Note for those hand sanders-

Hey all!

I thought that I might post a quick note for those guys that are just getting starting into straight restorations.

When I started restoring straight razors about 3 years ago, I did not have access to a lot of tools, and being a student, money was fairly tight. So I, as many others, turned to hand sanding my blades. As many of the experts on this site will tell you, hand sanding your blades is in no way "wrong" or "bad", but it isn't exactly the fastest way of getting the job done.

So I want to mention something that will really help you guys out. BUY A DREMEL. They are not very expensive at all. If you are restoring a razor that has pitting, you are going to have to remove a substantial amount of metal for the razor. By all mean, take this metal off by hand, but if you do have a dremel, you can get flapwheels for them; which are money in the bank if you ask me.

I usually use a 120 grit flapwheel. I turn my dremel to almost full speed and the sparks fly off very easily.

I haven't found a way to use the dremel to finish the entire process, but you can use the 120 grit flapwheel to quickly (relatively) remove the metal that you need to shed to get down to good metal. Once that job is done, you can continue to happily hand sand with your normal progression, knowing that you have saved HOURS by using the dremel to get the bulk of the job done faster.

Also, if you buy (for about 5 bucks CAD) a cotton dremel buffing wheel- not a disk- you can load it up with mothers mag & chrome polish and get the job of buffing to mirror finish done in a triffle. On my most recent razor, it took me only about 30 minutes with the mothers/dremel wheel combo to get the blade to a mirror finish.

For those of you that knew this already, sorry to bore you, but I sure wish I had known this little tip before spending 9 hours painfully sanding the pitting out of my wedges.

I think the worst advise you could give someone starting to "restore" is to buy a dremel. no offence..
Dremels are dangerous, and 120 grit is entirely too low to begin sanding unless you have MAJOR pitting ...

I am a believer in sweat equity, however if you went to work for 9 extra hours (considering your time is valuable) you could likely pay to have your razor done professionally... or be well on the way to saving up for the proper tools while practicing your polishing skills.

Again, no offence intended... Haste makes waste. :)

Old67

Some use a Dremel to great affect, but epd has a point. They require alot more safety care. Use as long as it serves you. Keep all your body parts intact.

I have to agree with epd.
Stick to the hand sanding until you are ready to move up to the bench grinder with the greaseless compounds.
I did the dremmel thing and killed 2 blades and I was being careful.

Dremel= the tool of the devil,But I actually used one last night,wife do's all sorts of custom jewelry stuff,used a dental burr to drill a hole in a mabe (SP) pearl,worked pretty well.
Only other thing I use via dremel is a SS wire wheel after recuttng jimps.

OK i have used a dremel from time to time... mine is normally mounted on their "drill press" stand or has the flexible wand attached they are OK tools but not always the best. one issue with high speed and flap wheels is potentially over heating the blade, a silly waste of a razor, also you can quickly chip and even crack the blade with the shank of the tool. if you are using one set it to the slowest speed and take your time. if you search here on the forum you will probably find a guide to making your own high grit drums and i think even flap wheels. yes many of us have experimented, but as always, slow and steady is better than quick and dangerous.

Due to living space restrictions, I do not have the option of a full sized workshop. So I started with a dremel using homemade sanding drums per threads here on SRP... have stepped up to using 1" stitched muslin buffing wheels with greaseless compounds with great success... and I have never looked back. For example: exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit C, exhibit D.

IMHO saying a dremel is dangerous to a just-getting-started restorer is as poor a piece of advice, if not poorer, than not saying it. Reason being that it can easily lead a beginner to assume a full size bench grinder with greaseless compounds is easy in comparison when, in reality, it can be just as dangerous and damaging without practice.

I think the more appropriate thing to say is that either route can work brilliantly if practiced first. And either route can fail spectacularly if not practiced first.

As others have already alluded to in this thread, the key with either is to practice, practice, and practice more until you:

1. Get a feel for how each grit your working with will behave
2. Learn to stay focused and ensure you the rotation of the polishing wheel is spinning away from the 'shaving' edge of the blade so it won't grab it and destroy the edge, shred the wheel, or send the razor (or shards of it) flying
3. Get in the habit of regularly dip the blade in a cool cup of water to avoid over heating it and ruining its temper

Regardless of whether you use a dremel tool or a bench grinder, the result you get out of it will be directly proportional to the amount of practice you put into it.

