Thread: Starting My First Two Restorations

Originally Posted by Phrank

The Evapo-Rust will turn dark/black when it's time to replace the liquid. If you got a lot of black off it, replenish the Evapo-Rust and give it another soak for a couple of hours....won't hurt it and could save you some sanding time.

Good luck!

Thanks! I actually tried this, but it it didnt seem to effect anything. I still have a hard black blob on the blade... I fear what it it going to look like underneath there!

Originally Posted by Aldwyn

Thanks! I actually tried this, but it it didnt seem to effect anything. I still have a hard black blob on the blade... I fear what it it going to look like underneath there!

Try to sand what you can first - that's what works for me - then submerge it in the Evapo-Rust, sand again, back in for soak, rinse and repeat...the sanding seems loosen everything up.

Originally Posted by Phrank

Try to sand what you can first - that's what works for me - then submerge it in the Evapo-Rust, sand again, back in for soak, rinse and repeat...the sanding seems loosen everything up.

Excellent suggestion!

What grit do you normally use between soaks?

Originally Posted by Aldwyn

Excellent suggestion!

What grit do you normally use between soaks?

I started with a lower grit, around 360 if IIRC to get all the main spots and devils spit off, then a soak. I would stay doing that, same grit, till the surface was relatively clean and after the final soak, then start with the higher grit sandpapers.

I highly caution you though listening to me, I've done exactly 3 razors this way....not what I'd call a broad knowledge base

Originally Posted by Aldwyn

While sanding, though, I discovered the blade is warped

Aldwyn, I'm currently in the process of a restoration (facelift, really) using hand-sanding through all the progressive grits, and have noticed similar warps in the blade when eyeing down the length of the surface from heel-to-toe. Almost as if someone with superhuman strength 'pinched' the steel in certain places, leaving shallow indentations. Is this similar to the warpage you described? I'm scratching my head as to the cause: I know that overzealous sanding in low grits to remove damage can be the cause, but I'm very careful to sand across the entire surface of the steel throughout my process to avoid removing too much material from a single area. Could it just be the nature of the steel? Curious to know if this is the same issue you faced in your restorations?

In my case, the spine is actually twisted, so it sounds like its different then your experience.

Since mine is twisted at the spine, I am assuming... perhaps wrong... that it happened while it was a blank. The blade is a full hollow, and I would imagine that pressure strong enough to twist the spine would also be enough to break the blade. So perhaps due to bad handling of the blank, followed by bad quality control at the factory.

Originally Posted by Aldwyn

Since mine is twisted at the spine, I am assuming... perhaps wrong... that it happened while it was a blank. The blade is a full hollow, and I would imagine that pressure strong enough to twist the spine would also be enough to break the blade. So perhaps due to bad handling of the blank, followed by bad quality control at the factory.

Warps usually happen during the heat treatment. If I understand it correctly the more hollow the primary grinding the bigger chance for that, which makes avoiding it labor intensive as leaving it thicker pre HT means grinding away a lot of hardened steel.

And yes the hardened steel is brittle so correcting warp is generally difficult. On the popular dovo making video I believe there is a worker looking over the blades and then sometimes hitting them with a mallet, perhaps trying to correct slight warps?

Small warps can be still honed but it's a lot harder. I think that's why the high quality vintage german and american razors are so easy to hone when they haven't suffered abuse - the geometry is just very precise and straight.

Ah, you know, thinking about the heat makes me wonder if the botched restore I am fixing on this blade is the cause, and perhaps why it was never finished.

The blade had marks on it when I got it, as if someone has taken a Dremil to it or a small grinding wheel. I suppose whoever was working it could have overheated it.

Either way, I am trying to decide what to do next with this blade. It was cheap, and while I did spend a good 6 hours working on it, I may just call it a loss and start to focus on the Duck. I could try and hone it back to shave-ready, I suppose, but my honing skills are... well... only so-so. So trying to rehone this guy may not be the best bet, either.

Every goldedge I have has honed up pretty easily. I think that is part of why they were liked by barbers. The Wonderedge on the other hand can be a bit more involved.

Good to know! I need to get back on that blade and make her pretty again... then hone her up.