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Got the coffin box and the razor for $25 CDN. I Will try to clean up the scales and make the razor shave ready, but am asking for some advice before I start.
I will go through the usual steps to remove rust and corrosion. Should/ how much tape should I use when I hone out the chip near the heel?
How can I deal with the brown stain on the scales?
If you have suggestions for issues I haven’t mentioned, please add them too.
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I'd use two layers of tape till chip was almost gone then switch to one layer. Then you can go with no layers if that is what you want to do. As for the stain i usually just use fish soap and an old tooth brush to clean. If that doesn't work I will use scrubbing bubbles. Could try just some polishing compound and a rag and see if that removes it. If you don't want to remove the scales to clean it qtips and pipe cleaners work to get inbetween the scales. Hopefully someone else will come along with more info.
I'd be surprised if that blade is savable at all, and I definitely don't think it would be worth the time and effort it would take. You'd probably have to hone well above the chip, because that corrosion on a full hollow is likely to make the edge continue to crumble away.
Yeah, the good news is the box is worth what you paid. The rust on the edge will be hard to get past. Devil's spit eats right through on those hollow grinds.
The chip looks like the least of your worries.
I would get very aggressive with the side of a course hone, vertical with no tape just to see how narrow you have to get it to get past the rust.
You could tell really quick if anything more would be a waste of time.
IMO razor is not worth restoring. However the box is very nice and worth the money ALSO you could probably re use the scales if you wanted. Always nice to have spare scales around
Is the rust mirrored on the other side & do the scales smell of camphor? Could be cell rot.
Sand off as much rust as you can, oil & close the blade. Don't open it for a week. If it rusts again the scales are toast.
Here's how you fix the edge if the steel is sound:
https://straightrazorpalace.com/adva...l-setting.html
I used my Dremel abrasive pads on the black stuff. Turns out it wasn’t corrosion after all, just some kind of stain that seems to come off fairly easily. I guess I lucked out on that.
I will have to be careful to avoid damaging the etching when I go after the stain on that side of the blade. I was thinking of masking the etching with tape or clear nail polish to help protect it before going after the stain some more.
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The scales are in good shape and do not appear to be celluloid. I’m not able to get them to show clearly in a picture, but they have a pattern that almost looks like a grain.
Attachment 289489
I had seen that post by Glen about removing a chip, but wasn’t able to locate it right away. Thanks for providing the link Onimaru.
Those scales are celluloid made to look like ivory. If they are off gassing then the blade will continue to rust. I'd do as posted above and if the scales are bad you can always save the inlay and make another set of scales.
I would urge you to put that razor (closed in the scales) in a Ziploc bag then seal it and leave it/kind of like what was recommended before and then leave it there for 7-10 days and see what's happening.Quote:
Originally Posted by DZEC
What do you have to lose? :shrug: Give it a go.:tu
The only way to stain steel is with an acid or a base. Either causes corrosion but it's great if you have repaired it :)Quote:
Originally Posted by DZEC
Mask the etching for sure. It will give peace of mind for the rest of the cleanup.
The scales are celluloid & sometimes called Ivorine as they mimic the grain of ivory. If you rub them with some fine wetndri they will smell of camphor. Do as advised & bag up the razor to assess the scales. A Puma should not be wasted by allowing it to corrode more.
No problema on the link. I'd like to say I have a photographic memory but in truth it was Google that helped ;)
Will do. Thanks for the suggestion.Quote:
Originally Posted by cudarunner
Less than 36 hours in a Ziplock and the black stuff has reappeared. Sure looks like celluloid rot. Thank you to Cudarunner and others for the warning and the diagnostic suggestion. :cry:
What a shame, the scales look pretty good. They aren’t brittle at all and are fairly thick. However, as Onimaru said, I would not want to waste a PUMA blade, so I will replace them. I haven’t read anywhere that it is possible to stabilize them so they don’t continue off-gassing.
The blade is currently 11/16 inch from bevel to top of spine and I figure removing the chip will take it down to 10/16. Still respectable and should preserve the etching.
I’d really like to preserve the PUMA badge on the scales. I think I read that using acetone to dissolve the existing scale might be the safest strategy, but I’m not sure. Any tried and proven techniques would be welcome.
I think I can use a CA to attach the emblem to a replacement scale. Is there a way to imbed it it the receiving scale so that it doesn’t just sit on the surface? I was thinking of using a plastic replacement scale and heating it to set the emblem, but that sounds ifffy and chintzy given the blade. With patience and a steady hand, I suppose I could try to carve a shallow receiving spot on the new scales, but that would really tax my current skill level.
What other material would you suggest I use for the replacement scales that could accept the badge?
