Thread: Nice to meet yall, starting to restore razors.

You can probably get much better advice than me, but I just lay three fingers across the blade and just let the weight of them keep everything in contract (like on piano keys) . I don't put any torque on the stem and just use that hand to push, pull, and steer. So if I'm doing an x stroke, at least two fingers or holding the blade flat on the stone. Warning, obviously you can get your fingers on the wrong side of the edge this way. But that is generally when you are trying to pull the blade with that hand.

I had to look up Moore maker as well. A small company, but based on price, someone thinks they are good blades. I played around with changing the bevel last time to match a similar knife I have.
But I didn't have the time or patience that night.

I hone with the stone in my hand, so getting my fingers up on the blade is a bit awkward and I'm not sure how that would work with a rolling X stroke. I've tried table honing and it just isn't for me.

That's one of the things I like about all this honing stuff - there's a bunch of ways to get to a good edge. As ScoutHikerDad's signature line says, there are many roads to sharp. If you're getting results you like, I say go for it. Just beware of the honing rabbit hole, I think it might be deeper than the razor rabbit hole.

As for advice, I appreciate a different perspective. Sometimes a fresh view gets you to look at something a bit different and find a solution or improvement you wouldn't have thought of.

Welcome. I hope you find what you are looking for here. A few things. First, the scales with cracks.or even pieces missing can often be fixed. Lots of info on the what are you working on thread among others. While reading through from beginning to end is good because there is a ton of helpful stuff there if you are looking for info on specific things you can search the thread. Search bar is at the top of the page of post in the thread task bar.



3M Marine Metal Polish and Restorer is a good polish for restoration. As Euclid 440 said, try scraping the active rust or other crusty build up off with a single edge razor blade and then rub with the 3M on a rag for a few minutes, 10-15 is usually plenty. After that wash off the residue and then evaluate. Sometimes you may not need to sand. Lots of razors I skip sanding all together. If you do sand you can start higher grit. That saves a lot of time and unnecessary metal loss.
Sanding can be Pandora's box. Many of us have just HAD to get a little more pitting out and turned a razor into foil. Swear it on my honor. Learning when to let it go only comes with practice and even then can still be elusive.
I would recommend taking one of those razors and sending it out for a professional hone. The comparison will help you
immensely. There are lots of people here that offer that service. Check the vendors section and the buy,sell,trade to find one near you.
Oh, also maybe put your location in your personal info. There may be a member near you who can help.
Enjoy your time and don't be afraid to ask questions. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

Hey Jelly. I well past the days of holding the stone in my hand. Having both hands shaking in sink to hold a constant angle...Ha. As for the rolling x, I've just learned about those when trying to see how to repair blades. So I've never tried that one. But I'd think it'd work the same way, but probably pushing the blade away from me seems more natural. Just rock the wrist with the roll.

Thanks Paul, I saw Outcast (Outlaw? Outsombody) mentioned that, red and black polishing crayons, and a few other essentials. When I looked at Amazon it only came in 30 ft yacht size and not a few blades size. And the polishing paste was a pound. I'd have to adopt some children to have someone to will this stuff to . But yeah, I'm making a list and shopping around.

But that does sound like a good idea to save metal. The blades are getting pretty sharp from sanding alone. Not shave ready or anything.

As for the honing, I think I got that pretty well worked out. I bought my first razor new "shave ready". So I know what the bare minimum is .

Welcome aboard.

You might start here :
https://shavelibrary.com/w/Category:...26_Restoration

Originally Posted by planeden

As for the honing, I think I got that pretty well worked out. I bought my first razor new "shave ready". So I know what the bare minimum is .

Shave ready means different things to different people. Very often new razors that are supposedly "shave ready" I wouldn't shave a donkey's ass with. If you get one that is truly shave ready you'll know what you are shooting for with honing.
Honing is one of those things that can be deceptively harder than expected. How hard can it be right? You'd be surprised.
Also, I hope youre taping your spines when you hone. People who are new to honing in particular often put too much pressure on the spine and grind it down throwing the geometry out of kilter. Straight razors are surprisingly complex for something that seems so simple. A degree or two of variance can make a tremendous difference.
You mentioned laying your 3 fingers on the blade? I wasn't sure if you were talking about razors or knives at that point. If you are talking about razors that is too much pressure. You don't realize how much weight that puts on the blade and can cause a lot of wear plus it can flex the blade causing an uneven bevel. Many of us when first starting do it that way but as you get more time on the hone you feel more comfortable with less effort trying to keep it stable. It will find flat just by the weight of the blade and that is really all you want anyway.
Outback is a master at restoration. You'd do well to study his posts thoroughly as he does some fantastic work. He is the one you saw mention the 3M polish. You can get a small jar (16-18 oz I think) for under $30. It's a good investment if you plan on doing any amount of work on razors.

A few pics to explain the process i use, for most hollow ground razors.

1. A nasty razor




2. Cut off the active rust and corrosion, with SE razor blade.



3. Rub vigorously with 3M metal restorer/polish, and steel wool, followed with 3M on a rag.




The full hollow razors don't warrant much sanding, to do so will typically destroy the blade.

Tis best to start with the least aggressive options, and go from there.

Now....wedges are a totally opposite. You can sand till your arm falls off, or stop somewhere that your happy with. Some want them to look like their brand new, others like to leave a touch of character, from days past.

BTW. I only restore by hand, though I do use a dremmel for a few small items, like cleaning up the collars before I pin up a razor.

Welcome. You don't need anything fancy. Common stuff like a few wine corks to wrap wet and dry around, WD40, a few polishes, files, pin drill, abrasives, etc.
I like my home made tools, fixtures and such. Best to begin with decent blades. A fun and rewarding pursuit!

I want it to be clear about my previous post. You discovered this new hobby. You're psyched enough about it to join a forum about it. You feel like you're doing pretty well. You post a couple of times and WHAM-O! Some guy tells you you're doing it wrong. I don't want to be THAT guy. In fact that's not what I am trying to say. You said you are getting good results shaving with your edges and that's great... seriously. I'm not being sarcastic or anything. That really is great. Maybe not most but a lot of people come here frustrated because they are cutting the be-Jesus out of themselves or just all around getting bad to horrible shaves. Some tried honing and wound up at, "why do I suck at this? It seemed like it would be so easy."
If you're happy with your results you're better off than probably most of us. But trust me, it will get better. Personally, I was doing okay for myself. I got my Dad's razor when he died that I used when I was teenaged. I also got his barber hones which I made use of and it was great. I can only speak for myself but having used cartridges for a while I used them until it literally hurt because they were so expensive. Over time my skills improved and now I can see my expectations were lower than they are now. I'm not saying that's the case with you. I'm just saying if you're doing okay now just wait. It gets much better as time goes by. I'm willing to say that's a universal.
I just don't want to come out of the box criticizing you or what you do. I want to help you get to the "Wow!" place. If you're doing okay at this stage you'll definitely get there. Plenty of people here will help you get there.

And when you break a set of scales, just come back and tell the guys here. Someone will help you get your busted scales back to better than original. The guys on this site are insanely helpful and pretty darn generous as well.