Thread: Me + dremel = disaster

I hand polished a nice Morley 5/8 barbers notch and it was looking pretty good. then I noticed some Lee Valley honng compound next to,my dremel, and said: why not? it should work out fine.

Loaded up the buffing wheel, and polished it up. It actually looks nice, except,for the two,chips it put in the blade, rig near the heel. I felt the wheel catch and pull around the corner, but didn't notice the damage until I came inside.

I'm hoping I can hone it out . If I end up 're- shaping the heel a bit, the rest of the blade is in good shape, so it should be usable.

Another teachable,moment, I guess.

Barry

Dremel = Straight Razor Tool of Death

I feel your pain Brother, most of us have a Dremel disaster story.
On the bright side, it could have been much worse.
Grant

I think dremel disasters are a right of passage around here :-)

welcome to the club,we all have ruined a great razor with the dremel,I hand rub now !!!!

Dremels are great....for sanding bits of wood, cutting small bits of tile, and polishing things that are not thin pieces of steel! Welcome to the club.

You can use a dremel, if you have one that has an adjustable speed and keep it on lowest rpm speed. And the chipping happened probably because the buffing wheel was spinning towards the blade, so that when it catches the edge it just rolls right over it. Make sure it's spinning towards the spine and that wont happen. Plus a little dab of water here and there so you don't get the blade hot.

You aren't the first, and you won't be the last. Dremels can be razor killers, and it happens in the blink of an eye.

I know, I've done it myself.

This situation is pretty confusing from the perspective of a noob.

I got my hopes up when I saw Lynn Abrams approve and demonstrate the use of a dremel in lieu of a good bench buffer.
Then, my hopes were elevated even further when I read guides on this site (under Cleaning & Polishing)
that mention using a dremel as an easy, precise, and efficient way to buff.

In the end, I was disheartened to learn that almost everybody vehemently denounces the dremel as a viable razor restoration tool.
-Especially when my primary concerns have always been portability, weight, multiple voltage compatibility, and space efficiency.
Other than the dremel, there doesn't seem to be any other options.

So the underlying issue here is that the dremel has the inherent ability to destroy thin blades?
Or is this only a case of an easily mishandled tool gaining unjust notoriety?

Originally Posted by NeoNights

So the underlying issue here is that the dremel has the inherent ability to destroy thin blades?
Or is this only a case of an easily mishandled tool gaining unjust notoriety?

The only time I have ever had trouble with a dremel is if the razor was not securely mounted to a holding jig of some kind with the edge flat to the jig.
Hold a razor freehand & use a dremel & you'll soon see what not to do.