Thread: first razor restore (in progress)...help needed

Hello All,

So I am in the middle of my first razor restoration and have finally reached a point where I have a lot of specific questions. First off, thank you for all of the advice you've unknowingly given me so far!

I've been pretty cautious when it comes to the restoration process...I started with my grandfathers old dagger because it was substantial enough that it would be pretty much impossible to ruin, and had pretty good results and got a feel for how much metal is removed how quickly, etc. Keeping in the substantial theme, I started with this big old bobtail. It's 8/8 at it's widest point, full wedge, and the spine is a hair under .25" thick. I hand-sanded at 180...for what felt like a very VERY long time...and am just about to start moving up after one more 1/4 sheet of 180, but I have a few questions before I do.

first off, pictures (my apologies there aren't pictures of both sides, but it's about the same on both sides...before and after, for that matter):




Question 1: Is there a good method to get inside the shoulder while hand sanding? I know I can get at it sanding vertically, but it's quite a bit more difficult horizontally and I'm worried I won't be able to get the vertical lines out to give me the mirror finish I so desperately seek if I can't sand out the vertical lines.

Question 2: As you can see, the spine has some discoloration I left...what you may not see is the faint etching that says "Magnum Bonum" on the spine. Is there a way to remove the discoloration, without removing the etching...I have no problem leaving the minor pitting to preserve the etching, I just would rather lose the discoloration. Have I found myself into the age old problem of "Lose the etching, get a shiny razor" or "Keep the etching, and convince yourself the discoloration adds character"?

Question 3: I know, it's my razor and I should do with it as I please, but I'm having the damnedest time thinking of what to do for scales for this big mamma jamma. It originally had straight (real) ivory scales, but unfortunately they are not able to be saved...I am, however, hoping maybe I could use a piece of the ivory as a spacer for the new scales I make. I know I want natural material...and I'm tempted just to get some black horn and go the classic route, but I also think this big guy could stand for a little creativity as well. What would that be, might you ask? I have no idea...so I'm open to suggestions! Also, it would be helpful if there are specific things I should or shouldn't do for functional purposes...

Question 4: (Last one) Does anyone know ANYTHING about this razor? I can't really find a thing about it. Do I need to call in manah?

Thank you so much for reading all of this and thank you in advance for your input!

Cheers,

Ryan

G'Day Ryan,
I would not go any further with 180 grit 'cause it looks like you have a good surface to work on from here.
Regarding the spine, I find that when I put it on the buffers it cleans up the tarnish without removing the etching. (I use brown tripoli as my first grade, then green, then Autosol/Maas)
I would go to 240 grit and sand at 90 deg (ie across the blade) until all the 180 grit scratches are removed then to 320, 400, 600,....2000 changing the direction each time.
You must ensure that all the scratches from the previous grit are removed before moving on.
I do 45 deg sanding as well to keep things fairly flat and change from dry sanding to wet & dry with WD-40 as a lubricant at around the 600 mark.
As far as scales go I have found this mob very good for the range of horn/bone that they have
Pietra Dura Etcetera items - Get great deals on items on eBay Stores!
I send them a message and tell them what I want to use the horn for and what I want (streaks/plain colours etc) and they pick some nice patterns for me and they post really quickly.
I am sorry that I can't give you any information about this razor except that I want one...hehehe.
Make sure you keep us posted on your progress...can't wait to see the finished article.
I wish I was close enough to help.

Thanks for the link! Some nice stuff there indeed!

I have a pretty good handle on the sanding after doing the dagger (I learned my lesson on moving on before all the previous scratches were removed on that...what a time consuming lesson that is).

Regarding the spine, I was kind of hoping to do this all by hand, as I'm kind of in transit right now (Chicago, currently Oklahoma City for a year, then back to Chicago in April) and have really no power tools (or space to use them) at my disposal...but maybe i need to find someone in Oklahoma City that has a buffer they would be willing to let me use...

I will definitely update this thread to completion, although there may be some sizable gaps between updates

I wish you were close too, or more precisely, I wish I was closer...because then it would be summer and I could walk to any store and by Arnott's Mint Slices any time I wanted!

Originally Posted by ryanjewell

Regarding the spine, I was kind of hoping to do this all by hand, as I'm kind of in transit right now (Chicago, currently Oklahoma City for a year, then back to Chicago in April) and have really no power tools (or space to use them) at my disposal...but maybe i need to find someone in Oklahoma City that has a buffer they would be willing to let me use...

I will definitely update this thread to completion, although there may be some sizable gaps between updates

I wish you were close too, or more precisely, I wish I was closer...because then it would be summer and I could walk to any store and by Arnott's Mint Slices any time I wanted!

PM me and I'll post you some....hehehe
I've also had success with 1200 or 2000 wet & dry when I've been too lazy to go to the workshop or there is something on TV I've wanted to watch (I do this while hand sanding) - just keep and eye on the progress

you can use an eraser with sand paper wrapped on it to get into the tight spots while sanding.

Also pay attention to your sand paper. Not all paper is created equal. There are different grit compounds for different purposes. Using a paper made for wood wont get you very far on steel. I use aluminum oxide paper most of the time. Norton makes some good sand paper.

Originally Posted by cannonfodder

Also pay attention to your sand paper. Not all paper is created equal. There are different grit compounds for different purposes. Using a paper made for wood wont get you very far on steel. I use aluminum oxide paper most of the time. Norton makes some good sand paper.

Good advice!
I tend to use Norton Silicon Carbide papers, or the 3M ones

Yeah, I went the 3M route at the auto store. Is there a cheaper place online for all sandpaper needs?

Look at rhynowet for good metal sandpaper. Lots of guys over on bladeforums use it for handsanding a blade. I've used 3m paper to good effect.

You could probably clean up the spine with 0000 steel wool and Mothers aluminum wheel polish. I use that combination quite often. With the spine I lay the wool pad at the edge of a counter or table, put some polish on the spine and then use a motion with the spine on the steel wool like you're trying to saw the pad in two. Doesn't remove much steel but should clean the tarnish off nicely. Both the steel wool and polish can be found at Wal Mart. The steel wool will be in the paint stripping and lacquer dept. You might find an off brand of polish that's cheaper than Mother's, but I know it works well. It's also a good combination for polishing the blade, along with 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper and I use the polish with the sandpaper also. Good luck with your project. Regards, Howard