Thread: Which greaseless compounds to buy?

I use 120, 240 and 600.

I mark the grit on both sides of the wheel and keep them in separate Zip Lock bags.

The tubes stay in Zip Lock in a fridge.

Originally Posted by ProudMarineDad

I ordered 600, 400, 240, 180 and Glu-Tite Greaseless Wheel Prep. Not sure if I needed the wheel prep but it sounded like it was helpful.

If you have never loaded a wheel before Glu-Tite will be a great aid on a new wheel. I find 80 grit to be my work horse. Once the pitting is removed I don't have to spend much time moving up the finer grits. Mostly I restore Sheffields in the 1/2 hollow to near wedge grind. Pitting is usually pretty deep but there is plenty of steel there to work with. I wouldn't live long enough to clean them up with 400 grit. 400 and 600 are meant more for polishing and you'll find they remove very little metal. If you work with a very hollow ground blades they are thin and it's easy to burn a blade so be careful especially with the courser grits. Keep the wheels loaded with fresh compound and they will generate less heat and cut faster. Sadly getting all the pitting out of thin hollow ground blade just is not always possible unless it's in pretty good shape to start with. I see lots of restored blades here that are still full of pitting. Mostly the hollow ground blades but sometimes the heavier grinds. The restorer either got lazy and didn't finish the job or were smart enough to know when to quit.
Good luck on your restoration journey.
Karl

Originally Posted by karlej

The restorer either got lazy and didn't finish the job or were smart enough to know when to quit.

Yeah, not every razor can be made to look pristine. Some have to remain in the realm of "good enough" or "I shouldn't have bothered cleaning it at all."

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by ProudMarineDad

I am going to order some smaller sticks of greaseless buffing compound from Caswell Plating and wondered which ones to get?
They have 80-400 grit so should I get them all or just certain grits?

I've just started restoring and this is a perfect thread to follow as I've struggled with the compound I picked up on amazon. Almost gave up on the hobby because of it. Looking for suggestions on better compound them what I have. Is Caswell a better choice than others?
Eric

Originally Posted by Seabs

I've just started restoring and this is a perfect thread to follow as I've struggled with the compound I picked up on amazon. Almost gave up on the hobby because of it. Looking for suggestions on better compound them what I have. Is Caswell a better choice than others?
Eric

Formax Satin-Glo sold by Caswell and Jantz is an excellent product. Brownell's also sells their own brand called Polish O Ray which has a little different grit selection and is a couple bucks more a tube. Those are the only 2 I have used.
As for storage I just twist the end of the plastic tube it comes in closed and butt the end of it against the wall so it will not untwist. As long as there is no air in the bag and the bag has no holes it will stay soft and usable for a long time. The 80 grit on the left in the picture is almost all gone and is still soft. That is a years usage with out any storage problems. I find no need for any special containers or putting it in the refrigerator.
Some folks seem to have storage problems though.