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

Originally Posted by RezDog

If you start by just removing the rust and give it a bit of polish, you can go back and remove any pits later. When you remove the black rust with steel wool and polish it will leave pits.

I should transfer some pictures over and post them one day so I can show what I am talking about. But the last one I worked on was almost clean on one side and had several of the dark black spots on the other. Which I just thought was interesting trying to figure out how that happened. But, it is an interesting effect that I may want to preserve.

Is it rude to send an unsolicited PM to a mentor. I wanted to follow up on someone's comment from a very old thread that I don't want to revive. Thanks.

That's what we are here for. If he can help or answer your question he will. Or point you to someone who might be able to help or answer your question.

First attempt at pinning (D+?). It seemed like I got the heads formed to a certain size and then no matter how much more I pounded it they never got any shorter/tighter. On the blade side I think that had I used the outer washers it would have been tight. For that one I started with about 0.032" on each side of the pin. Started the heads, hit a point that it seemed like the head would get no bigger and the pin no shorter. I was able to cut off one end and reform the head to get it that close.

But you can really see the problem at the wedge(less) end. I did not hit that one as long or hard, but i tried to start with the pin about 0.016" to 0.020" per side by having the pin flush with one side and cut the other one about 0.032". But, it is possible that I did not have the two pieces all the way together when I trimmed it.

The marks on the popsickle sticks start getting worse when I tried harder. But, I am thinking that maybe the double edged razor could protect the scales and still let it get tight. Oh, i also could have been a little more carful as I drilled the holes. I just eyeballed the center and did not hold the drill perpendicular. First holes I've drilled in years, so sort of forgot how.

Its a start, that's what counts. Refinement, comes with practice and time.

I started just like you, but after pinning a couple hundred razor's....piece of cake.

I'd be lucky to have more than .015" pin sticking up above the scales, for a collarless pinning.



Keep at it. Play with pin length, and remember, tap tap tap. No harder than what you'd want to hit your fingernail.

Peen both sides evenly, if things don't start snuggling up shortly, then your pin is too long. File the peens off, and try again.

That's the cool part of pinning.....if ya mess up, pull it apart, try again. Just don't keep beating away at it, ya just gonna break something.

So have fun with it,

Thank you outback. I usually try to avoid hitting my thumb with a hammer, so that metric is cracking me up. I'll keep practicing. But I'll need a lot more pins to get 100 done.

Not ready to hone yet, but while I'm waiting to be physical I'm thinking ahead. On the home tab of this site there is a video of a Lewis razor being made. It's a cool video, but around 32:45 he starts honing. He doesn't say, but I think this may be the best video of the rolling x stroke.
The angle and speed is much easier to see than the tutorials I've found. If that is the rolling x stroke then my muscles already know how to do it.

https://youtu.be/T3A482ICi-s

Yes, its the rolling x stroke. Heel leading.

Notice that he uses one hand and only the weight of the blade and the pressure is controlled by the one hand.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Notice that he uses one hand and only the weight of the blade and the pressure is controlled by the one hand.

I did notice that, but I can fix that .

Seriously, I've got 10 blades with various issues. So, there's going to play with. I don't think I can learn much from one of the two that top trees. Unless I mess them up, I won't get more than a few strokes.