Restoring on the cheap

Hey there,

I've been reading this forum a lot for some time, but have never posted anything. So, I decided this was the time to do so.

I want to start restoring razors but since I live in an apartment I can't have a buffing wheel. Plus, I want to start off by doing it on the cheap so I wanted some advice on what I have planned out.

First, can I remove the rust and some pitting (doesn't have to be all) from a blade purely by hand sanding it with different grits of wet/dry sand paper? Is there an specific direction the sanding has to be done or is only horizontal fine?

Then I thought about buffing them with a thick piece of cloth and a solution such as Maas to create a nice shinny look.

After that, I thought of buying a pack of 200/1000 and 4000/8000 Norton Waterstones to do the honing.
http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Wa...it-P94C18.aspx
Would I need any extra stones? Maybe a finer finisher or would just stropping after the Norton 8000K give it a nice sharp edge?

And last but not least...Since I don't have the tools to start making my own scales, has anybody tried having a carpenter do scales for you? Would that be realistic or am I being ridiculous? And can I have them do a wood wedge or does it HAVE to be some material like bone?
After that I would just do the peening the 'traditional' way...rod, washers, and tons of little bangs with a hammer.

Any help on these things would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks!

I'm doing just that in an apt myself. Though I just moved and I'm now closer to a shop I can use once in a while.

One thing you will find when starting out is that power tools are not always your friend. Sanding by hand I think would be the best way to go.

Never thought about hiring a cabinet maker for scales... I'd look for someone that works on small pieces of wood. I think you would end up with a better match.

The stones look good and you can shave off the 8k, yes a higher grit stone will make things easier but that's for after you get used to honing in general.

Welcome to the site by the way :)

I live in an apartment too and do everything by hand. Handsanding will remove rust and pitting but depending on how deep it is, you may be spending many hours sanding. Lucky for me, I like the look of a slightly pitted blade.

As for honing, you won't need anything higher than 8k. I get great shaves off my 8k and a few laps on my crox strop.

I checked into having someone in town make some scales and the price was crazy. I ended up going to Classic Shaving and buying their replacement scales for $10.

Thanks for the replies...

So just plain sanding the blades with wet sand paper is all that is necessary even if it's full of rust? (I don't care about removing heavy pitting...
What grit would you start with?

Also, do I really need a Norton prep stone to create a slurry? I've read mixed reviews about this...

Thanks again!

Amazon has the same set of Nortons for less BTW...
You don't need the prepstone, they are too expensive now...

Also there are many many tricks to handsanding that help the final outcome so make sure you read through some of the forum too, honest it will save time in the long run...

Just a few quick ones here

1 inch rubber hose
wd-40 or 3-n-1 oil
180-220-320-400-600-800-1000-1500-2000-2500 wet-r-dry sandpaper
Turtle-wax liquid rubbing compound

these are just some of the important things you should have and know how to use, there are more...

You can sand and polish as you described and get very good results. You may also want to look into a vibratory tumbler if you are going to get into this. They dont' take up much space and can put an excellent polish on the blades.

As for the carpenter question, not really. I would check out the woodworking forums/newsgroups and ask around there. If you have any woodworking supply places (not he same as lumber yards) you can inquire there also. Look in the yellwo pages for exotic wood or exotic lumber.

Goog

Making scales at home by hand is not that hard.
You can get wood in precut 1/8" thicknesses, and rough cut it with a coping saw, shape with a file and drill the pin holes with a pin vise or hand drill.
Hand sanding with a magnetic jig makes things easier.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Also there are many many tricks to handsanding that help the final outcome so make sure you read through some of the forum too, honest it will save time in the long run...

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Could you recommend some threads in particular?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

1 inch rubber hose
wd-40 or 3-n-1 oil
180-220-320-400-600-800-1000-1500-2000-2500 wet-r-dry sandpaper
Turtle-wax liquid rubbing compound

these are just some of the important things you should have and know how to use, there are more...

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Thanks for the post Glen, I've seen your work and it's incredible.
So...what do you use the rubber hose for?
Do you go through all 10 grits of sandpaper every time?
And also...what do you use the Turtle Wax for?

Thanks again!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by garciabazan

Could you recommend some threads in particular?

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This thread is one place to start. It continues to be a tremendous resource for me.

Be sure to check out the wiki too.

The rubber hose is to wrap your sandpaper around, your fingers will appreciate it. Using the coarser grits of sandpaper is an experience thing that you will have to gain, like how much pressure to apply. Some razors may need it (amounts of pitting & it's depth) and some may not. Magnetic jigs to hold the blade are well worth the time to make or purchase...much safer as well considering you will be "sharpening" the blade as you clean it up. Some use rubbing compound with their finer grits of sandpaper, but as to it's application/results I have no experience to date. I do like to use 3-n-1 oil when handsanding...

Could anybody post a pic of how you wrap the sandpaper around the rubber hose please? I'm still unclear as to how/why do this..

thanks again for all your help!

+1 on Bruno's thread on hand sanding. I made the sanding tool out of scrap wood and it works great. I use a rubber band to hold the sandpaper on. I've never tried the rubber hose method.

As far as working in an apartment, I live in a tiny New York City apt and it's no problem. (My wife doesn't like the sawdust but I can deal with that.) The only power tools I have is a Dremel that I use mostly for polishing and shaping wood scales. I use a small vice that clamps on to a desk that is very helpful.

If you are using full sheets (8.5x11), cut them into 1/4. Just roll the sandpaper around the rubber hose, grit out. Almost like you would roll up a newspaper.

Ahh ok, and then just sand with the wrapped hose length wise I presume?

thanks again for all these tips!

You got it. Helps save the fingertips from growing quite so tired, eliminates pressure points, & keeps fingers away from that edge. Remember, even if the razor isn't sharp when you begin, it will be plenty sharp enough to cut you after a while of sanding.
Good luck,
Scott