Thread: I Guess I'm Restoring Now...

Good progress Jim. If it was me sanding I would take the hours it would take to get rid of all of the marring on the blade. But that is just me.

Also, I like the sanding jig you made .

Let me know when you think you will need the 2000 grit and I will mail you a few sheets.

Originally Posted by ZethLent

Good progress Jim. If it was me sanding I would take the hours it would take to get rid of all of the marring on the blade. But that is just me.

Also, I like the sanding jig you made .

Let me know when you think you will need the 2000 grit and I will mail you a few sheets.

Thanks mate. I actually found a source for paper--up to 10,000! I thought I PMd you about that, sorry. I very much appreciate the offer, though.

That sanding jig is VERY Good for when you get near the blade. I was sanding away last night, and when I went to change the paper, I found two perfect little slices taken out of the edges...At first I thought it was a defect in the paper, then I saw the pieces lying under the edge of the razor. If it had been my finger....

And after a few days of hand sanding up to #2000 with wet/dry sandpaper (mostly dry), We come to this:




The pictures aren't the best (**EDIT** Click on them to get much bigger versions), but that is NOT a mirror finish. It's shiny, yes, but there is still a bit of cloudiness. I'm NOT going to take this to the buffer. I decided it was too risky, I'm too inexperienced and this is a razor I want to keep. So, I might take it up to higher grits of sandpaper, but no machinery. I also had some trouble with the monkey tail; it's not as clean as it should be, but to get it better I'd have to unpin the scales, and I don't want to do that yet. As for the scales, that's another issue.

They are some kind of plastic--bakelite, perhaps, by the smell--and they were finished with a lacquer that had discolored and flaked off. I scraped it off, leaving a matte black surface, and I'd like to clean that up a bit more. I tried some metal polish, and got some improvement, but I want gloss--any ideas?

Anyway, it's pretty much done. It needs honing, and it needs a bit more polish, but the difference is certainly striking. I'm no pro, I never will be, but I didn't screw it up too bad!

That is a dramatic transformation. The finish looks good to me. That is one cool looking razor. I think the 2000 grit scratch pattern will mellow to a beautiful patina after some use.



Charlie

Originally Posted by spazola

That is a dramatic transformation. The finish looks good to me. That is one cool looking razor. I think the 2000 grit scratch pattern will mellow to a beautiful patina after some use.



Charlie

Thanks Charlie, I really appreciate that coming from you--You do some great work!

It is a cool grind, and I want to treat it right. I might take it up higher, I can get paper up to 10,000, or I might do something a bit crazier (Gun Blue comes to mind...) but right now I'm thinking it looks pretty nice.

Jim,

knowing and seeing where this razor came from I must say you did a very fine job, indeed!

Especially knowing it's all done by hand.



When you visit Vegas end of the year just bring it with you and I'll throw it on the buffer for you.

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Jim,

knowing and seeing where this razor came from I must say you did a very fine job, indeed!

Especially knowing it's all done by hand.



When you visit Vegas end of the year just bring it with you and I'll throw it on the buffer for you.

Wow...Thank you! High praise indeed!

It's certainly sufficient. For my first try, I think there is reason for a little pride, but I know there is a lot of room for improvement.

I might just take you up on that offer; I appreciate it very much. Also, my wife has already approved some razor splurging when we're in the states, so I might also bring some Maximilian Magic back to Japan with me!

Great job on that razor, Jim.

It looks very nice, especially outside sitting on top of your A/C condensor

I love the profile of the blade. I wonder if someone like Robert Williams could recreate something like that...

Again, good work.

Wow! Thats a nice finish for only sandpaper! Great job!

Thanks very much guys. I do appreciate the kind words. It might sound silly, but I honestly am surprised I did as well as I did...I'm most decidedly NOT a handy guy with things like this. I thought I'd mess it up royally, to be honest, but I didn't and that is very gratifying.

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

Bluing is fun, I have blued an entire razor once, but I regret not having taped the spine during honing coz the tiny bit of wear through the blue really made it look unpleasant.

I'll be interested to see your work if you go higher in grit with sandpaper. I bought some sheets going to 10k also (or was it higher? ) but it really didn't seem to do anything for me. I thought I'd at least get a mirror finish, but no.

Nice work BTW. It's quite rewarding in the end don't you think? Well not rewarding enough for me to keep doing it by hand, I bought a drill and attachments to help.

Thanks. It is very satisfying...I'm thinking of other projects now...gotta get back to that DA I reckon!

Actually, our good friend Jimbo, of Roo Strop fame, made a comment on bluing the central grind that kind of got me thinking about making some highlights...the central grind, perhaps, and the monky tail, and the very tip...just to set it off. On an aside, where did you get the bluing agent? I asked at a couple of home centers and they looked at me like I was a talking ape...

Originally Posted by ZethLent

Great job on that razor, Jim.

It looks very nice, especially outside sitting on top of your A/C condensor

I love the profile of the blade. I wonder if someone like Robert Williams could recreate something like that...

Again, good work.

E-he he he...well spotted.

Like I said on another forum, if I was going to design a custom, this is very close to the shape I would design... flowing curves, not angles and straight edges. In fact, i was thinking of getting a custom from Robert Williams very similar to this...I stopped because I still wasn't sure about what I wanted.

Now I know, and I already have it...

Thanks again guys. I really do appreciate all your kind words...wehn I get the scales sorted, I'll post better pictures, too.