Thread: Sanding

Well my first restoration is under way. There is some nasty pitting on the blade I am working on. I started standing Sunday evening and I am still working on damage removal. About a couple of hours at a time while watching tv with the wife.

The blade is looking better and I am seeing the pitting slowly reduced. I am currently using an 80 grit aluminum oxide. Would silicon carbide work any better, or about the same?

Anyway I just wanted to share with you all. I will get some before and after pics up soon so you can see my progression so far. Feel free to make any comments or suggestions. I cannot thank all of you enough for the wealth of information and generousity that you offer.

Thanks!

Jon

So far I've always used Aluminium Oxide, and that works fine.
I have sanding belts that are silicon carbide, and they are fast, but I have the impression they load up faster too.

Originally Posted by Raithskar

I started standing Sunday evening and I am still working on damage removal. About a couple of hours at a time while watching tv with the wife.
I am currently using an 80 grit aluminum oxide.

Either that blade is very severely pitted or you are still using the same piece of sand paper you started with on Sunday. 80 grit, even with hand sanding, is very low and will take away a lot of metal in not much time. What grind or size of razor is this you're working on? If it is hollow/extra hollow ground I would be careful not to over do it on removing every single pit.

It is a hollow ground blade. A Henckles to be exact. It is a narrow blade. I am guessing it at a half inch. Smiling edge with a barber's notch.

It was in bad shape.



Jon

First of all I would strongly suggest that you switch the TV off and then work as follows:
Make yourself a wooden sanding block shaped to the same radius as the hollow on the blade and pad it with a piece of leather or try to get hold of a rubber sanding block shaped to the same radius. A knife making supplier should be able to help you with this. Try Texas knife making supplies or Midwest knife making supplies.
Clamp the blade flat onto a solid surface and use the block as backing for the sand paper and sand longitudinally using moderate pressure. I use wet or dry sanding paper and lubricate with a soapy solution. You will be surprised what difference a little lubrication makes to save time and the sandpaper will last much longer. Run the relavant index finger against the spine and use it as a guide so to speak while keeping the other hand and finger AWAY from the cutting edge.
Judging from what I see in your pic I would probably start with 360# followed by 800# and then 1200# or even down to 1500#. In a worst case scenario it should not take longer than an hour. My guess................. about 30min.
Hope I made sense. English is not my mother tongue.

By the above, take a cork from a wine bottle on her sandpaper from 600 to continue

This is how it looks at present. This with just 80 grit. Sorry for the poor pic quality.



Jon

Lots of great suggestions here. When sanding by hand I have had very good experience using the wet/dry automotive sandpaper with a dot of gun oil. It creates a little "slurry". Typically I begin with 400 grit and change to a new piece of paper frequently because hardened steel "eats" up the bite fast. Once I have a clear vision of the depth of pitting, I then decide if it is necessary to begin repair with something more aggressive. Often those deep scratches made by the lower grits can create additional work as you progress up the scale. As you do move to a higher grit, it is imperative that the previous scratches made by the lower grits are removed, otherwise you may not get the finish you were hoping for. One way to do this is to change the direction of your sanding pattern as you are transitioning to a higher grit. This allows you a better prospective of the previous marks and the headway you are making at eliminating them. I should also add, if you choose to use a little gun oil lubricant, you should clean off the blade each time you move up in grit so any granules left from the lower grits do not create new scratches. Just my two cents worth but I feel it best to take baby steps as you go up in grit size. Example would be 400 600 800 1000 1200 1500 2000.... I am not suggesting that this is absolutely necessary in every case. Just feel that it offers the best opportunity for a great end result. There are of course some additional options available if you have access to power equipment.
Best Regards, Kenny

Just finished sanding my first blade last week. It wasn't in as bad of shape as yours so I started at 400. I then proceded to take it up the grits like rangerdvs stated above, each grit all the way up to 2000. I also changed the direction of the sanding with each grit change, up and down with one grit, left and right with the next. Looking back I wish I would have remembered to clean the blade between grit changes. Grrr.

edit to add: I didn't use any lube while sanding. I've read on here where if you do use it you have to be careful not to take too much metal with it. So I just played it safe and ry sanded. Totaly up to you of course. With the size of the blade in the ammount of work you've already done with the 80 grit, I would think about maybe leaving some of the pitting instead of taking so much metal off. Maybe a little more experienced restorer could give you more advice on that aspect though.

Thank you all for your advice. I am going to make a standing block today and try to finish the blade restore this weekend. I will get the before and after up when I am done.

Thanks again!

Jon