Thread: Must remember to put back the wife’s L'Oréal

After countless hours sanding, polishing, sanding and polishing again, finally I think I am proud if this one.
Won it off ebay, not much tarnish to start, but I wanted to remove the century old tool marks and give it shine from tip to tail. Originally had horn scales but I soon discovered they were cracked in several places.

The steel is TOUGH… And I say that with a sigh, gave up a few times, Imagine a fresh piece of w/d paper, should “stick” but instead just slides off the blade like it was… a piece of paper… but I kept going back.
It’s not perfect mirror finish… there are still tiny swirl marks only visible in the right light.
Also few of the deeper tool marks I left to give it that “armor plate” character… (like the shiny new 4wd that you’re never really gonna take off road… but its nice to know you could).

Now to find some scales...

Rule of Restoration #26
When hand sanding, don’t underestimate the inadvertent edge honing ability of sandpaper. A previously “dull” blade can inflict a serious laceration, thus terminating the handjob.

Thanks for listening folks

Very nice...

Having tried to polish out a satin finish before, I am in awe. It's hard to appreciate just how difficult that is before trying it yourself. Nice work!

Originally Posted by smythe

A previously “dull” blade can inflict a serious laceration, thus terminating the .

Sorry...couldn't resist.

Nice work, by the way. I have four blades coming from eBay purchases, thinking it would be a simple matter of a little sanding. However, your post is making me think twice about the work ahead.

Filletting gloves are a nice accessory for hand sanding (fine chain/wire mesh gloves). No worrying about lost digits.

This is what it looked like when I got it. Notice the tool marks on the blade and the tang... it goes all the way to the tail

Sanding with low grits up to 2000 grit then the dremel for polishing.

Now if I had a grinding machine I would convert to a "wet" grind system and make quick work of those tool marks and polish. Or I could build a razor grinder... like the one used at the Dovo factory... or maybe the grinder would just take the fun out of the....

Hmmmm. looking back at the post, that word seems a little out of place… oh heck its “really” out of place. Could we find a better word?

How about "...thus terminating the handsand"

And maybe a Razor Restoration Glossary, my apologies if I missed it but I can't find one.

Very nice work. What did you do with
the Dremel for your polishing if you
don't mind me asking?

John

PS Someone else beat me to the smart
post I had planned about the handjob.

Originally Posted by kerryman71

Very nice work. What did you do with
the Dremel for your polishing if you
don't mind me asking?

John

PS Someone else beat me to the smart
post I had planned about the handjob.

Don't mind you asking at all...

Verry looow RPM dremel the lower the better, start with hard felt wheel/low grit compound then medium to soft felt wheel/hi grit compound, soft felt or cloth for final polish. The bigger the wheel the better (>1" dia).


If you are planning on using a dremel for polishing razor’s steel… do your self a favor, get the lowest RPM model available (one that will go below 3k RPM), anything higher will most likely generate too much heat too quickly and ruin the blade temper… ESPECIALLY when polishing near the edge where the steel is thin.
Also with higher RPM dremel, the centrifugal forces will “throw” most of the compound off the buffing wheel before you can contact the steel…. One solution that works well is to contact the blade before switching on the dermal and use pressure to keep the dremel at low RPM, however this is RISKY!!!

Oh and one more thing ALWAYS be aware of the direction of the wheel. Whichever side of the blade you are polishing... The wheel must be moving from spine to edge.
And wear goggles and dust mask... the wool dust and polishing compound from the felt wheel is not something you want in your eyes or lungs.

Great job...I look at your work then at my blades and boy do I have some serious sanding time coming my way.

Nice work, excellent finish


Jacques
Quebec, Canada

Originally Posted by floppyshoes

Filletting gloves are a nice accessory for hand sanding (fine chain/wire mesh gloves). No worrying about lost digits.

Never thought of that... I admit… sandpaper makes for a great manicure, especially the high grits. But the trip to the first aid is just not worth it… I’ll get me a pair, Thanks.