Here is how I spent my weekend: Hand Sanding Blades

I decided to finish a couple of blades before starting on the scales. I find blade restoration to be more demanding on time and effort and I usually procrastinate until the scales are ready and I need a blade to put into them. This time I decided to get the painful stuff out of the way first.

So for the last while I've spent a few hours a day restoring blades. I spent most of the weekend doing the same.

All are hand sanded with a bit of assistance from satin finishing wheels I got from Bill Ellis so long ago :w when I just got interested in restoring razors. Never found much use for them because I did not like the finish they leave but now I got to use them to speed up pit removal.

I also discovered that a tiny drop of Sterol (the water soluble lubricant used to protect razors) on the blade during sanding goes a long way to make hand sanding easier.

1. The sand paper does not clog up as fast so it lasts at least twice as long.

2. All the grit and metal that is sanded off stays on the blade instead of making a mess around the workbench and hands.

3. This one is a great bonus. Because of 2. all that grit that breaks of the sand paper backing stays on the blade as a slurry and continues to participate in the sanding. The finish left is much smoother than sand paper alone. The scratches are less sharp and already a bit smoothed out for the next grit.

4. Because of 1 and 3 it is easier to create an even satin finish on the blades.

I left the faces of the blades satin and the spine and tang polished. Hard to take pictures to convey the shine but blades 2 & 3 really glow. It is the closest I ever got to a perfect mirror finish.

Here are the blades top to bottom:

1. Kropp 5/8" (I have a Kropp 7/8" that I will restore and make these into a two razor box set)
2. 5/8+, near wedge, No name, "Ready set for immediate and permanent use"
3. 6/8+ / 7/8 Geo. Wosternholm, IXL
4. 7/8 W&B Celebrated Hollow Ground for Barber's Use.

http://www.winpte.com/str8/4_W&B_GW_KR_Wdg.jpg

The scales below are for blade 2.

http://www.winpte.com/str8/EbonyAfzelia_2.jpg

When the scales are done and the blades pinned I will use by father's camera to take some better pictures.

I am so glad all that sanding is out of the way.:y

One word: Kickass! You keep raising the bar like this, me and you's gonna have words! (Namely me bombing your PM box, begging for instructions :D)

Great googamooga :eek: :eek: :eek: c'est incroyable.

holy razor porn batman!!!! you are a master!

All I can do is shake my head and laugh in awe and amazement. WOW!

More razor porn Vlad! :tu

That's what you guys get for encouraging me: another porn pusher. :)

I wanted to post a bit more information but did not want to miss the chat so here is the rest.

I tried to take better photos but with my camera it was impossible. There are details in the blade finish that did not capture well. The W&B has a rougher satin finish (about 220/400 mix) which did not show. I got almost all of the pitting out that blade. A couple stubborn ones were left in lest I turn it into a Wonderedge.

Since Chris asked me about the mirror finish I decided to post the info just in case there are more inquiring minds lurking here.

I went all out on getting the mirror finish right on blades 2. and 3. which were the last ones that I restored.

I thought it would just reduce the number of left over, fine lines that showed up after polishing but did not expect the brightness of the finish to go up everywhere. It did. So much so that my wife remarked on how bright blade 2 was. It is not the whole blade just the mirror finished spine and tang but the effect is noticeable even by someone who could not care less about razors. Blade 2 was the first, 3. next so it is even brighter than 2.

Until now I always stopped doing 90 degree striations after about 600 grit and relied on my eyes and gut feel to know when to stop sanding out the previous grit marks. I made these without too much pressure so they would be easier to sand out. :gth

This time I decided to stop cheating and to it right. I made them all the way to 2000 grit, with full pressure and with a fresh piece of sandpaper. :eek:

It took twice as long to do the fine sanding but I never had to drop down to a rougher grit. The added bonus was seeing the shine like I was never able to achieve.

Instructions are simple:

1. Sand with 100, 120 or 150 grit till you drop or you get the pitting out (which ever comes first). You can use flap wheels or satin finishing wheels to get close. Just make sure you don't oversand one spot. Keep the metal removal even. Small scale unevenness is OK. You will have no trouble sanding it flat. It is the big dips that are a problem. Finish sanding by hand. You don't want to use a finer grit to even out the surface.

2. When done, drag the sand paper perpendicular to your normal sanding direction. Do it with a fresh piece of sandpaper and the same force. Make sure to leave these scratches in many places. The goal is to make sure that these marks are as deep or deeper than the ones you already made.

3. Change to the next higher grit and keep sanding in the normal direction until all the perpendicular scratches are gone. Play the razor in the light to make sure they are all gone (they disappear under some angles)

4. Go to step 2 and repeat until you reach 2000 grit. Then polish.

If you decide to sand out the pitting by hand remember to bring some food and plenty of drinking water. You are going to be at it for a while. :w

Can't argue with the results. Superb work Vlad :tu

I've said this before, but I think I'm in love.:p

Are any of those ladies single?

X

Vlad,

Once you put blade #2 in those scales, even Josh will have to consider going to a smaller blade...gorgeous!

RT

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Originally Posted by rtaylor61

Vlad,

Once you put blade #2 in those scales, even Josh will have to consider going to a smaller blade...gorgeous!

