Thread: Anyone interested in a PSA Sanding disk kit for razor restoration?

I am afraid that I am too late, but if possible I would commit to 1/8. Please, please, please.

Thank you

Almost. There are only two left after yours and I don't mind keeping an extra one for myself.

You are on the list.

PS ~ VS...

PSA's are not on the current CD, but Snap On Discs are. They are on the Tools page, and also on the Blade Repair page... Figs 37 and 38. They are equally as valuable as PSA's with a twist. Snap On's can be flopped so that you can sand from the top side or the bottom side of the disc. There are times that little maneuver simply works great. Flexibility is dynamite.

I used to carry them on my site. However, providing tool attachments has become a nightmare, so I will discontinue the practice in the not-so-distant future. I also don't like having to charge so much to provide them, but it was the only way I could do it because of the inventory issues ~ yada yada.

You can get all of these things from any jeweler supply houses. I get most of mine from Rio Grande. I really like the rubber mandrel that comes with the kit of PSA's from Rio Grande. Ask Larry what he thinks of his... Your idea of buying whole sheets from Keith is oustanding. By the way your contributions to the restoration of straight razors is absolutely tops. I have enjoyed learning some of your methods.

http://www.riogrande.com/

The updated version of the CD will cover PSA discs as well as snap-on discs. I'm still shooting for August to complete the update. It should have twice the information the first one has. I am trying to figure out how to put some video of doing the work on the CD, but don't have a clue how to get it done. Any advice from you guys?

Bill, the video should be easy if you have a still camera that can make short videos. I have one that will go up to 10 minutes in 640x480 resolution. Transfer to the PC and it becomes an AVI. No work done.

Don't know if MAC has an AVI codec, but suspect it should.

You are too kind to say that you are learning from my methods. With your experience, I would have thought that you already forgot what I haven't learned yet .

The rubber mandrels that come with the Rio Grande kits are great. They are flexible enough to give you needed control. I have not seen them from any other source after a "pretty" good search. I can order some if you don't want to go through the hassle setting up with Rio Grande and ordering their $10.00 catalog. The item number for the mandrels is 337-234 @ $10.95 for a pack of 3.

I should say that I have found it tempting to focus on a pitted area, thereby creating a low spot on the surface. This won't show up until you are putting a mirror polish on the blade if that's your intention. The result is a shiny but slightly wavy reflection like a carnival mirror. As Bill states in his CD, each step is critical to the finished product. It's also critical to use every safety precaution available to you. That means, eye protection, masks, gloves, etc., and using the proper rotation relative to the edge.

Up until now I had only used sandpaper by hand. This works great but is very time consuming as you well know. I tried using the two sizes of tube sanders on a practice razor. I would have too say that I would not reccomend using them. I am curious how much area the disks cover so not too leave more work than what you have when you start the project.

Glen

Sorry, I had to rush the last post, we were going to my inlaws for dinner and the wife and kids were already in the car while I was writing the reply. I was supposed to leave before them to warm up the car. Did someone say this place is like crack?

Bill, I forgot to mention that my camera is a Canon Powershot A620, but most digital cameras can take short video. I found this to be the quickest way to get some short video on line or in a document. It also records the sound, which was a pleasant surprise. The length of the video depends on the picture memory you have in the camera, so you can always max it out for your camera and needs.

I can order some if you don't want to go through the hassle setting up with Rio Grande and ordering their $10.00 catalog. The item number for the mandrels is 337-234 @ $10.95 for a pack of 3.

Larry, do you know if these mandrels come in 1 1/4" or 1 3/16" diameter? The only ones I found before is discount-tools and it looks like hard plastic, the 1" is $2.45. It only comes in 1/2", 3/4", 1" or 2".

I have one like that in 3/4" and the hard plastic does cause a few deep gouges that are a pain to sand out. The rubber, I am sure will be similar to the leather. It has give.

I will order their catalog because I am always looking for reliable sources with lots of choice. Too bad they don't have an on-line catalog. No matter how they try to sell the convenience, nothing beats being able to search, browse and buy without leafing through hundreds of pages.

That said, I do like the larger disk size. Although the give of the disk and larger size reduces the pressure you can exhert on the sanding surface, I consider that to be a good thing. Removing metal too fast will only make it harder to get good results and easier to screw up.

The larger disk of 1 1/4" has 56% more surface area than 1", the 1 3/16" 40% and that just gives you more sandpaper to work with too. I could have settled for the standard size of 1" but preferred the slightly larger disk. It also has a bit less curvature, giving slightly straighter striations.

