Thread: Revealing Etchings

Revealing etching, a quick process to see if the etchings are worth saving before major restoration work.
( Total time including photos ~ a half hour or less!)
Her are a couple razors from the "2do" bin One fair and the other ???:

After a thorough wash with a citrus cleaner and then dried.
Washed well with acetone and dried.
Then a Qtip with instant gun blue:

Washed and neutralized with citrus cleaner and scrubbed lightly.
Then a few minutes work with .3 micron lapping film.
Not complete but ready for the next steps of renewal:


Answers:
The razors were not selected for any reason but possibilities.

The long streaks on the blade are reflections of my ceiling fan

It would have gone faster if I used a coarser lapping film like .5 micron.

Again the reason for using a lapping film is that the grit stays on the Mylar and does not go into the etch. the Film does not deform so it stay upon the surface of the razor.

Some razors are too far gone for this to work but it is always worth the try.

And...they do look better in person under a good light to get the reflections correct.

For the deeply etched, some folks recommend thinned nail polish or lacquer be painted into the etch to preserve it while doing the regular renewal methods.

Have fun!
~Richard

The bluing was recommended by my local old time gunsmith. yours may suggest another brand with good results.

Very nice. I recently purchased some bluing solution and now I have something else to try it out.

Super info ........ thanks Richard ! ........

That's awesome Richard. Thank you very very much. Can't wait to try it out!

VERY COOL!
THANKS...

Again, I will say go at it slowly and carefully! A faint etch can disappear in a heart beat. Film only and I would recommend no more than a 1 micron to get started. The.3 took a while but left the blade ready to hone.
Enjoy the journey!
~Richard

And here I been avoiding anything with etch on it like the plague. This may bring some in the "to do " box out in the light again :<0)

Ok guys, lets see the results of first trials and any ideas to make the method work better.
~Richard

one quick question, how long do you leave the blue on the razor?

I just picked up some 0.3 micron paper. looking in my pile for a good candidate.