My first "restoration" attempt

Well, after much reading and worrying, in spite of the somewhat dire prognoses from the restoration sages here (for which I am thankful) and with the encouragement from others, I decided to keep her and see what a little handsanding can accomplish. I've still got a long way to go and there is a little bit of pitting. But the good news is that:

1. There is no heat damage (I think)
2. Pitting is localized to the top of the spine

Each side before and after 1 hour of sanding @ 220 grit:

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8060/p1020305.th.jpg


http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/681/p1020326.th.jpg

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/2091/p1020306.th.jpg


http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7636/p1020325.th.jpg

Any and all feedback, critiques welcome! I want to LEARN!

looks like you are off to a good start. Make sure that once you move up in grits to keep at it untill ALL scratches are gone from the previous grit. Other than that, be patient and have fun with it.

See, I told you it would be easy. Looks like you are making pretty swift progress too. Have fun and watch your thumbs. Just cause it isn't honed doesn't mean it isn't sharp.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del1r1um

looks like you are off to a good start. Make sure that once you move up in grits to keep at it untill ALL scratches are gone from the previous grit. Other than that, be patient and have fun with it.

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Thank you, sir! That's something I wouldn't have known.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dnjrboy

Have fun and watch your thumbs. Just cause it isn't honed doesn't mean it isn't sharp.

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Damn good advice. I have rarely cut myself either shaving or honing, sanding on the other hand...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ichinichi

Thank you, sir! That's something I wouldn't have known.

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A trick from the wiki is once you start going up, sand edge to spine with one grit and heel to toe with the next. It makes it easier to spot when you've gotten all the scratches out. If you're on a heel to toe pass and see edge to spine scratches, you're not done.

You are making awesome progress though. The hard part is over. IME, the next progressions go quickly.

See what I was saying? It's easier than you'd think to get a respectable shaver.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pjrage

A trick from the wiki is once you start going up, sand edge to spine with one grit and heel to toe with the next. It makes it easier to spot when you've gotten all the scratches out. If you're on a heel to toe pass and see edge to spine scratches, you're not done.

You are making awesome progress though. The hard part is over. IME, the next progressions go quickly.

See what I was saying? It's easier than you'd think to get a respectable shaver.

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Yes, sir. I couldn't believe it was that easy. Need to go up in grits soon.

How far have you gotten on your restoration? I start where you did with the 220 grit then move up in this order to remove the scratches 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, then move to the dremel tool and polishing pad with Maas.

Hey Ichinichi!

Glad to see you taking the plunge. You are making good progress. Keep at it, and don't rush.

Looks like you are getting very sound advice so far. I second Dnjrboy's advice about watching your thumbs (and your other fingers) near the edge. :gl:

I dipped my toe in more than anything. I've postponed my restoration efforts for a year at least to concentrate on academics.

Member ambrose is doing the restoration as I type and I cannot wait to see what magic he's going to work. :rock:

Post Pics once it comes home if you would please. Would love to see how it turned out.

Hey there Ichinichi,

Nice work with the 220! I ended up sanding a WB wedge all the way to 2000 then I realized there were tons of scratches left over +1 on the advice from Del1r1um.

Also ambrose seems like a he would do an awesome job!

Also something I learned out of newbie excitement and wish I had done it. Try to go light on your first couple of restores. I mean don't go crazy and try to remove all the pitting or start sanding with a dremel. You might end up rounding of the nice grind marks on the tang and the shoulders. I would have preferred to have some shiny pits instead of changing the shape of the razor slightly.

thanks for bringing this thread back up, fatpanda.

an update is that ambrose is almost finished with all the razors i dumped on him. i'll post pics in the gallery once they come home.

If I may butt in, I'm about to attempt my first restore also from a couple of razors I won off of ebay, and I have a couple of questions along the same lines:

If the scales are in good condition, can or do you remove the blade from the scales or just get as much of the blade when sanding as you can? I do want to try to keep the original scales, especially if they are natural materials.

How do you restorers feel about using a buffer after the sandpaper? I have a 8" buffer wheel charged with CrO2, as well as an adjustable speed rotary tool buffer heads with CrO2, and 8K and 15K diamond pastes.

What kind of markup is normal/expected/acceptable when reselling the razor? If you don't want to answer that publicly, please PM me. Do you charge "X" amount per hour, or a flat fee + parts?

BTW Fatpanda brought up a very good point about not over sanding the pitting. I think it gives the blade some real character.

Thanks!