Thread: How best to de-tarnish a blade?

So I picked up a Wade and Butcher from fleaBay, and it was in great shape, except for some tarnish. So I hot it with some Maas and elbow grease, and that seemed to move the tarnish around, rather than remove it. Any thoughts on the best way to remove heavy tarnish from razor without taking off the scales or using a Dremel (cause i don't have access to one)?

Thanks!

Sounds like a fun razor to work on. When you say "tarnish" do you mean the darker gray or black stains, aka "patina" or "oxidation" rather than rust?

Weird that the Maas would seem to "move it around". Some of those stains are very hard to remove since they seem to be soaked into the steel rather than just surface junk. On some of those darker stains I have found of no other way to remove them effectively than to actually sand them out either by hand or using a tool of some kind (dremel, grinder, emery compound on a sisal buffing wheel, etc.).

Chris L

I just tried making a video, but it didn't truly capture the effects on the blade I was looking for, but I'll try to describe them here.

The stains are darker and grey/black, and almost certainly not rust.

I apply and wipe off Maas, as the directions on the tube indicate. I hold the blade with the edge facing up and away from cloth, and the base of cloth on the spine, wrapping it around the body of the blade. Then I use the cloth to work the stains, pinching the blade between two sections of cloth, and rubbing in a heel-to-toe direction with the edge upward.

Here's the issue: When I pull the cloth the enitre length of the blade and off of it entirely, it leaves black gunk on the cloth. If I make a few strokes while still gripping the blade and not passing entirely off, it leaves the dark grey gunk on the blade, in the pattern that I was rubbing. So when I try to get at some tough spots with the elbow grease, it just kinds swirls it around, rather than removing it into the cloth.

*siiiiiiiggghhhhh* Let me know if this description helps clarify, if not I'll post pictures or try the video again.

Question???
Did you just clean the blade first, hot soap and water??? alcohol rub down???
Because what you are describing, does not sound like tarnish or patina it sounds more like dried grease like cosmoline....

Glen, I think what he's doing is using a lot of Maas creating an oxidized paste on the blade and his cloth. Then he's not wiping off that paste completely and he's getting concerned that the paste since it's oxidized black from the steel is messing negatively with his blade or making the oxidation worse which it almost undoubtedly is not.

You have to rub with a dry cloth after rubbing the Maas into the blade to get all the oxidized Maas (or Flitz) off the blade. After a good Maas rubbing session and wiping with a dry cloth whatever "stains" are left are IME not going to come off completely no matter how much rubbing you do.

Chris L

Sounds like a trip to the buffing wheel may help out. If it is the natural patina of the metal, It may be tough to get shiney, but tarnish will buff out easily. Send it over and I'll see if the buffer will help you. You can pay the postage back.

Lynn

interesting you mention that, Lynn, because I had an alternate question that relates to buffing and buffing wheels. I work at a Tobacconist, and we have pipe buffing wheels. Are they something I could use? One of them has an abrasive wax on it, one has a polishing wax, and the other doesn't have any wax. Could I use the wax-less one on the razor? Or what would be the progression here?

I would think wheels designed for polishing wood would be too fine to take patina off metal. Some of these really old razors develop what I've seen others call carbonization which is really part of the metal and can't be easily dealt with. it has to be sanded down and then the metal has to be polished from scratch.

this sounds familiar to me. I have an old THessenBruch with black handle, and I got the blade shiny with maas, but then started using it, and noticed that when I rubbed it down the black was back and kind of moved around but never came out. It's always mystified me, so glad I'm not the only one. I'll try glenn's degrease approach to see if that's it. Love the razor by they way - THB&C is awesome.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I would think wheels designed for polishing wood would be too fine to take patina off metal. Some of these really old razors develop what I've seen others call carbonization which is really part of the metal and can't be easily dealt with. it has to be sanded down and then the metal has to be polished from scratch.

Agree, I would want to try the black, green and then polish compounds on the wheels I have set up as they are specifically for metals.

Lynn