Not removing the pitting

I'm looking for I'm looking for opinions on leaving pitting on a blade and polishing over the pitting. Do you leave the pitting for patina or just take it all away.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...be3bd9bdd7.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...76d128d28b.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...a9c74cdeaa.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...611523200e.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...e6c946c7bd.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...ca9f058c8a.jpg

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Two examples of what I'm trying to describe.

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Depends on the grind. Wedges have a lot more steel to work with, hollow grinds you will run out of steel before you remove pitting. You have to find the line. They both look good to me as they are, nicely done.

The rattler grinds get a little thin near the bevel. My guess is you will run out of steel before all the pitting is removed plus you will lose the blade's show face etch which really makes the blade. Remove that and it's just another rattler grind. So my vote is you've gone far enough. The second blade looks to be just a plane near wedge with lots of metal. No reason to leave all that pitting. You should be able to remove it all.

Like Grazor said, it depends on the grind. Also personal preference. I prefer to leave a little bit of the pitting for character. Remember the razor is 100 years or older. It has history and for me I cannot erase that. If I can remove major rust and most pitting the razor is still serviceable and can continue gaining history.

So, what have you tried on the blade?

I start with 000 steel wool and WD40, then test with a hard backer, (wine cork or rubber bushing) and 1k Wet & Dry. That will give you a good idea how deep the pitting is.

If you are going to leave some pitting, treat the blade with EvapoRust to stop the rust.

600 Wet and Dry will get a lot of that and will easily polish with 1k then metal polish, (Mothers or Maas), or Chrome Oxide on a buffer.

I know that very little of it is deep at all but the etching is really shallow. The stuff that is really hard to see is I think that not all of it is pitting. Some of it looks like it has something to do with the heat treatment. It's not badly he treated it just has a weird little lines in it. I'll see if I can get some better pictures and the like to show you what I mean. So far all I've use is steel wool and Mothers Polish.

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It’s not heat treat, it is tarnish and rust. The blade looks like it has already been sanded or buffed, that is why the etch is thin.

What do the scales look like? Almost look like cell rot, (2nd photo, over the arrow)

Try some 1k with a wine cork backer on the back side, and see how much comes off.

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Originally Posted by Euclid440

It’s not heat treat, it is tarnish and rust. The blade looks like it has already been sanded or buffed, that is why the etch is thin.

What do the scales look like? Almost look like cell rot, (2nd photo, over the arrow)

Try some 1k with a wine cork backer on the back side, and see how much comes off.

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I doubt it's cell rot. The original scales are horn and all the work done to the blade was done by me using steel wool and 3 weeks of off and on mothers polish. I feel I have plenty of steel to work with but I'll probably remove the etching if I try.
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It could have been stored with a cell rot razor, or got wet and rusted heavily. It is an old razor and much of the history or vintage razors is unknown.

Might want to see if it will take an edge before you invest more time in it.

I also have another straight razor that I do plan on polishing to full mirror polish. One of the sides has some pretty deep pitting and the only way I can think of to get it out is to sand it out with a lower grit then I'm going to use on the face side. Does anyone see any problems with that?http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...28fa476069.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...1a2ee7557b.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...b1ce325ca0.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...90e98f36b2.jpg

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I'd say that's going to be tough but not impossible. When going for mirror I always do it by hand, sandpaper of different grits, sandpaper with lapping paste, lapping paste on its own, and only when a good, uniform reflection has been achieved will I sometimes do a light final polish with something that has a cord (but never on the maker's mark, etch, etc.). Generally, what I do to one side I do to the other. With a blade that big and a mirror surface it is hard to trick the eye. You will need to sand in a way that looks like the natural curve of the blade or it will be obvious. One side will end up with a slightly different curve than the other if you work all the way to the bottom of those pits (I see a bruiser near the bottom of the notch) and save the etch on the other side. But, folks can't see both sides at the same time. The only other thing I can think right now is the bevel might end up looking different on that side depending on how close to the edge you have to get to keep a nice, uniform curve. Best of luck - I like a mirror if done well. That razor is worth the effort!