Thread: wire wheel to clean rust and spots

hi,

i was wondering if anybody tried wire wheels (with a bench grinder) to clean blades and remove the spots ? as it's hard to find greas. compounds in Europe, i had this idea but before to do something i thought it will be better to have some advices from others.

thanks by advance

Not on a bench grinder, but I have with a dremmel. Now I just use metal polish and a bit of elbow grease. 3M marine metal polish/ restorer is a top choice for me

Do not use a wire wheel The chances of destroying a razor are above 80% per try.
~Richard

Yes I did try that. I was cleaning the tang and jimps. The entire razor instantly got so hot I could not hold onto it and I cracked a perfectly good, or rather in perfect condition Kropp 7/8 razor. It was a sad day. So I can't say that it is a good idea.

and what about plastic wire ? i know some artisans use it.

Steel on steel at a high RPM = heat! Start with a 600 grit abrasive wrapped around a wine bottle cork. Make your strokes from the spine to the edge not from heel to toe. Graduate to finer grits and finish with a metal polish like, Mothers or McGuires. It takes time, be patient.

The plastic wire brush wheels are still too aggressive. I do have one of those too and initially I bought it for razor work but it is a no go. You could get a little action from scotch bright wheels. I have to be honest and nothing works as well as hand sanding for getting the job done and maintaining the lines of a razor.

Yup, steel wire wheel also cut deeper than you think and end up making more work.

The 3m nylon spiral wheels work great, both the large, 6 inch buffer mounted for blades and the small 1 inch for the Dremel, for detail work

Be careful with the long slapper type wheels, they are aggressive and can snap off an edge. All nylon wheels are for rust removal, you will still need to hand sand or buff with greased or greaseless and a buffer.

Cut the active rust off with a single edge razor blade and hand sanding is still your best bet. Any machine work can aggressively remove metal and detail.

Hand sanding is slower, but give you complete control. First rule of restoration, First, do no harm…

Originally Posted by Geezer

Do not use a wire wheel The chances of destroying a razor are above 80% per try.
~Richard

+1 on Geezer's advice.

There are bronze wire wheels and nylon wire wheels (Nylox) that would be better than a steel wire wheel, but even they would be risky.

Even with a cloth buffing wheel, be sure that the wheel is turning in a direction from the spine of the blade toward the edge. If the edge catches the buffing wheel it will rip it out of your hands. If you are lucky, the only damage will be done to the blade. If you are not, the results could be catastrophic. Many years ago, I had a chisel ripped out of my hands. It barely missed my leg and foot and embedded itself in the wood floor. Fortunately, I am now older and wiser; I lived to share the tale.

I found when I used the dremel wire wheel to clean built up rust it only removed some of it and seemd like it almost polished the remaining rust into a dark lump that wouldn't come off until I sanded it.