I also like the leather because it tends not to stick or affect the surface of the metal if you happen to run the spinning disk holder against the metal. I am looking into using a fresh disk with diamond paste to see how it prepares the surface for polishing. How is the rubber in your disk holder, abrasive, sticky, melts on to the metal?

I considered the non-standard size of the disk and look at it this way: if someone wants both sizes then the extra cost of $2 to $3 dollars for the additional 1" disk holder won't make a dent in the budget considering the $15 per grit per 100 disks they need to shell out and it is rare to find a disk supplier that does not also carry the disk holders or offer starter kits which include one.

I would not worry about the durability of leather. Leather is sturdier than rubber, except if you want to wet-sand. But wet sanding with a fast spinning disk is less than pleasant and the silicone carbide paper that I will be using cuts faster and lasts longer than aluminum oxide, so the benefit of wet sanding of less plug up of the paper should be compensated. The cooling effect of wet sanding is not though.

If your leather disk holder falls appart then let me know and I will mail you a new one. Just don't shred it on the edge of your razor too often. The cost of the disk holder is much less than the blade you ruin. So it will hurt me less than it will hurt you .

I will also be including two disk holders in the kit, just in case you missed that post. One 1/8" leather the other 1/4" to 3/16" which is much stiffer.

I would love to hear everyones feedback once you try the larger wheel, different stiffness and the silicone carbide vs. aluminum oxide.

I should say that I have found it tempting to focus on a pitted area, thereby creating a low spot on the surface. This won't show up until you are putting a mirror polish on the blade if that's your intention. The result is a shiny but slightly wavy reflection like a carnival mirror.

Everyone who has not done this before please read a few times and commit it to memory. You need to avoid sanding in one spot for any reason. Sand the whole section of the blade or you will be getting an uneven surface. By section I mean one continuous surface, like blade, tang, spine.

Not a major issue unless you really go to town, then you will see a major difference. This applies double to edge areas, like the spine and tang. There the difference will be visible as an uneven thickness of the edge even if you don't take the blade to a mirror polish. It is not hard to do right, just remember to keep the disk moving over the whole surface and not back and forth in one small area of a larger section.

If you don't heed the warning you will be surprised when you are done by just how sensitive your eyes are to tiny offsets from a straight line, constant curvature or a smooth curve. Bill's attitude "if it looks good, it is good" is a high standard because eyes are hard to fool.

I am curious how much area the disks cover so not too leave more work than what you have when you start the project.

I see you have one of those too. I straightened mine out on a 120 grit beltsander. Still not usable as a razor but is great for sanding practice.

It is not just the contact area issue. Two things make these disks better:

1. The leather has "give" so you can't put more pressure than the leather will bear, same as rubber. After that the leather bends absorbing the excess pressure (up to a reasonable point). The tubes are stiff and have hardly any give so all pressure is translated to the sanding surface.

2. The disk area is much larger than just a line contact of the tubes for the same reason. The leather bends around the curve of the blade making a flat contact with about 1/4 of the curcumference and 1/4" off the edge of the disk. The tubes may actually have almost a point contact with the blade if the tube axis is not alligned with the axis of the blade's curve and tend to cut a curved indentation as they dig quickly into the metal. The disks don't suffer from this they tend to follow the curve of the surface and cut to the depth of the grit particles only.

Update:

Keith De'Grau of HandAmerican told me that my order of supplies is going out Tuesday, because Monday is a postal holiday. So if I am lucky I will receive it next week.

Too bad they don't have an on-line catalog. No matter how they try to sell the convenience, nothing beats being able to search, browse and buy without leafing through hundreds of pages.

Oh no... you're confused. This catalog is as good as a Victoria Secret catalog

Bill, the video should be easy...

Easy for the person who knows how to do it, maybe. I have a Canon PowerShot G-6 that takes those choppy little movies, but I also have a small camcorder. I just don't know how to get what I want to see, edited, then transferred to a certain spot on the web page in a little window that you can view right there.

You are too kind to say that you are learning from my methods.

I try to learn something from everyone. Your fresh approach and energetic outlook is the kind of thing that sparks renewed interest and inspires competitive innovation... There are several contributors here on this site who have made valuable additions to the restoration library.

I also think that valuable contributions can come from the person who may have the least experience. They have a fresh set of eyes to look at things. I'm glad you picked up a few tips from my CD.

Originally Posted by urleebird

Oh no... you're confused. This catalog is as good as a Victoria Secret catalog

When "The Bachelor" is on TV, my wife lets me lay in bed pouring through this baby. It's really sick.

You guys are a terrible influence.

I now have a 3-4 week wait for mine.