Thread: Razor restoration sander........

Here is a link to some pics of my new sander I use to restore straight razors and 3 razors that I tested the equipment on, with before and after pics.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/randyda...7628301756225/



DSCN3115 by randydance062449, on Flickr

This started life as a wood lathe for pen makers. What made this so attractive for razor restoration is the variable speed control. Initially the distance between the headstock and tailstock was to short. So I asked my friend Dennis & Geezer what could be done. Dennis took a MT1 arbor with a machinable end, bored it out and drilled and tapped the threads for the headstock. Then He did the same for the tailstock but inserted an oilite bushing instead of a bearing. The shaft, 1/2", is thick enough to minimize centrifical force, is flat ground on the headstock end and turned to the proper diameter for the tailstock.

The sanding wheel is 1.5" in diameter, 1" wide, and has a layer of "cushion" wrapped around it, about 30-40 durometer. The cushion allows the wheel to conform more closely to the radius of the blade, but....it is not perfect, just better. The total diameter is about 1 3/4" and that fits 9/16" blades.
To attach the sandpaper a layer of double sided carpet tape is wrapped around the cushioned wheel. Then the sandpaper is cut and applied to the tape/wheel. I am using shop rolls for sandpaper up to 600 grit.
The sandpaper lasts longer than I thought it would and comes off the tape easily. The nice part is that I do not have to change the tape very often.

The best part is that you can sand out pitting etc far faster than buffing with greasless compound.

If I were to do this again I would use a lathe with a distance between centers of 20" or more. Then you could use a sandard 3 jaw chuck in the headstock and a cone live center in the tailstock. I would also increase the diameter of the shaft to 3/4" to be on the safe side. A 1/2" shaft works fine but the 3/4" would probably do better.

RodB and Skipnord were over to my home today so I gave them a brief demo.......RodB has already reserved time on the machine!

Randy,

That looks really cool. The three blades look great too. I'm looking forward to seeing more come off that lathe.....can you make a demo video for us?

I wish I could do stuff like that....

Yep - this is a really cool set up. When Randy showed me this the first time I went home and set up something similar on my lathe. It really works well for blades. You can make various diameter wheels for different grinds. Makes quick work of removing rust and pitting. His lathe is a 16 inch Grizzley, which really works great. Mine is a cheapy 12 inch, and is just ok. Thanks for generously sharing, Randy

That looks like a great tool for restoration work, The variable speed, small soft wheels, plenty of clearance in both directions there are a lot things to like about your sander setup.

Charlie

Dresden ( Dennis Danich ) said it was OK for me to post his email addy for anyone who has questions about building a sander like this.

<[email protected]

Update........

My lathe is a Grizzly G9247, it is to short, 14", that is why I had to go with the custom arbors.

Here is one Used http://www.stripersonline.com/t/7572...ly-g9247-lathe

I wish I had seen this sooner H2669 Hobby Lathe it is much longer

If you go with the inexpensive option you will need a live tailstock cup center else do what I did and purchase the MT1 arbor with a machinable end like this BLANK MORSE TAPER ARBOR, MT1 NEW | eBay
and have it bored out and a oilite bushing installed. Plus have a shaft 1/2" diameter that will fit into the oilite bushing and into the 3 jaw chuck on the drill. Make sure the drill chuck can handle a 1/2" shaft and that the drill has variable speed.

Many of these small lathes can be fitted with an extension bed, and double the length of material you can handle. Check with the manufacturers.