Just my humble two cents...

Amazingly no one recomends buffers to beginners, only Dremels and the like..

Simple fact, fast spinning tools by sharp fagile tempered steel is a dangerous thing.

In the OP's defense he said "Wedge" razors which as we all know are much easier and safer to work on, but we all know that any beginner reading this probably missed that or didn't know that until I just mentioned it..


There is no sense in arguing one way or another what is good or what is bad no Newb will listen awyway, and you all know better

Just to throw out my 2 cents,

I too began restores using a combo of hand sanding, hand drill mounted buffing wheels and a Dremel.

I have had successes, and radical failures. I endured over heating, chipping edges and launching razors into walls, and cut fingers and hands.

My advice to the beginner is to make your own mistakes, but I will not use a hand held spinning tool against a free standing piece of sharp steel ever again. I can get great results without risking life and limb.

Remember, I said I too tried all of the above, but finally returned to the tried and true method of slowly hand sanding them, with a finishing polish on a bench buffer at slow speed. I find I just don't need that 'perfect' shine anymore. I only restore razors I plan on keeping and using anyway.

If I'm in that big of a hurry, something is wrong with this picture. I've ruined too many razors with my dremel to take the chance anymore.

As I said, just my 2 cents. :) But, I did indeed try all those methods, as Glen can attest, since he helped me remove a dremel chip off a very expensive razor just last July.! :)

M

LOL Thats right Mike, I forgot that Puma was a Dremel bite we fixed

BTW there are pics of that someplace on here

Personally I view it similar to the way we shave. I want to do it right and I want to enjoy the process. The other day I took a rusted genco and brought it to shine by hand. And it wasn't in that bad of shape so an hour with power tools and it would've been done. But I enjoyed the process in bringing it back to life. I'm not saying I'll never use power tools if I ever try to work on a chipped blade or something major. But for a standard antique shop or eBay find I'll stick to hand sanding.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Amazingly no one recomends buffers to beginners, only Dremels and the like..

Simple fact, fast spinning tools by sharp fagile tempered steel is a dangerous thing.

In the OP's defense he said "Wedge" razors which as we all know are much easier and safer to work on, but we all know that any beginner reading this probably missed that or didn't know that until I just mentioned it..


There is no sense in arguing one way or another what is good or what is bad no Newb will listen awyway, and you all know better

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IIRC, both Lynn and bill ellis demonstrate using dremels in their restoration DVDs, which is why so many try them out.
dremels have lots of other uses and are probably easier to convince SWMBO that you need one then say a buffer which she will be unlikely to find many tasks for you to use it on.
an nice sanding jig is very useful and i have found that curved molding can be made into better sanding blocks than a simple sponge, but that is just me.

Wow I didn't expect to start such a thread!

I take no offence, I should mention, from those people posting contrary ideas to mine. I know what works for me, and I have had nothing but success with my dremel and flapwheel. I'm embarrassed that there seems to be such a resounding negativity towards my process though...

I approach it in a very methodical manor, and I do it all free hand. I can feel the pressure, feel the heat in the blade, and can visibly see the sparks coming off. To my mind, nothing could be safer for myself and safer for the blade. I agree 100 percent that a wheel is ideally the way to go, but when you live in residence at a university, space and noise are of great concern.

I was not trying to say that this set up is the best, easiest, or safest. If you read what I wrote it says nothing of the sort. The only idea I was trying to propose is that it helps a lot if you are a hand sander. I also think that, just like shaving itself, it all depends what feels right to you.

I will attach a picture at the end of this post showing what I can do with nothing but a dremel. It might not impress you to death, but nobody is going to say i ruined the blade or did a poor job. This is my daily shave, or will be now that the resto is all done. It needn't be perfect, and I'll happily admit that it isn't professional quality work- but for a 21 year old who views it as functional art, it is more than good enough.

Thanks for all the input guys. My only other word on the subject would be to encourage people to try using a dremel at least once. I started with a higher grit flapwheel, but moved to the 120 after I got a feel for it. Figure out what works best for you, or just get a wheel if you have the space. To me, it beats hand sanding all the pitting out of the blade.

Attachment 92894
(Just demonstrating my point. Just telling all the dremel denouncers that with practice, you can get a mirror finish with a free hand and a flapwheel.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old67

Wow I didn't expect to start such a thread!

