Pitting...

Happy New Year Everybody.

I was wondering, about deep pitting. I just finished cleaning off this razor, which according to my research is about 70 to 80 years old. It had a lot of crud on. Soap scum? I don't know? But when I got it all off it had caused pitting. I managed to get most of it out, but there are still some pitting, that are just so deep. Is there any kind of trick to this? some kind of filler? LOL, like... bondo.

Seriously, the blade is really looking nice, but that pitting is kind of bugging me.

But I don't know if it's wise to shave off any more metal, and compromise the blade.

Hi there I have restored a few razors I did an experiment with a cheap razor that was badly rusted and sanded it down so there was no more pitting. The razor looked really good however when it came time to hone it the blade was that thin that was nearly impossible to hone. It took me days on and off to get it shave ready and it is a really horrible shave because the blade is so thin (I can bend the blade by pushing it from the side). I now leave the pitting in the blades it remind me that these razors are old and have had a life before I got hold of them.

That is exactly what I'm worried about. In fact, I'm worried that I've gone a little too far already.

This is about the thrid blade I'm working on. I bought a lot a 4 blades on Ebay a while back. I bought for practice, and I messed up two of them already.

I really would like to get this one right. So maybe, I'll just leave what little pitting is left, and just polish and finish it up and work on the scales.

Your best bet when you get a razor with that kind of corrosion is to first hone it a bit to see if the pitting is into the bevel. If it is then you may end up with an edge that will look like a piece of swiss cheese. As you sharpen the pitted areas will just fall away and leave holes and/or micro chips. No point in investing time in sanding a blade such as that IMO unless you only want it for display.

Honing. I was saving that for last. Since I have no honing stone. I'm just starting out. I'm trying to get the money for a norton water stone kit I saw at amazon.com

But I didn't see any pitting on the bevel, that's the first thing I look at is the bevel, the edge. I know I have another blade with some chips in it, small chips. But I need to get the tool to fix that. LOL.

So many tools I still need get. So much more the learn.

Thanks for the tip.

could you post a pic of your razor so people can see what shape it's in now, I usally dont go for the mirror finish myself I leave a patina and hand sand from 600-800 up to 2000 and with old razors there's usually still dark spots and pitting like others said the bevel is what needs to be fresh steel if has corrosion and chips but as I think youve found out full hollows are verythin and over sanding near or at the edge will quickly cause possible damage. look over the wiki and sticky on the workshop forum

I have no decent picture to offer you. But the pitting was on the face of the blade, just under the spine, on the curve. There was no pitting on the blade. The bevel / edge is clean. I have 400 to 600 with 1500 my highest. Then I have some polishing compounds to work with. Though I do have to get green, to finish. And yeah I've browsed through the wiki.

I'm done trying to work out the pitting. And for this blade I see no point in getting a mirror finish. Not with the pits. I'll save that effort for a blade in better shape. And when I get a little better, as well.

I'm just going to put a little more detail in this blade, then see if I can hone it.

But hey, thanks.

Razors with pitting into the bevel can be pretty fun to play with. You can't tell until you hone if the pitting is shallow enough it'll disappear as you move up the grits, or if it's deep enough your blade will literally have a freaking hole through it.

I always try to remove all pitting, then once it becomes clear I'm going to wind up with the wisp of a razor Exile described I give up, hone it anyway and see if the pitting could cause problems. Usually it doesn't. If it does, I'll evaluate the blade, and if it seems like a good idea, I'll grind it down until I get a fresh bit of steel to rebevel, and if the edge STILL has pitting at that point (I've yet to have a razor that bad) I would give up. Yes it's more work than these razors are worth, but hell, it's good practice, and I've gotten a couple good razors out of old pitted pieces of junk the sellers had most likely given up on.

If the pitting does not affect the bevel you may just have to live with it. Polishing will help clean it up and make it shine after the sanding process.

Yeah, this razor came from a lot of 4 I picked up on ebay, a while back. Basically to practice on. I think I paid like 15 bucks for all 4 razors.

But this one here, came from germania cutlery works, and I was able to find some information on the company. Very interesting.

That's why I'm trying to be a little hopeful with it.

Of course, as I mentioned, I do have to get some honing stones. I should have the spare change in a couple of days. When I get paid. :tu

I'd just polish it up and then use a good wax on the blade, it should get into the pits and help retard any corrosion that might start there. You'll want to reapply the wax at regular intervals.

