Any very thin lubricant will do, there must be silicone sprays and the like every where. Once you hit 2000 grit with the paper go to 0000 steel wool with the polish and then just the polish.

Is there a specific type of "wet" sandpaper or will normal sandpaper work? And wd-40, eh? Coolcool, I'll grab some tomorrow. Got some days off coming up, gonna finish The Office and polish some stuff haha. Since we're on the subject of polishing metal and whatnot, what do you know about satin finishes? I have a couple razors to do and I want to try to make one a really smooth satin finish, and one a really crisp mirror finish.

Originally Posted by RezDog

If you are using wet dry sandpaper you are using the right stuff. It is easy to wreck a razor with a dremel. They have their place, but it isn't sanding blades, I always back my sandpaper with wine corks. When I get to 600 grit I start wet sanding by wetting the surface with WD-40. I have no idea what brands you have available. Any very thin lubricant will do, there must be silicone sprays and the like every where. Once you hit 2000 grit with the paper go to 0000 steel wool with the polish and then just the polish.

Also, what kind of pressure should I use? hard pressure, really light pressure, what? my fingers are getting cramped to the point where its hard to pick my nose.

any of the sand paper that is marked wet dry will work just fine.

You are in a beautiful land my friend. I enjoyed my stays there in the early 60's..

Here's some other things on the cheap side to make life easier:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...storation.html
Usually found in junk shops or ladies cosmetic shops.

I would recommend good quality wet dry paper from an auto parts supply shop. The Japanese ones are usually of very high quality. The abrasive grains are more even and better adhered to the backing. The backing material is stiffer also which makes for a better surface. Go side to side and then at a different stroke angle for each grit. That removes the high spots from the previous grit.
And, have fun. If you are getting fried, leave it and come back to it later.
~Richard

Originally Posted by KLOOB

Is there a specific type of "wet" sandpaper or will normal sandpaper work? And wd-40, eh? Coolcool, I'll grab some tomorrow. Got some days off coming up, gonna finish The Office and polish some stuff haha. Since we're on the subject of polishing metal and whatnot, what do you know about satin finishes? I have a couple razors to do and I want to try to make one a really smooth satin finish, and one a really crisp mirror finish.

As others have stated, you need "wet/dry" sandpaper. This is not "normal" sandpaper, it is specially made to hold together when used wet with water or oil.

These two were hand sanded with wet/dry and WD40:

A satin finish is nice. It works best if you go higher and then back down. So for example you would go past 2000 and on to steel wool and polish maybe even just polish. Then you would take a piece of 2000 and make your strokes in one direction only, with a light lubrication. It is a little difficult to get nice and even but once you get there you will know it. The biggest part is full strokes from the spine to the edge, no back and forth. Happy sanding. It is a little Zen like of an activity.

A good statin finish is, as said is polished, then dulled to satin. Polish to remove all the scratches and imperfections then put the satin finish on evenly.

Check out the satin finish Mike, Wolfpack34 did in this thread, awesome.

Now that’s a satin finish.

Wow, that's...mirror-y. Lol.