The existing scales are 1/8 inch thick and have a 1/16 indentation on each side to accommodate the rubber piece on the tang. I’m pretty sure I can use my Dremel to rout out a similar feature on the new scales.
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This has turned out to be a lot more work and amuch greater challenge than just polishing a tarnished blade. It will certainly be a learning experience. Pretty excited, actually :tu
Don’t be surprised if I continue to seek advice as I try to bring this find back to good condition.
I think you'll find Glen's (GSSIXGUN) video here very informative and helpful. I believe it's what you're looking for to be able to transfer that 'crest':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReEkuWzEmdM&t=8s
I found this thread about using heat on plastic to place the inlay.
https://straightrazorpalace.com/work...c-plastic.html
Seems worth a try.
Gssixgun to the rescue again. :bow
Transferring inlays to new scales. I believe Glen glues these to the surface and if that’s OK for him, it is more than fine for me.
https://wetshaversworkshop.com/index...253/#post-2343
Rezdog also has a strategy. :rock:
inlay transfer method | TheShaveDen
An alternative to acetone is boiling water . I never seem to have acetone around when I need it .
Pretty sure the inlay would have been dropped on to the scales after heating it. How hot I dunno. Glue is safer.
Boiling water worked for me a couple times though unintentionally. Tried to straighten some scales and it shrunk the scales enough that the bolsters and inlays just popped off. Happened to two S.R. Droescher razors. Acetone worked when I wanted to do it intentionally. Haven't really messed around with the heat in awhile. I wanted to try and heat up a metal plate on top of the inlay and see if that would help keep the plastic flush around the inlay. I messed around with using a dremel to carve out the inlay and then heating which worked out better to keep it flush, but my carving was off in spots and looked horrible. If only I had the skills of Mycarver. I'm still sitting on a Puma that needs a new tang grip and scales that I can't decide on what to do. Whatever you decide to do post your results. I always love the transformation from before and after. Edit: Need to add that I didn't mean that using boiling water would shrink your scales since it has only happened with two sets of Droescher scales and not with other ones.
Been on a bit of an extended holiday with wife and dogs and haven’t been able to work on the PUMA as a result. I will get back to it in a week.
I am ordering some replacement horn scales from Fendrihan. They are relatively inexpensive and will allow me to try a few options. Pic will follow as I move forward.
Thanks again to everyone who posted suggestions. They have been very helpful.
I got rid of the chip without losing too much metal.
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Managed to clean it up and not damage the etching.
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The scales cleaned up nicely with toothpaste and automotive rubbing compound. There is still some staining, but that looks to be a result of contact with the rubber bit on the tang.
I’m beginning to think that the celluloid rot diagnosis may have been premature. I hope that is the case, but I am keeping the razor in its coffin box in an open area away from other razors just in case.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice. For $25, I now have a nice PUMA and a nice PUMA coffin box.
That looks way better than I thought it would come out. Nice work!
Breadknifed the blade an an DMT 325 to remove most of the chip. Then went to an DMT 1000 with 1 layer of tape to set the bevel and finish removing the remnants of the chip. Followed with Norton 4K/8k. Finished with a coticule with water followed by Vermio with water.
Diamond on hard felt paddle strop followed by CrOx on balsa and ended with about 100 passes on a shell strop.
2 pass shave led to pretty near bbs. Just have to fine tune the edge a bit.
I’m pleased with how this blade turned out. Now if the cell rot demons will stay away ...:mace:
Thank you for the compliment. It was rude of me not to respond right away.Quote:
Originally Posted by holli4pirating
I have to admit to being intimidated by the possibility of celluloid rot. The staining on the scales and the black on the blade certainly pointed to that.
Given a fairly small investment in the both the razor and the coffin box, I decided to try to clean it up and see what time will do. I didn’t have much to lose by being patient. It’s a good thing I had a vacation planned so that I could go away and think about alternatives before tearing the old scales off. When I got back, nothing new or bad had happened, so the decision to work with the existing scales was a pretty easy one to make.
I did learn a couple of really important things. I learned a lot more than I ever wanted to know about celluloid rot (I knew NOTHING at all about it before this) and I learned to be patient when working on a restoration/clean up.
I also confirmed that there are a lot of good people on these forums who will advise and guide with great generosity. Thanks to all.
Do you think rubbing alcohol would work? I have put celluloid scales in rubbing alcohol in the past, and it also dissolves them.Quote:
Originally Posted by cudarunner
Don’t know. Wouldn’t hurt to try.
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Originally Posted by Montgomery
Attachment 309574Quote:
Originally Posted by DZEC
Also works with rubbing alcohol!