Since its really high, just beneath the spine, you could just sand out the pitted areas only, but that will leave an ugly scooped out looking area, and you'd want to be careful not to mess up the spines geometry. It should be less prone to catching water in those areas, though.

So the corrosion can continue? Despite my cleaning efforts. And a bluing agent, that sounds kind of what I was thinking, when I said a filler.

And wax, that works as a preservative and I never thought of that. But the bluing agent seems be more what I was originally thinking.

I guess I can find this bluing agent online somewhere. I'll do a search, when I get the chance, unless you have a more direct link.

Thanks.

I see. I would say, I used the wrong word when I said filler. I would think this inhibitor is the best solution.

Thanks again.

http://www.santorasworld.com/image/h...20germania.jpg

I've been honing it, with Norton water stones I bought. I have 2 double sided stones: 220/1000 and 4000/8000. I taped the spine and did 20 strokes on the 1000 stone. Looked good. Since then I've been honing it with the 4000/8000 and then strop. I've been at for a few days now. The first attempt to shave, it pulled.

Honed and stropped some more. On my second shave it didn't pull. But the shave was similar to a Bic disposable. More honing and stropping. My third shave was better, but, still not there. More honing. More stropping.

http://www.santorasworld.com/image/germania04.jpg

What do you think? there still a few scratches I have to work on. And yeah, I've been shaving with it, as you see it. With no scales. The scales were so brittle, they crack on me, when I went to remove the pins.

This is what it looked like when I first got it. It was part of a lot of 4 razor I got on Ebay for 15 bucks.

http://www.santorasworld.com/image/b...andle%2001.jpg

The next picture I took after I started this thread. You can see some of the pitting I could not get out.

http://www.santorasworld.com/image/germania03.jpg

Still have a ways to go.

Santora,

I've only restored two razors but both had some pitting... On one razor the pitting was much shallower than the other...I was able to remove it all.... On the second I decided to leave about 1/3 of the pitting on the blade.... I had read other threads similar to this one and did not want to ruin the blade for shaving... I like you... found a badly rusted blade at an antique store... no scales just blade... I decided to sand untill all the pitting was gone...because I was curious like you... It's very shiny but not much good as a razor... I'd have to shorten the blade and make it a 4/8 or 7/16 blade becuase it is much too flexible and I'm sure won't shave as it is...

However, you..... have done very well and have learned a great deal for only 15.00!! I thinks that's great... We learn so much more from making mistakes then from doing it right... I always love what Thomas Edison said when his assistant was so discouraged after 900 experiments failed while trying to discover a workable element for the light bulb.. The assistant said....." after all this time and 900 experiments we know nothing."... Thomas Edison smiled and said... "that's rediculous we know 900 things that won't work"..... My guess is that you have learned a great deal and than the next attempt at restoration will be perfection... Have fun!! Maq

Santora,
You hadn't posted the pics when I wrote my first post... Others will give you more experienced opinions but I believe you'll have a hard time getting all that pitting off the blade... You started with a very rusty razor... the ones I've restored have a little spotting of rust here and there on the blade.... but frequently more rust on the tang and monkey tail then on the actual blade... One had a lot of pitting on the spine... that is still better then on the actual blade... At least i don't see so much on the edge.... Let others give their opinion ... but I don't think you can remove it all without designing a completely different razor ... like one of your previous respondents talked about... so I'd maybe remove a little more.... polish it up and use it as a personal shaver and remember your first very hard restore!!! You picked a blade with a lot of rust..... I was lucky enough to ask a few people... Hey is this ok for a first restore?? No.. no... no....that's way to much rust.....otherwise I'd have attempted one just like that.... I thoght that was the idea....remove the rust and make it shiny..... Maq

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Maq

Santora,
You hadn't posted the pics when I wrote my first post... Others will give you more experienced opinions but I believe you'll have a hard time getting all that pitting off the blade...

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At the time you asked, I only had that picture I took before I worked on it. The other pictures I took, after I started this thread and you requested.

But no, there is no pitting around the bevel. It's all on the face. And from all the honing, I've got a mirror finish on that edge.

But I still only get a shave no better than a Bic disposable. I've been at it for days, now. Restoration is easy compared to honing.

That's a whole other ball game. I'm going to have to look though all those honing videos again, and re-read some things. There's obviously something, I missed.

Other than that, I am putting together a nice collection of razors, including a Boker extra hollow ground. And I've got a few other practice blades, which I might be able to make something out of.

I'll be showing them off soon. Especially the Boker. That blade is in beautiful shape but one of the scales is crack at the pin. The scale with the tree is intact.

Thanks for the input.