I take no offence, I should mention, from those people posting contrary ideas to mine. I know what works for me, and I have had nothing but success with my dremel and flapwheel. I'm embarrassed that there seems to be such a resounding negativity towards my process though...

Thanks for all the input guys. My only other word on the subject would be to encourage people to try using a dremel at least once. I started with a higher grit flapwheel, but moved to the 120 after I got a feel for it. Figure out what works best for you, or just get a wheel if you have the space. To me, it beats hand sanding all the pitting out of the blade.

Attachment 92894
(Just demonstrating my point. Just telling all the dremel denouncers that with practice, you can get a mirror finish with a free hand and a flapwheel.)

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Wow your system huh???

Please run these searches

"Restore, Disaster, Dremel, Razor" and see what others have found

Then go look at some dremel work by a master with the tool "The Topher" from way back on SRP

Have been working on this dremel thing all day,had some crop failures but I shall overcome and master this pricision tool,off to the razor safe.I have some N.O.S fillys that need a buff,back in a flash.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...econe/drem.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Wow your system huh???

Please run these searches

"Restore, Disaster, Dremel, Razor" and see what others have found

Then go look at some dremel work by a master with the tool "The Topher" from way back on SRP

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Sounds like I might have hit a nerve? Sorry if I upset you man, really. Also though, read back. I never called it "my system." Not once. I did say that I was shocked that people had a problem with "my method," meaning the way I described the work I did. I'm not trying to sound like I pioneered anything. This is not ground breaking work, its all been done before and I am completely aware of that.

I don't really care to run those searches. I thank you for pointing out the potential for disaster; you raise some extremely good points and I don't argue with any of them. I'm not actively trying to anger people here, I was just pointing out that dremels can be a very useful tool. If you don't believe me, that's not my concern- don't use them for all I care. I'm not even trying to say its the best way. In the thread I posted when I finished this razor, I freely admit that it is nowhere near as good as the professionals razors. I am not a pro and I don't pretend to be. All I was trying to do was pass along some advice on a tool which has produced for me some good results.

It works for me every time. If you are careful, it can work for you too. Just passing on some information- don't worry though, I won't be making that mistake again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old67

Sounds like I might have hit a nerve? Sorry if I upset you man, really. Also though, read back. I never called it "my system." Not once. I did say that I was shocked that people had a problem with "my method," meaning the way I described the work I did. I'm not trying to sound like I pioneered anything. This is not ground breaking work, its all been done before and I am completely aware of that.

I don't really care to run those searches. I thank you for pointing out the potential for disaster; you raise some extremely good points and I don't argue with any of them. I'm not actively trying to anger people here, I was just pointing out that dremels can be a very useful tool. If you don't believe me, that's not my concern- don't use them for all I care. I'm not even trying to say its the best way. In the thread I posted when I finished this razor, I freely admit that it is nowhere near as good as the professionals razors. I am not a pro and I don't pretend to be. All I was trying to do was pass along some advice on a tool which has produced for me some good results.

It works for me every time. If you are careful, it can work for you too. Just passing on some information- don't worry though, I won't be making that mistake again.

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Hey, dont worry about all of this, when I began starting to clean up razors I used the dremel, and had excellent results. I never had an issue with flying or broken razors, however at one of our meets I was showing off my collection to Holli when he asked how I cleaned them up, I knew he knew. From that moment on my outlook had changed, I either make those scratch marks go away entirely or leave it alone.
That being said, I already owned a dremel, and im sure I wrecked countless things before I touched it to a razor (or I probably would have wrecked a razor or two).
As someone else put it, we will all make our own mistakes.

On a side note I can see where gssixguns coming from, the search is there for a reason. If 20 people join the site everyday and fill up the topics with new /their/whatever techniques/questions without searching to see that topic has been ubercovered, not only will the newest new guys be reading this new thread via search - but potentially taking yourself and others away from usefull threads - and actually learning something.
Hope that made sense, just my POV, not speaking for anyone else.

I am a fan of a $3 pack of 3M wet dry abrasive paper.
The 1000 grit followed by 2000 grit gets most blades
clean and bright. Then I hand polish a little bit more
each time I rehone the blade knowing that eventually
it will be mirror bright. I am not in a hurry....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by epd

On a side note I can see where gssixguns coming from, the search is there for a reason. If 20 people join the site everyday and fill up the topics with new /their/whatever techniques/questions without searching to see that topic has been ubercovered, not only will the newest new guys be reading this new thread via search - but potentially taking yourself and others away from usefull threads - and actually learning something.
Hope that made sense, just my POV, not speaking for anyone else.

