1912 Antoni Tadross - Need Help

I have a 1912 Antoni Tadross and I need some help restoring it. I am quite sure the scales, pin, and spacer are not the originals but they are in perfect condition. However, there is some rust on the blade towards the swivel, and black discoloration all along the blade. There are also some scratches running vertically up from the blade where someone must have shoved it against a stone trying to hone it. I can easily get the rust off but I do not know how to get this black discoloration to go away. I've tried a silver polish cloth, and do not know what else to use. I've been thinking about using MAAS polish but would like to get some opinions on wether or not this might work, as well as any suggestions on what to do.

Also, the pictures were taken with my phone and it was hard to focus it's camera on the blade. One side of the shank has a bit of rust, while the other side shows the black discoloration. The blade's little spots are the black color I mention.

Were going to move this over to the Workshop so you can get the help you need.....

The dreaded black stuff sometimes referred to as "Devil's Spit" is very hard to get loose....
Scrape the rust off then attack the rest with some type of abrasive....
Those of us that do this a lot use Greaseless compounds from 80-600 grit then Polishing compounds after that on Buffers...

This can be done using Wet-r-Dry sandpaper also, starting at around 120 going through 2500 grits and using it by hand... this is a ton of work but does great...

Some people use a Dremel, however I will let them tell you about it because I think more razors are wrecked using them, then saved (JMHO)

The Wiki has much, much more in the Restore sections and some great hints...

I use a dremel for this kind of work, but I would still agree with glen that MANY razors are ruined with dremels. You have to know how to use one PROPERLY and you have to be VERY careful. Even if you think you know how to do delicate work with a dremel, you should find some $5 garbage blades to practice on. That one looks far too nice to be used for a first attempt.

Do NOT use the wire brush that came with your dremel.

Do NOT use dremel sanding drums.

Do NOT use dremel sanding discs.

You'll regret it.

I DO recommend that you use these. They also come in a coarse and medium grit. If you go through all three with a VERY light touch, you'll be left with a matte finish that will shine up easily using a felt wheel, or even with MAAS and a lot of hand buffing.

Another dremel user (jockeys if I remember right) uses cratex sanding discs with good results, and I seem to recall somebody else having some custom sanding flap wheels made.

In case you decide to go the hand sand route.

Hand sanding a blade - Straight Razor Place Wiki

hth,
Kent

More often than not, underneath that black stuff is pitting.. lots of pitting :)

It is very hard to see but the Antoni Tadross emblem is frosted onto the blade, will I have to sacrifice that to get this black discoloration off? As bad as it looks it does not seem to actually affect the blade, as the edge is perfectly fine and you can't feel the black with your fingers - only see it. Also, is there a way to remove scratches besides grinding or am I going to have to pick keeping the emblem or making it pretty?

I'm thinking I might just get it sent off to get restored as I am sure someone could figure out how to work around it, but then I would not get to use my new hones coming in for quite some time. =(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GUESSKOENIG

It is very hard to see but the Antoni Tadross emblem is frosted onto the blade, will I have to sacrifice that to get this black discoloration off? As bad as it looks it does not seem to actually affect the blade, as the edge is perfectly fine and you can't feel the black with your fingers - only see it. Also, is there a way to remove scratches besides grinding or am I going to have to pick keeping the emblem or making it pretty?

I'm thinking I might just get it sent off to get restored as I am sure someone could figure out how to work around it, but then I would not get to use my new hones coming in for quite some time. =(

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You'll end up losing it if you want a clean blade. Some restorers can work around it, but the results are so-so at best. Speaking from experience, it looks like crap when you polish around logos and such.