Thread: Does razor restoration damage etchings on the blade?

Originally Posted by MsBlackwolf

+1 and I'd just clean it with some scrubbing bubbles foaming bathroom cleaner, rinse, wipe down, have it honed and go with it. I have one that's etched and the bubbles worked well for the surface oxidation and general crud.

Really! I think that is what I'll do then, because come to think of it, I don't think the character of the blade demands it to be mirrorlike. If the scrubbing bubbles gets rid of the oxidation, then I'll be a happy man. then Honing and stropping is the next step.

Sorry guys, don't mean to sound like Rainman but It was an issue for this inexperienced newbie.

So FLitz, Wenol, Maas and Semicrome vs Scrubbing Bubbles. Scrubbing bubbles may not take off the oxidation or rust as well but won't eliminate the etching or engraving, yet the polishes may?

Originally Posted by BYUTexan

So FLitz, Wenol, Maas and Semicrome vs Scrubbing Bubbles. Scrubbing bubbles may not take off the oxidation or rust as well but won't eliminate the etching or engraving, yet the polishes may?

Yep anything with abrasives in it "might" damage etching. The bubbles isn't an abrasive, just a cleaner. It's not going to make it mirror shiny, but will clean it up.

General rule of thumb on etching washes etc: for restoration....

If it is on the surface of the blade, it will most likely come right off the blade with just about anything, including a harsh look...

If is is etched /engraved into the blade it is pretty tuff and will stay very well.... Unless of course there is pitting anywhere near it because razor law dictates that all pitting has to be slightly deeper than all engraving

The best thing I have found to date for cleaning this up and keeping designs intact is the Tumbler method....


PS: Moved to the Workshop where it will get the attention it deserves....

Here is a link to a bigger picture (I am new to this so hopefully it works).

Originally Posted by gssixgun

General rule of thumb on etching washes etc: for restoration....

If it is on the surface of the blade, it will most likely come right off the blade with just about anything, including a harsh look...

If is is etched /engraved into the blade it is pretty tuff and will stay very well.... Unless of course there is pitting anywhere near it because razor law dictates that all pitting has to be slightly deeper than all engraving

The best thing I have found to date for cleaning this up and keeping designs intact is the Tumbler method....


PS: Moved to the Workshop where it will get the attention it deserves....

Have you ever thought the etching was a few shades lighter after you gave the blade a good workout? I've only done some very amateur work so far (a little blue magic on a engraved blade with a rag and some spare time) but I thought it was not quite as dark as it was initially when I was done. The same treatment on another blade with engraving did nothing to the engraving, and both were just your typical black lettering.

Tried to get a bit more out of it but its difficult from that auction pic.
It does not look all that bad.
You can clean off the little rust on the spine and at the shoulder
while leaving the etching alone I guess.

Glenn is right. A harsh look already makes it fade.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

General rule of thumb on etching washes etc: for restoration....

If it is on the surface of the blade, it will most likely come right off the blade with just about anything, including a harsh look...

If is is etched /engraved into the blade it is pretty tuff and will stay very well.... Unless of course there is pitting anywhere near it because razor law dictates that all pitting has to be slightly deeper than all engraving

The best thing I have found to date for cleaning this up and keeping designs intact is the Tumbler method....


PS: Moved to the Workshop where it will get the attention it deserves....

I have to second what Glen said about the tumbler. I had a blade with etching I needed to keep, and after a spin in the tumbler it looks perfect.

But again, this would only work as long as the etching isn't actually just surface only.

Etchings can be saved but results depends on the type of etch.
The easiest are the ones with deep typeface like the “Extra Hollow Ground”.
The most difficult are elaborate line drawings that look like the negative image of a black and white photo. Those etchings are very shallow because in those days the etching process was “touch and go”. The blade was dipped in the acid just long enough to make the image.
Your blade appear to be somewhere in between the two extremes.

You can run your fingernail over the etch to judge how deep it is. If your nail “catch” the ridges then it’s safe to say the etch is deep. If you cannot feel the ridges then almost any type of restore will reduce the contrast or make the etch look like an engraving or remove the etch completely .

There are more elaborate ways to save an etch but you could try this:
Tightly wrap one layer of thin lint free cloth (or plain printer paper) over an old AA or C size battery and put on a very thin layer of polish (very thin because you don’t want excess polish to get in the grooves of the etch… so you should first rub this over another sheet of paper to remove excess polish), then rub the face of the blade to polish (enhance) the shiny high spots. Change the cloth if it gets torn or worn through or the steel shell of the battery will scratch the blade. The deeper the etch the better this will work.

Hope this helps

FWIW, a tumbler wiped out an etching on a Kissing Cranes I had. I guess it would depend on the depth. I have used Semichrome applied with a Q-tip and wiped with a paper towel since the 1970s on razors, pocket knives, my eye glass lenses, brass, aluminum and chrome. I have never damaged any of the above. Just cleaned them and left a protective and rust resistent coating. I'd bet money your milage wouldn't vary. I wouldn't say the same if you used a dremel or some power tool but Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn't wipe off an etching with Semichrome and a paper towel.