Thread: Electrolysis

I don't think it was brittle so much, the razor I used the first time was severely rusted, I sanded it with 800 grit with no problems. I'm sure the way I wire brushed it would've chipped any razor - let alone one that was so thin and had been rusted so much. The brush has been put away and isn't going to come near another razor in that way . I wasn't really using caution when I used the 160 grit paper on it either, I had it held in my hand unsupported at about a half inch off of my desk and was using some pressure while sanding and then it just cracked at the part where the most rust had been previously. The genco was also very thin. I never really planned on keeping that Genco that went in first, was sort-of just a test dummy. I don't really have a jig for sanding yet either, haven't made one was hoping on getting one of those fancy black ones that I saw in another post if he decides to make some to sell.

The one I have in now is about a 4/8 Sheffield IXL wedge w/ some acid etching on the face of the blade. There are some thick spots of rust on it, but not nearly as bad as the Genco. Curious to see if I'm able to recover the acid etching that was under a bit of the rust. I will leave it aside before it's honed though, the one in now also needs scales, I plan to take this one all the way to completion and see how it shaves and cleans up with just a little high grit sanding.

To me, any imbrittlement, even if temporary is a second concern to what seems to be solidly oxidized steel created in replacement of the pitted areas.

I love experimenting and think this was a great thing to try; with that said though, for restoration purposes, what purpose could this method serve IF...the oxidation can't be removed? Aesthetically then, this process wouldn't be an option.

Does anyone know, with this method, is the replaced metal in the formerly pitted areas of a razor only oxidized on the surface, and with the appropriate cleaning method would the replaced metal polish to a mirror like the rest of a blade?

Chris L

Alright so I pulled the wedge out today and did a little sanding on it. Ended up going down to the 220 grit to clean up the black stuff on the razor as it wasn't cleaning up that well on high grit (800), wasn't able to get some of it out of some of the deeper pitting on this razor with the lower grit either, would've taken more than the about 5 minutes of sanding I was willing to put into it tonight.

The pictures say it all, but overall I don't think electrolysis is really a good method to restore razors, I mean after all in restoring a razor part of what you want is an aesthetically pleasing razor when you're finished - which would require lots of handsanding to remove the pits or some skill with a grinder and re-grinding it or a tumbler.

All that this is doing is effecting the rust on the razor to convert it into the black iron that is on it. If there is a pit, it's going to stay a pit, if there is rust in that pit it'll just be black instead of brown. Where the steel has been completely corroded away it's not going to help at all, you'll just have a pit. Suppose this is a given as it only acts on the rust. The black stuff does come off fairly easily but then so does rust, it's the pitting thats hard to get out.

Ultimately if you're looking for a way to leave a razor and have it cleaned up while away or with minimal work, the tumbler is probably the best way to go.

At a second look this one is a 5/8 IXL Wedge.

Probably not going to do another one. Stick with the hand-sanding or tumbler.

I probably will try some chemical rust removal stuff, just to see how well that removes all of the rust, but in the end with that you'll still have to remove pits somehow if you want something aesthetically pleasing.

Whiggamore has done this and it works.

I used this guide. Also, this link was a lot of help.

My electrolytic rust removal bathtub is a rubbermaid container. I'm using some scrap sheet metal as the sacrificial anode; I didn't even bother to bend it into a pretty shape. My power source is an old 6 Amp car battery charger from Canadian Tire. I suspend the rusted part in the bath with copper wire hanging off a piece of scrap lumber. I think I just used baking soda with pipe water for the actual bath itself.

Here's a picture:


Clearly, anybody can do it.

To clean up the parts I put them in another rubbermaid with some warm water and dish soap and went at them with a nylon brush. Then I dried them using a hair dryer and lightly oiled them.

I built my bath because I needed to remove rust from some old goldsmith's tools. Things like Swiss cut #4 files, precision measuring instruments, etc. For obvious reasons abrasives were out of the question; I'd have had very expensive Swiss burnishers instead of files, for example. It worked perfectly.

I also tried it on a rusty gold pan. The bath worked a bit too well though and that gold pan is now a nice colander.

I never had any trouble with hydrogen embrittlement that I could observe. I'm going to guess, bevansmw, your razor broke not because of hydrogen embrittlement but because it had rusted through and through in that spot. Razors, as well all know, aren't very thick. Even though this method turns the rest back into steel, it isn't going to be as strong as a solid bar of forged steel. I could be wrong, though, having not finished that PhD. in hydrogen embrittlement I was pursuing.

There is a lot more to learn about this method, but it seems to me superior to other methods for this application because you don't run the risk of radically altering the razor's geometry and/or losing identifying marks. Of course, if the rust is very, very bad then you're going to need to adjust the blade's geometry anyways and might need to re-etch or engrave the markings.

Anyways, if anybody has any questions, feel free to ask.

EDIT: No, I don't have any before and after pictures. You're just going to have to trust Whiggamore.

And, let me say this: I've never put a razor in my bath. Knives, files, saws, precision measuring instruments, pliers, railroad spikes, gold pans, chain, and more but no razors.