Should I leave good enough alone on my Kingcutter?

[ppetresen]

So I just received an old Boker Kingcutter that I took a bit of a gamble on. It could have come in better condition but it also could have been a lot worse. The hone wear, while present, is pretty minimal and the goldwash is in pretty amazing condition. There are some microchips in the edge but I'm confident they'll hone out without issue.

The debate I'm having is this: there is some nice patina on most of the blade, but on a few other spots (the pivot and the toe of the back side in particular) where the rust is prominent and maybe an issue. If I go ahead and sand or polish out the problem spots it also means losing the overall patina and I probably have to do the entire blade and very very carefully work around the goldwash.

What do you folks suggest there? Hone it up and otherwise leave it as is? Go through the grits and take out all the rust and patina? Something else?

Thanks in advance for your expertise!

[Learner]

This might seem a strange suggestion but hey, it's me. I would de rust the tang, polish the beegeebies out of the tang; same
treatment on the non show side and leave the gold wash and the rest of the show side totally intact. Then set about the needed
honing. Good luck with it. I shaved with a Boker this morning.

[sharptonn]

I know I sound like a broken-record, but you have some frowning to deal with.

[Learner]

I know I sound like a broken-record, but you have some frowning to deal with.

Yep, gonna loose some blade width.

[jfk742]

You could scratch away the rust with a single edge razor and a dental pick. Tedious but effective if you’re trying not to screw with the patina. A good brushing with a nylon brush or a tooth brush afterward will help get loosened rust off. Make sure to get it all off the blade otherwise it ends up in your strop. I won’t make that mistake again.

[ppetresen]

Thank you for your replies. It's interesting, there is a very slight frown but actually nothing like those first pictures make it seem.

Based on Learner's initial suggestion I pulled the scales off and started sanding the tang and backside of the blade with 320 w/d. There is a bit of pitting so I might drop down to 220, but getting it this cleaned up with 15 minutes of sanding gives me hope. I'm still not sure how to handle the goldwashed wide, though. jfk742's suggestion of just using a pick and/or razor to pick off the rust might be best option here.

[jfk742]

looks like the stabilizer may give you the most trouble. Definitely less frowny looking in the last two pics.

[BobH]

Yes, it does look like you will have to reshape the heel to get the stabilizer out of the way and prevent a heel hook from forming. Especially as you will loose some blade width honing the frown and chips out. If you have to do it, this will give you an idea of how to do it. The blades edge should be lower than where the stabilizer ends. A look at a new razor will show you what I mean.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/honing/...file-heel.html

On the show side of the blade you could tape over the gold wash and polish around it.

Bob

[NittanyGator]

You could also recreate the patina with hot vinegar, maybe on just the areas you sand? I hate rust but I like the patina on an old razor much more than shiny polishing.

[ppetresen]

Yes, it does look like you will have to reshape the heel to get the stabilizer out of the way and prevent a heel hook from forming. Especially as you will loose some blade width honing the frown and chips out. If you have to do it, this will give you an idea of how to do it. The blades edge should be lower than where the stabilizer ends. A look at a new razor will show you what I mean.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/honing/...file-heel.html

On the show side of the blade you could tape over the gold wash and polish around it.

Bob

I don't think I would have even picked up on the need to reshape the heel but you're absolutely right about it. That was a really interesting thread to read.

You could also recreate the patina with hot vinegar, maybe on just the areas you sand? I hate rust but I like the patina on an old razor much more than shiny polishing.

Hot vinegar is a pretty great suggestion too. Down the rabbit hole!