Thread: My First Restoration Attempts

150 - 220 - 320 - 400 - 600 - 1000 - 1500 - 2000 - 2500 are the grits I am planning to use.

On the last blade I restored (Wade & Butcher 4/8 wedge) I used wet & dry with WD-40 as lubricant up to 2k then micromesh with water up to 6k.
After that I buffed it with tripoli and then green polishing wax and, finally, metal polish.
It turned out pretty well.
I have gotten good results from using the 1k to hone out frowns from a few blades - have a look at gssixgun's You Tube videos.
That Manhattan Cutlery is a sweet looking blade - I love the shape of it.
Good luck and let's see the results

ED-40, eh. That's interesting. What's the benefit of that?
And yeah, that blade profile is pretty close to my favourite look.

Originally Posted by jdto

ED-40, eh. That's interesting. What's the benefit of that?
And yeah, that blade profile is pretty close to my favourite look.

I find that WD-40 lubricates the blade better than water and helps keep the sandpaper free of the metal build up that I get when using dry sandpaper.
On some blades I have also used emery cloth, however, I find it is a bit agressive and can leave deep scratches regardless of the stated grit size.
Of course, if it all gets too much, send the Manhattan Cutlery to me and I'll take care of it for you.....hehehehe

I finished the sanding. I don't have anything higher grit than 2500, but I'm happy with the way it's cleaned up but still kept some character. The finish isn't mirror, but it's still nice for me. I might try going higher at some point, but for now I want to hone it and shave with it!

It looks pretty good. The blade has a smile, but I like those. We need more smiles in the world today.

Great Job, thank for sharing !

Bravo, JDTO. Damn fine work. 'Hope you feel really good about it.

Earlier, you asked about restorative grinding on the frown. Glen had a thread about how he removes nicks and frowns - usually holding the spin up off the stone until almost all of the imperfection is gone, then adding 3 layers of tape and using normal honing strokes. 'Works quite well. I've not represented his method well, here, so some searching might be in order.

'Glad you posted this - does me good to see others wading into the soup.

The Manhattan looks great Jack. Nice job on the blade.

With your frowners, I agree with Pinklather. It's not quite as drastic as bread-knifing. You hold the razor on the stone at a 45 degree angle, and grind out your frown.

Beautiful work...

I'd love to give this whole restoration thing a try, but all you guys keep beating me to the old razors in town