Thread: Cleaning up a blued spine

I bought a razor at an antique shop last weekend and its in fairly decent condition but does have some rust on the blade/spine/tang. The rust on the blade is no problem as it doesn't go to the bevel and I think handsanding and polishing it will be easy. The rust on the spine might be a bit of a problem though since the spine and tang have been blued. At least I think that's what it is. Its more of a grey color. I'm not sure how deep blueing typically penetrates or if its more of a surface treatment but I'd like to preserve it if possible while still getting rid of the corrosion. Anyone have experience with this? Is sanding possible or should I just do what I can with some MAAS or mothers polish?

If needed, I remove the blueing when I clean out the rust....
I then 'cold Blue' the area again. You can get ~30mL bottle of blueing in the hunting section of the Dick's Sporting goods.

There are a couple of posts here in the restoration section on Blueing.... They should give you a few tips as well.

Good luck!

C utz

Like C utz, to get at the rust bluing is usually sacraficed. It's easy to cold blue again. Or if you know a gunsmith that hot blues, he could probably do your blade as well without too much hassle.

Originally Posted by Kenrup

Like C utz, to get at the rust bluing is usually sacraficed. It's easy to cold blue again. Or if you know a gunsmith that hot blues, he could probably do your blade as well without too much hassle.

Just make sure the "Hot" is not too hot to ruin the temper of the steel.....

I was trying to avoid re-blueing so I wouldn't have to take off the scales but its looking like that's the way to go after all. They could probably use a light sanding to take care of some chips anyway. Thanks for the advice.

I'm a newb and have been lurking since the crash. I get great shaves with a DE and am toying with the idea of a str8. Can't really afford everything right now, but really enjoy this site and seeing the work the members produce. Nice stuff.

Along those lines, I have been spending more and more time in the restoration forum. Anyway, I thought I would pass on a supply source that many of the restorers might find useful. Try http://www.brownells.com

This site has everything from heat treating furnaces through abrasives and metal polishing supplies and wood finishes. They also have anything you could possibly want for bluing. Don't forget to vist their 'How-To' section which has detailed instructions for metal prep and different types of bluing (i.e. hot/cold).

Originally Posted by gpags1911

I'm a newb and have been lurking since the crash. I get great shaves with a DE and am toying with the idea of a str8. Can't really afford everything right now, but really enjoy this site and seeing the work the members produce. Nice stuff.

Along those lines, I have been spending more and more time in the restoration forum. Anyway, I thought I would pass on a supply source that many of the restorers might find useful. Try http://www.brownells.com

This site has everything from heat treating furnaces through abrasives and metal polishing supplies and wood finishes. They also have anything you could possibly want for bluing. Don't forget to vist their 'How-To' section which has detailed instructions for metal prep and different types of bluing (i.e. hot/cold).

Great first post! Good info too! Thanks.