I plan to sand by hand up to 7k grit. Would a Dremel wire brush and polishing accessories be useful in both removing the black/rust/pitted areas and taking it all the way from the 7k grit sanding?
I plan to sand by hand up to 7k grit. Would a Dremel wire brush and polishing accessories be useful in both removing the black/rust/pitted areas and taking it all the way from the 7k grit sanding?
In short, yes.
BUT, dremels are difficult to control. Evenly removing steel is quite difficult. I would recommend not using one or any power tool.
Start with scraping off the rust with a DE or SE blade, then use some 0000 steel wool and then some metal polish. You would be surprised how well this works on most blades.
Why up 7000 grit? Seems a bit overkill, even to get a mirror finish...
Figure I could get real close to mirror finish on it before polishing?Quote:
Originally Posted by dinnermint
It depends on how deep the damage is.
Removing a pit is a misnomer, you do not remove a pit, you remove all the surrounding hardened steel to the depth of the good steel at the bottom of the pit.
It can be hard to do with a Dremel and small drum, wire brush will not remove much steel. Unless you have some experience with a Dremel, it can be dangerous for the razor and you. Dremel spin at speeds up to 35,000 rpm, buffers 1,750-3,500. One slip and it can get away from you.
1-2K will get to near mirror, you can polish with any good metal polish from there.
Polishing is easy, the work is removing steel to the depth of damage.
Make no mistake, there are a handful of people that do nice work with a dremel, but only a handful. The rest make a mess and then have to either fix it or hide it.
Tread lightly. It takes a micro second to destroy a blade. Catch an edge and crack of chip the blade. Fun it too fast and too long and burn the blade. Mirror finish is not all its cracked up to be. It took decades and sometimes a century of more to get a nice patina.
I remove dust with FOR and brass brush. Rinse thoroughly and start sanding. When it is where you want it then set sand with 2000 and up wet/dry sand paper and polish with Mothers.
Try the Dremel on a blade that’s trash and see how it comes out. Like Shaun said, only a handful of people are good enough with one to do a good restore. I’ve tried and went right back to hand sanding. They work well, the problem for me is that I couldn’t keep an even surface which actually doubled the amount of time it should have taken doing it by hand.
I think it’s worth a shot, just practice on something you don’t care about.
I've done numerous razors with the dremmel, but I prefer to do it all by hand.
You'll be better off being patient, and do it by hand. Even the polishing can be done by hand. You'll cherish your work for years to come, with great pride.
For instance.
Attachment 317338
Attachment 317339
Not a single power tool, used.
"With great power comes great responsibility." Using any power tool requires lots of practice and even then it is still a challenge. Scraping exess then metal polish and steel wool will go a long way to freshening a blade. 3k gives a fantastic finish. I don't think I would bother going much if any beyond that.
One major word of warning: search "foiling". In a nutshell you can become so intent on removing pits that you turn a perfectly good razor into foil in the process even by hand sanding. The Kung Fu of it is to know when to quit sanding and be happy with the result.
Believe it or not, many years ago a member actually did sand enough to put holes in his blade. You really do have to watch you don't over sand especially on really hollow ground blades.Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulFLUS
Bob
Sanded my first restore, to foil. Didn't realize it till it hit the hones. What a mess.!
Fortunately for me I listened to good advice before I got there but I was on my way.
"I'M SANDING AND I CAN'T STOP!"
It could happen to anyone.
When I shave with an old razor, I want to be able to think about it’s history and the hands through which it has passed until it got to me. I hope to be able to pass that along to the next owner.
If a razor is old and well-loved and can still shave, why would I want it to look as if it just came out of its wrapping? The patina, hone wear, some stains and yes, even some pitting testify to its age and usage.
I will repin and try to repair or replace the scales so the razor is usable.
I will remove rust and see if I can remove devil’s spit because, in my opinion, those are related to improper storage or handling and fixing them prolongs the usable life of the razor. I will sand out pits and polish for the same reason, but not to an extreme.
If I want a razor that looks brand new, I’ll buy one or try to find one that is NOS.
Agreed. You don't want it to look nasty or mistreated but old is actually a good thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bouschie
[snip]Quote:
Originally Posted by DZEC
Quote:
If I want a razor that looks brand new, I’ll buy one or try to find one that is NOS.
For the bicycle-conversant among us, Grant Petersen (founder/owner of Rivendell Bike Works) coined the term "beausage" to describe that wonderful patina'd quality of old razors. I can't imagine a better word for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulFLUS
I use a Dremel or even better the orange knockoff from Harbor Freight. And the felt wheels, with diamond paste. Does a fine job of polishing. I lay the razor flat on a piece of steel or aluminum to protect the edge and also to serve as a heat sink.
First few times you use power tools to polish or sand a razor, do it on something expendable. Super easy to destroy a razor. You can hand sand for the same results, just takes a little longer. For hand polishing, try a piece of an old tshirt.
How did you polish it by hand? What did you use?Quote:
Originally Posted by outback
Lessee the razor in question?
I finish sanding with 800 crocus paper, and oil, till the paper is wore out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pedigree
Then using a old pair of fruit of the looms (Underwear)
and emory buffing compound ( grease stick ) with a drop or two of oil, then red rouge, chromium oxide, and then finish with maas or flitz.
It takes a lot of rubbing with all things listed, especially the crocus paper.
As they say, the proof is in the pudding, and your results are always impressive.Quote:
Originally Posted by outback
I've got one of those, types. A dark, natural, patina. Not a speck of rust, but had to make new scales. Gave them a weathered look, to go with the blade.
Attachment 317480
That is a great eaxample of a beautiful razor that has had a patina develop from many decades of love and care. The pitting and black rust on the other hand comes from long term neglect. The neglect should be repaired and the well loved razor needs to be conserved and the love continued. Know the difference before you start. If you polish a true patina it will take longer than I have on this planet to come back.
Also,
Great job on conservation Mike.
