Thread: Japanese Razor Restoration: Repost from Newbies Corner

hey everyone,

I was looking into straight razor shaving and I became a fan of the Japanese straight razor. Anyways, I got my hands on an antique japanese razor with some minor light oxidation on the blade. I've read around the forum on rust remove and have come across electrolysis which sounds way to risky, and MAAS and its ilk. MAAS seems like the best bet. My questions here are as follows:

1 - Is the steel of japanese razors different from the your traditional folding straight edges, and if so what special treatment do they need? Is MAAS ok?

2 - Are there any specific preparations to be made before or after the use of the rust remover?

3 - this is my first razor restoration so any tips, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I've attached some pictures of the razor to the thread. As you can see, most of the oxidation is on one side.

Thanks for you time guys,

Proud to be.
Attached Images

Your pics aren't clickable.

Ah, sorry, I copy/pasted this from the original thread in newbies corner.
I've re-uploaded them, as you can see, but I dont know why its not working. Mea Culpa =(

1) Typically, Japanese straights are made from Swedish carbon steel.
2) When you are done working on a blade for the night, you will want to use rubbing alcohol or something similar to wipe any grease and dirt from the blade or you could get new rust.
3) Read my handsanding howto. There is a link to it in the FAQ sticky in this forum

If this is your first resto, I can advise you to
a) be patient
b) doing everything by hand (hence point A)

For some things, power tools come in handy. The problem is that when you are new to resto, you have no idea how the steel will respond, and I can almost guarantee you'll ruin your blade, either by damaging it physically, or by overheating it.

The only power tool which is ok to use is a dremel with a small buffing wheel and some buffing compound, after you have done all the handsanding.
It has a very low risk of damaging the blade, and really allows you to mirror finish IF that is what you desire.

thanks bruno,

i'll go with the sanding, but this being my first restoration, its going to be slow process, I'll post pictures and keep you guys updated. I'll probably start restoring the razor sometime next week, so look forward to pictures then, hopefully you guys can watch my progress and let me know how im doing. =) thanks a bunch everyone