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I'm almost certain after the amount of years that this website has been operating almost every topic, question and answer about straight razors has been covered ad nauseum. So, why would we ever have to post anything? Just use search, find the answers to your questions, then search for the answers to the questions which are generated by the answers to your first questions etc...etc...etc...Sorry, I could not resist.

Use a dremmel with dark glasses and near the neck and groin area for maximum effect...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Have been working on this dremel thing all day,had some crop failures but I shall overcome and master this pricision tool,off to the razor safe.I have some N.O.S fillys that need a buff,back in a flash.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...econe/drem.jpg

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:roflmao

PF, thanks for cleaning up my Dorko. Can't wait to get that baby back and shave with it. It looks great!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wintchase

Use a dremmel with dark glasses and near the neck and groin area for maximum effect...

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yup that works 100%, 100% of the time :beer1: if you are trying for dueling scars and unique razor designs.
i used my dremel just the other day... i had a fabric roll of 7 razors that got damp at one point. all 7 razors had a spot of red rust right where the shank touched the fabrice... the spots were small and near the spine a little polishing did not helps so i used a brass wire wheel on the dremel to clean it up and out of the jimps. polished more, oiled the blades dried the roll in the dryer and slotted the razor back... no huge deal.

jim

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old67

Wow I didn't expect to start such a thread!

I take no offence, I should mention, from those people posting contrary ideas to mine. I know what works for me, and I have had nothing but success with my dremel and flapwheel. I'm embarrassed that there seems to be such a resounding negativity towards my process though...

I approach it in a very methodical manor, and I do it all free hand. I can feel the pressure, feel the heat in the blade, and can visibly see the sparks coming off. To my mind, nothing could be safer for myself and safer for the blade. I agree 100 percent that a wheel is ideally the way to go, but when you live in residence at a university, space and noise are of great concern.

I was not trying to say that this set up is the best, easiest, or safest. If you read what I wrote it says nothing of the sort. The only idea I was trying to propose is that it helps a lot if you are a hand sander. I also think that, just like shaving itself, it all depends what feels right to you.

I will attach a picture at the end of this post showing what I can do with nothing but a dremel. It might not impress you to death, but nobody is going to say i ruined the blade or did a poor job. This is my daily shave, or will be now that the resto is all done. It needn't be perfect, and I'll happily admit that it isn't professional quality work- but for a 21 year old who views it as functional art, it is more than good enough.

Thanks for all the input guys. My only other word on the subject would be to encourage people to try using a dremel at least once. I started with a higher grit flapwheel, but moved to the 120 after I got a feel for it. Figure out what works best for you, or just get a wheel if you have the space. To me, it beats hand sanding all the pitting out of the blade.

Attachment 92894
(Just demonstrating my point. Just telling all the dremel denouncers that with practice, you can get a mirror finish with a free hand and a flapwheel.)

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i hope that isn't your blood all over the paper ;)

It is a fact that misusing a rotary tool can be hazardous. The same can be said about shaving with a straight razor. Treated with respect they both can be wonderfully effective tools.

I've been using my dental handpiece for some things and had no problems. However, I use it all day to make porcelain crowns, so I'm really comfortable and skilled with it. Also, it's got a foot pedal control, and after as many years as I've used it, it's just automatic.

I don't use it for sanding though, just polishing and the like.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old67

I turn my dremel to almost full speed and the sparks fly off very easily.

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Full speed ???? 30000 rpm ???? Way to cook a razor ! I strongly advise against this.

I used a dremel with flap sanders 120 - 400 grit for a majority of my restorations in the past but it is not something to be recommended to newbs with no experience in using motorised abrasives.

You must have respiratory & eye protection. The rooster tail of fine particles off those things is huge.

You must have a magnetic or similar jig to hold the razor flat or risk the flap sander spinning the razor over & taking a chunk out of the edge. There is always a risk of this with any freehanding with dremels e.g. if doing the top of the spine unsupported.

You must have cold water on hand to cool the razor or make very light infrequent passes.

The process is actually not that fast compared to hand sanding but saves on RSI.