Thread: My Favorite Shaver

I got this little Dubl Duck from floridaboy last week. It cleaned up well, and it's the best shaver I own. (I have another on the way from him; he says it's in even better shape.)

I thought I'd post a photo because I decided to use gun bluing on the tang for some reason. The razor originally had gold plating there, which over time got nasty and orange-looking. I used electrical tape to give a clean line on the razor's spine. It came out pretty well--at least to my eye.

I'm thinking my next full restoration will be a razor with white scales and a gun-blue blade. We'll call it the Black Widowmaker.

Josh

That looks really sharp. I never thought of using the tape to mark off areas. Was the blade attached to the scales when you blued it?

Just out of curiousity, what kind of bluing did you use?

Yep, the blade was attached when I blued it. I used a small paintbrush to apply the bluing. If the blade wasn't attached, I might try to dip it in a bath instead.

The brand was Birchwood Casey Perma Blue. I got it at Dick's Sporting Goods for about $5.

Josh

One of the razors that I am going to restore with my grandfather is a Dubl Duck Satinedge like yours that I got at an antique flee market for $10. The other is a Satin Wedge that I got for $5. They both need new scales and a good cleaning, but the blades are both in great condition with almost no honewear. If you consider yours to be one of your best shavers then I know that I am in for a treat when these are done. Pics to come

By the way, I REALLY like what you did with the gun-blue on the shank and tang of that razor. Where can I get some of that stuff and how is it used?

Does bluing the blade/shank/tang help to prevent rust or corrosion in any way?

While I'm a newbie to str8 blades. I'm definitely not a newbie for firearms. My hobby, besides this new one, is black powder rifles. In the beginning, like in the days of long rifles, Hawken Mountain rifles, etc. there was browning. It is actually a controlled form of rusting. However, once applied, it limited additional "natural" rusting a bit. The idea seemed to be if rust is inevitable, lets at least make it uniform and slow down the intense local rust. Bluing came later when someone changed the formula a bit.

As to your question: I would say that the bluing would tend to retard rusting a bit but no it would not stop rust. Ask anyone who carries a sidearm in a holster in a humid climate. Unless it's kept clean, dry, and occasionally oiled, it will rust.

Gads, ask a salt water sailor about corrosion and he'll talk your ear off. That is unless you've already chopped it off with a blade!!

Thanks! I've been curious about that for weeks, waiting for the right time to ask!

Loochie, us junior members gotta stick together. We need this practice cuz someday we will be listed as senior members and someone might actually listen to us, poor sods.

To use the bluing, you first need to make sure the steel is free of oil. The first time I tried this, I didn't do that, and the bluing ended up a little blotchy...

It helps to use 0000 steel wool on the part you want to blue; it seems to make the liquid penetrate more evenly or something.

The bluing is a clear liquid, almost like water. I use a brush to apply it to the steel, trying to get the entire surface wet. Sometimes the surface tension pulls the liquid away from certain spots, like the edges...

When the bluing hits the steel, it turns it black immediately. You just coat the surface, leave it on for a minute, then rinse it off with cool water. I clean the steel with steel wool between coats, and I do two or three coats.

This stuff should be available at any store that sells gun supplies. Heck, Walmart probably carries it in the hunting section.

Josh