230 Douris - Handsanding Does Almost Nothing

[ppetresen]

Hi folks,

I recently got my hands on a 230 Douris wedge for cheap. I know almost nothing about the razor aside from some speculation that it is French in origin. It originally came with some old, slightly warped black horn scales with some bug bites in them. Knowing I needed to do something about them, I've taken them off and am slowly restoring them: straightening them out, applying neatsfoot oil, and sanding them up to 3000 grit.

Initially, I thought the blade itself was fine but it had a few spots and flaws in it so I thought, it's apart anyway, why not just do it right and treat the blade right too. Here is the problem: I've been handsanding for HOURS on wet-dry 220 and there is barely a noticeable difference. I tried a 150 wet-dry sanding block (really meant for wood) and that did even less. What is going on here? Is the steel in this razor really that hard? Am I overlooking something? Notablely, it seems that the person who had this before also tried their hand at some restoration and I'm sure used a dremel (I think) or something because you can see some minor vertical lines across the blade from where it jumped a bit.

I've attached a few photos -- sorry for the poor lighting and photos, something that is definitely not my strength. If anyone has any suggestions how to proceed or insights into what I'm doing wrong here I would be most appreciative.

Kind regards!
Paul