Is this worth saving?

Before the rust and build up was removed, it seemed like a worth while endeavor but now that I can see the steel I'm starting to have second thoughts. These picture aren't great but I hope they show what I'm seeing. On one side, it seems that there was an attempt at a previous restore and the tang shows the damage, on the other side, the pitting seems to be pretty severe. Also, the blade is unevenly ground. So, what do you guys think? Go or no-go?

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...s/DSC_0620.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...s/DSC_0623.jpg

Will it be a shaver: probably (and I'd bet a good one at that considering the Sheffield steel). Will it be a showroom piece: probably not. As long as their aren't cracks and the pitting isn't in the edge or messing up the blade geometry you should have a decent shaving blade. Think of the pitting as battle scars and the razor itself as a practice razor.

Thats some pretty nasty swiss cheese at the tip, that may need removed to get to a shaveable edge. I have one that looks ok but is riddled with tiny holes all over the blade, hard to get past those.

I think this one is going to bare the horrors of my learning. Its going to get some spine work, bevel resetting, and geometry changes. :rock: :shrug:

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Originally Posted by Carbonsteel928

I think this one is going to bare the horrors of my learning. Its going to get some spine work, bevel resetting, and geometry changes. :rock: :shrug:

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Sounds like your best bet. I had one similar that I tried to regrind myself.

How did that work out?

Its pretty bad, but prolly worth saving. Definitly not worth getting all the pitting out tho, IMO.

It was a 6/8+ Rodgers wedge, an impulse buy from the bay. What attracted me to it was the famous american eagle engraving - the same identical one ive also seen on W&Bs and John Barbers, & various other Sheffield makers.

Ironically what attracted me to that razor is long gone! After severe sanding there was swiss cheese everywhere, much worse than yours.

I put it in the razor bin for later work, until one day I saw a belt grinder in my friends garage which his dad uses for motorbike repairing - im not sure how.

He let me have a go, and while I managed to regrind the blade, it is pretty amateur and uneven. I wish I had consulted this forum first and got the right advice.

Ill try and post a picture if I remember when I get back 2 the UK. I may even try and fix it up a bit more.

But I enjoyed it which was the main thing, and it cost me about 15 dollars, so im not too out of pocket

Thanks, I'd appreciate the pictures (if you happen to get around to it). I'm not too out of pocket on this, I can't remember what I paid, but it wasn't much. Thanks for your input.

Here is a shot of the razor halfway through its regrind.... its becoming a hollow so as to remove all the pitting. Any thoughts or advice?

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...s/DSC_0625.jpg

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Originally Posted by Carbonsteel928

Here is a shot of the razor halfway through its regrind.... its becoming a hollow so as to remove all the pitting. Any thoughts or advice?

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I think the wheel was too small, that’s why you have a hollow. Next time you grind a near wedge blade you may want to use the biggest wheel you can get your hands on, the smaller the wheel the more hollow you get… try a 12 inch wheel (though it may be too late for this blade).
In the old days they used slow spinning wheels (slow compared to modern machines) and moved the blade sideways across the face of the wheel so the grind would be even… but I am not sure of that’s possible with a belt sander… I have never used one. There may have been a chance of saving the etch… in cases like these I usually snap a photo before I start work just in case… but it’s gone now.

If you no longer have access to the grinder then you could hand sand with low grit paper and press the paper into the hollow with your finger while you sand from heel to toe, and avoid going near the edge, that may even it out the hollow a bit and you would have a reasonably good hollow ground razor… complete with Hamburg grind… and then work up the grits and polish if you like… but it’s a hell-of-lot of work.

The etching was long gone prior to my attempt. It seems as though this razor is seeing its second attempt. Thank you for the input, I have a large grinder that's hooked up for variable speeds and perfect to implement your advice.

I'm interested to see how this turns out. I have a blade in the mail that I got for $10 off the bay thats going to be the subject of my horrible learning experiments. I think its a valuable part of everyones straight shaving experience.