Thread: Cloudy/haze marks?

Hey!

So I've removed all of the rust using a flapwheel on a dremel.. Then gotten rid of most of the scratches using emery.. However, after stopping with the emery I see that parts of the razor are shiny, and part is kind of cloudy. I'm guessing that's because I'm buffing un-evenly (Hard to stay even with a dremel).

Should I just keep at it with the emery? Or move up to something finer like a green or white block?

Thanks
David

Polishing is the same as honing or sanding wood "D" you start at a lower grit and when all those scratches are even then you move to the next higher one... If you used a flap wheel your scratches are running spine to edge, so you want to start at the same grit wet-r-dry and sand from heel to toe until all the scratches are even and lengthwise... Once that happens you move up in grit and continue... Some people switch directions every time they switch grits too.... Continue until one of three things happen...

1. You give up and send the ******* thing out here to me or out to Max

2. You get a really good cut, and send the ****** thing through a wall

3. You get to a point that the steel starts looking good to you, and you say "Huh, I restored a razor"

Originally Posted by dwessell

Hey!

However, after stopping with the emery I see that parts of the razor are shiny, and part is kind of cloudy.

Thanks
David

Sorry most likely you have changed temper already. if it is that cloud shouldn't go away doesn't matter what you do.

Sometimes this can be caused by the buffing technique used. Are you paying attention to your cutting and polishing motions?

Also, I have to ask, are you sure it's not just acculumated compound? Try degreasing it. degreasing also lets you see the scratch pattern more easily.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

1. You give up and send the ******* thing out here to me or out to Max

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Dave, you can always call 1-G&M-TO-THE-RESCUE

I don’t think he is referring to the color of the steel, but the very fine scratches in the steel that has not been removed after sanding -> polishing.

Dwessell, if you have the razor in a good holder (and I do hope you have a good holder… don’t even think of polishing with a Dremmel while holding the blade in your bare hands… I’ve lost a few good blades and almost lost a thumb that way) then try this;

Make sure the blade is firmly in the holder and will not move, use the biggest wheel you have (1 and one half inch diameter or larger) switch on the Dremel and charge the buffing wheel with a small amount of compound (not much… too much and it will not polish well and most of it will be thrown off the wheel because of the centrifugal force and waste the compound).

Now, hold the Dremel parallel with the length of the blade so the wheel is spinning from spine to edge (that is.. the Dremel spins clockwise so make sure the blade’s edge is down if you are right handed… if you are left handed then point the edge up and hold the Dremel in your left hand), them place the wheel right in the concave of the blade at the heel end and press with some pressure until you hear the Dremel slow down a just bit, then immediately begin moving the wheel towards the toe while still applying the same constant pressure, when you get to the toe, immediately lift the wheel off the blade and start again from the heel. Do not go backwards (from toe to heel).

Note: you may need to slightly “tilt” the Dremmel to get the wheel to contact the blade if your wheel is smaller than 1 and 1 half inch in diameter.

After a few rounds you will need to recharge the wheel because, when the compound is spent the wheel it will not polish but will generate more heat so keep it charged.

From time to time you may want to touch the blade with your other hand to see if the thing is getting too hot… if you get burnt… then you may need to change the pace. With every round wait a while for the blade to cool a bit before starting at the heel end again… or do 2 or 3 rounds then wait, and then do 3 more. But do not reduce pressure thinking that will generate less heat, the Dremel will only speed up and will not polish well without some pressure… you could however move faster from heel to toe but that may create diagonal “swirl” lines… you could also place a small fan blowing wind across the blade to help cool it down…. Do not use too much pressure, will slow the RPM of the Dremmel and will not polish well and the motor will over heat shorten the life of the motor.

Note: slower RPMs are better for polishing hardened steel however the torque of the Dremmel motor is low, so when it does go slow there won’t be much power to efficiently polish the steel.

It’s a balance between the amount of pressure, how fast you move the wheel from heel to toe and how often you repeat the rounds.

Use finer and finer grits and you will get the thing polished in the shortest time with little frustration.

When doing the other side the same rules apply.

Another pagefull... sometimes I think I am a bit long winded, but hope this helps some.