Thread: First Razor Restore

I finally got the time and reshaped my first set of scales as they were not the same exactly. Drilled the holes at 5/32" as I was told and this helped out a lot. Put a few more coats of CA on last night and sanded. This morning I tried my hand at pinning for the first time. The pivot pin I think I made just a smidgen to short but was able to peen it enough. Might have to re-do that pin but for now its together and don't look too bad for my first attempt. The blade, when I got it was rusted and the rust had gone into the metal so I sanded it down as much as I could going from 200 up to 2500 grits and then polished with some kind of metal polish the wife had laying around.

Things that don't make me happy about the way it came out is I didn't clean up the insides of the scales when I had stain them originally as there are streak's of dark stain on the inside so I left that out of the pics. ha. And it is not quite centered as well as I wanted but that is something I think I can correct as I read about this. Its not off by much but...My wedge could have been a little thinner as the spacing of the scales seams a bit much but the blade don't fall thru so that's what counts the most.

So here you go. Flame me as much as you can so I'll know what to do better the next time!





This last pic is with my new Rock. Jnat, and I still haven't figured out how to use it properly I guess. I got four hours in just touching up an edge and it still wont do an HHT. I'll get it. As you can tell if you know anything about me by now that I don't give up and jump in with both feet. Only at SR shaving 3+ weeks and own 5 now.

if this is your first restore i think you did a terrific job gasman. the reflection on those scales is like glass. well done. truly. my only small critique is that the wedge does not look 100% seamless with the scales. you either might need to peen a little more to close the gap or be careful not to sand the inside of the scales up around the wedge and roll/round the edges.

ive been trying my hand at making some scales too and ive got a looooong way to go.

keep up the great work.
-s.

Thanks for the comment. I'll be sure to work on that. But I do know what you mean. Thanks. BTW, This was just some wood I picked up at the hardware store. Nothing fancy. It said Hard Wood and its not Oak. That's all I know.

Looks great only can go up from here

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You did a good job with the CA.

The second to last pic looks like the thrust washers are a little thick. I think you have washers in there. I usually go for .004 in thickness. IMHO, you should use thrust washers on wood scales to prevent possible wear of the wood by the tang steel.

What do you have for nagura for your Jnat? If you only have a tomo nagura (or are using a diamond plate) to raise slurry, it will never be much more than a finisher. A set of asano Mikawa nagura (botan, tenjyou, mejiro) will let you do everything from minor bevel setting to finishing.

Did you use any slurry when trying to touch up your edge, or just plain water?

Here is a post I wrote a while back explaining how a Jnat is used with nagura slurry: http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ml#post1648467

Originally Posted by sqzbxr

What do you have for nagura for your Jnat? If you only have a tomo nagura (or are using a diamond plate) to raise slurry, it will never be much more than a finisher. A set of asano Mikawa nagura (botan, tenjyou, mejiro) will let you do everything from minor bevel setting to finishing.

Did you use any slurry when trying to touch up your edge, or just plain water?

Here is a post I wrote a while back explaining how a Jnat is used with nagura slurry: http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ml#post1648467

I got a diamond card (fine) to work up slurry with. It seems to work ok making slurry but like you said, its just for finishing. I might look into some of those other stones (or whatever they are) to make slurry with in a bit but for now Christmas has wiped out my spending funds. All of my razors except for one, have been honed by a Honemiester so I know the bevel is right. And he used tape on the spine. And I know what tape he used so I have the same exact stuff so I know my honing is following his bevel. I knew this would be an issue to start with so I had them taken care of before I used them.
Being new to SR shaving I'm tough on edges I guess. I get a handful of nice sharp shaves they they go down hill fast. It might have been my Stropping as I was using more pressure than I do now.
So this is the reason I'm starting with just touching up a blade and using the diamond card. Maybe after a few months when the spending money fund start to come back in I will hit you up for those names and abilities of the different types.
Thanks for your comments!

Originally Posted by rolodave

You did a good job with the CA.

The second to last pic looks like the thrust washers are a little thick. I think you have washers in there. I usually go for .004 in thickness. IMHO, you should use thrust washers on wood scales to prevent possible wear of the wood by the tang steel.

For thrust washers I have some #1 washers and flattened them. I went with the #1 figuring that when I smack them with a hammer they will flatten and the center hole will still be big enough to get the Micro Bolt thru it. I just took another look and I think I might not have smashed one of them enough. Guess I should put a micrometer on the wish list. Thanks for your comment. It will help in the future. And thanks for the CA comment. I think I might pick up some of the accelerator the next time. I try to put on thin coats so it will dry faster but the CA I bought don't dry as fast as normal stuff. I think that is around 12 coats with a lot of sanding. I bet I sanded off more than half the coats because it ripples up when it dries.

Great job on your first restoration! Did a lot right as far as I can see, better than some of my first ones for sure. The shape of scales is a hard thing to get right sometimes, I made a few that were way too "banana-ed" before but these look like a pretty good shape. Save any and all broken scales off razors that you get and you can and use 'em for templates. It can be nerve wracking to hammer the pins after so much time put into making the scales. I cracked a set early on trying to get a blade to center. I've since learned why it didn't center and that more hammering was not the solution. Each project offers some sort of lesson and leaves you with an opportunity to improve - that's why this hobby keeps you coming back for more because you think "now I know what I will do next time". You will have a unique satisfaction shaving with that one, nice job!

I'll give you an A+ for the first time.
I know for a fact that my first one wasn't close to being that nice.
Not much there to nitpick about. All I see is one scale is a tiny bit thicker than the other at the wedge end.
Fantastic job.
Congratulations and enjoy!

Pete <:-}