Thread: Cleaning up latest acquisition (lots of pics)

I'm not sure where this obsession is going to end, but I was drawn back to the antique shop where I bought my Heljestrand, and picked up this little guy:



Kinda messy, and clearly some pitting I wasn't going to be able to deal with. The scales were not original, and I'm thinking this razor must have belonged to the same guy who had the Heljestrand, because the replacement scales look similar. However, the edge was chip-free, and there didn't seem to be a lot of hone wear.





So, I got out my metal cleaning and polishing equipment (including the watchmaker's lathe, not pictured), and started to work.



Here's the result.





I'm thinking about trying my hand at some new scales with this one. The scales clearly aren't original, and I won't be heartbroken if something goes wrong. I have some scraps of various exotic woods that might make good scales. So, I'm going to start scouring this forum to pick up tips!

Whaddya think?

Fred

Looking good, I dont have one of those myself but I'm sure Ive read that they're a very nice shaver.
Good luck with the new scales too if you decide to do it, enjoy yourself.
Grant

Hey it's a great start...I would sand the tang after you get the handles off, since your considering new scales anyways..

Originally Posted by 1971Wedge

Hey it's a great start...I would sand the tang after you get the handles off, since your considering new scales anyways..

Yes, I do plan to do a better job cleaning once the scales come off. I wanted to get started with this step to see what its potential was.

Being pretty new at this, I wasn't sure about the brand, but thought I'd seen them reference here before. I'm going to have to look them up.

Fred

Nice job. If I may ask, what did you use the lathe for?

Nice job! Where does one find those fancy sanding pads?

Originally Posted by leadduck

Nice job. If I may ask, what did you use the lathe for?

I put a small cloth disk on the lathe and charged it with CrOx for a final polish. I like that lathe because it has a foot pedal for speed control, so I can change it or shut it down quickly.

There's a picture of it toward the bottom of the page here.

Fred

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

Nice job! Where does one find those fancy sanding pads?

I've had them for a while and couldn't remember, but luckily I kept them in the original shipping box, so I have a reference. The kit is from "The Compleat Sculptor", here. Look under "Online Catalog," then "Abrasives Index," then "Micro-Mesh." I got the "Sculptor's Kit".

There is additional information about these pads on the site.

I've used the kit primarily for polishing soft metals like brass, but it seemed to do okay cleaning up the razor.

Fred

I have a similiar kit someone in the shop, i think i bought it off ebay.

Works great on cleaning up plastic scales

Originally Posted by fpatton

I've had them for a while and couldn't remember, but luckily I kept them in the original shipping box, so I have a reference. The kit is from "The Compleat Sculptor", here. Look under "Online Catalog," then "Abrasives Index," then "Micro-Mesh." I got the "Sculptor's Kit".

There is additional information about these pads on the site.

I've used the kit primarily for polishing soft metals like brass, but it seemed to do okay cleaning up the razor.

Fred

I have an Atlas Craftsamn lathe and also one I built from scratch. They are good for buffing since you can slow them down.