Thread: total newb with a dremel

I'm a total newb to restoration. The most I've done is extensive MAAS-ing and light sanding. I've taken the next step and got a dremel 300 series. I know this is an ass-stupid question, but I'm wondering which attachments are recommended for general cleanup – very light rust to no rust, scratches, heavy water spots and general tarnishing.

The other day Ilija said flapwheels all the way – would you do this with a dirty old ebay razor with no rust?

I'm a little confused about sanding grits – from what I can tell, people start with 120 and work their way up to around 2000. Is this right? And does these figures hold good whether you're using flapwheels or hand-sanding?

Thanks in advance guys.

Dylan,

Right now the flap wheels are only available up to 400 grit. Higher than that you have to use Toxic's sanding drums (search the restoration forum) or hand sanding.

If a razor has a lot of ugly staining, I'll sometimes use the flap wheels to clean it up and put a satin finish on the blade.

For general cleaning, I start with a steel wire bristle brush (works great between the scales) and finish with felt polishing wheels and MAAS. I usually do some hand polishing after the wheels to even things out.

Also, if you don't have a flexishaft, get one. It gives you a lot more control.

The Dremel is a great asset, but be careful with it. It doesn't seem dangerous, but it's probably more dangerous than a jig saw or drill.

Josh

Thanks for the help and the headsup Josh. Can you be a little more specific about safety – are you talking about sparks, or are you talking about the wheels grabbing the blade and flinging it out of your hands?

Mainly the grabbing and flinging thing. But I always wear safety glasses just in case a spark or weird piece of something flies off. At 15,000 to 30,000 rpms, there are a lot of possiblities.

The main point to remember is that you want the wheels rotating off the edge, not into it. If I hold my Dremel in my right hand, with the rotating wheel pointing to the left, the wheel rotates toward my body. Always remember which way it rotates, or you're asking for trouble.

That said, I haven't had any mishaps myself. At least before saying that.

Josh

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

If I hold my Dremel in my right hand, with the rotating wheel pointing to the left, the wheel rotates toward my body...

...and therefore into the blade edge – i.e. a safety no-no? So how do you hold it?

I just use that as a reference point so I don't forget which way the wheel goes.

This is hard to describe, but I'll try: To sand the back of the blade, i.e. the part that doesn't get the fancy etching on decorated blades, I hold the razor by the tang in my left hand, with the toe pointing to the right. I place the blade flat on a piece of wood (this is another good safety tip--it helps keep the edge from catching if you forget what you're doing) with the edge pointing toward me.

With this grip I can let the wheel rotate toward me and off the edge.

For the face of the blade, I switch hands. I hold the razor in my right hand, with the edge pointing left and the toe pointing away from my body. Then I use the Dremel with my left hand--it's awkward, because your hands bump into each other. Also, the scales and tang make it hard to get to the last 3/4 inch of the blade near the toe.

It's a good idea to just play with different grips with the Dremel turned off. Visualize the wheel turning, and see which positions have the wheel rotating into the edge.

Good luck,
Josh

If you can get a really nice, large magnet (large enough to hold your entire blade flat), that will do a lot of good things for you. It's a lot easier to hold the magnet steady than it is to hold a razor by the tang. It will also minimize the opportunity to accidentally run the wheels the wrong way and take a nice dime or quarter sized chunk out of the blade, flinging it at whatever happens to be in the path.