RT

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Luckily I have been spared from going down in size...I just got very lucky and came accross an inexpensive 8/8 W&B Celebrated razor in need of restoration (same as the 8/8 that Vlad has restored above) that I am giving Joe Chandler complete artistic freedom and a complete open timeline to restore. As well as the use of some of my near mint 8/8 Friodurs to shave with in order to help him think about the restoration for a few weeks :D I wont say anything else, because I know Joe hates the pressure, even though he has nothing to worry about lol. Vlad the razor is beautiful and I'll make sure Joe sends you pics of mine when he is done and you can compare notes. This solution seems like it would make everyone happy, especially me ";"

Stunning workmanship! Pictures like these should be classed as criminal straight razor solicitation! :D

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Originally Posted by Kees

Stunning workmanship! Pictures like these should be classed as criminal straight razor solicitation! :D

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Well at the least they should be wrapped up in opaque plastic and stored behind the cash register so as not to accidentally corrupt innocent minds

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Originally Posted by vladsch

This time I decided to stop cheating and to it right. I made them all the way to 2000 grit, with full pressure and with a fresh piece of sandpaper. :eek:

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Good god, I know from experience how damn long that takes. Not to metion the hand cramps too.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, eh vlad? ;)

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Originally Posted by ToxIk

Good god, I know from experience how damn long that takes. Not to metion the hand cramps too.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, eh vlad? ;)

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or at least his hand....:eek:

Unless he develops a case of CTS :thinking:

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Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Unless he develops a case of CTS :thinking:

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No I wouldnt allow that...that would mean a major decrease in razor porn...we will all just have to chip in for one of those braces :D

That's what I love about flap wheels for blades that don't require extreme work. They leave a surprisingly even finish, while getting you half-way there. On top of that they're much easier on the wrist and the nerves :D

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Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

That's what I love about flap wheels for blades that don't require extreme work. They leave a surprisingly even finish, while getting you half-way there. On top of that they're much easier on the wrist and the nerves :D

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I need to get a house so I can get a dog and a workshop....

Wrong order of priorities Josh. :nono: You need a workshop and THEN a dog. In any case I've done most of my work on a small table right in front of the TV without even following what's on. Laker-girls could have a systematic strap failure and I wouldn't even notice it :eek:

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Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Laker-girls could have a systematic strap failure and I wouldn't even notice it :eek:

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You made us clear what your priorities are. :D

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You made us clear what your priorities are.

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Hmmmm women I'll never get to sleep with or razors I shave with every day? :thinking:

Simply outstanding work, Vlad. Glad to see that you have mustered up some time to come out and play again... :D

Awesome, I wish I had half the talent and knowhow to do this kind of work.

That is an insult to straight razors everywhere!!! Just horrible! Those should all be sent to me for immediate disposal. :w

As usual Vlad your work speaks volumes for your patience and talent. :bow Beautiful!! When you say hand sanded do you actually mean at no time did a machine touch those blades to restore them? That gives me a lot of hope if so. Personaly I would enjoy spending months sanding a single blade by hand in front of the television.

On these blades I "cheated" and used a coarse satin finish wheel (1") to cut down on the 120 grit sanding of the pitting. Otherwise I would spend an extra 1 to 3 hours per blade on 120 grit. I also used the wheel after the 120 grit to help the 220 grit get the sanding striations out, but not too much. Again, just the rough stuff to cut down on the amount of hand sanding.

I prefer to hand sand because I get more control. Not a limitation of mechanical restoration means just my own limitation of available tools and skills. Some custom knife makers like Bill, Joe and Peter (sorry if I left anyone else out) are more adept at using their equipment to restore razors. I am more limited in my arsenal. :cry:

If you decide to do it by hand then make yourself a sanding stick mandrel and look at the pictures of sanding progres in this thread (The Making of a MINTY W&B Meatchopper). The sanding stick/mandrel will save your fingers. The pictures may help you stay the course and not panick when you see your first blade rough sanded. :eek:

If you spend and hour a day sanding, you should be done in less than two weeks even for a pitted meatchopper and considerably less for smaller blades or ones in better condition. I look forward to seeing your project pictures in the near future.

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...and used a coarse satin finish wheel (1") to cut down on the...

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Got a pic of one of these, Vlad?

you gave me hope one the hand sanding thing. I've bought a range of sandpapers going from 100-2000 and have started on a few myself. The only thing I still do not dare to touch are scales and pins.

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Originally Posted by urleebird

Got a pic of one of these, Vlad?

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Bill, now that I checked it is a 7/8". I got one originally off your site. I just received a new batch from Rio-Grande. It is a mini fiber wheel in their Tools/brushes/More/Texture category.

Ahh... now I'm on the same page. Those things are great. The brown ones are stout enough to remove a lot of crud and rust. The light grey are good for surface imperfections, and the red and green are good for putting a "grind" pattern on the surfaces.

They also have 5 inch wheels with a similar fiber on them that are great for cleaning up metal and leaving a nice finished surface.

Thanks for the info Vlad/Bill.. I'll definitely be giving them a look-see.

The abrasive buffs are what I started off with. I like them, but found they're not very cost-effective. You can (hopefully, if it's not too bad) get one blade done with one before you need to replace it. They cost about $3 for 2 here. The coarse will last a bit longer than the medium and fine usually. The flapwheels from widgetsupply get more work done for less money, and do a better job, IMO. I normally finish up with radial bristle disks.

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I normally finish up with radial bristle disks

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Are they not the best attachment you can put on a rotary, or what? :tu

that's simply nothing short of amazing and those scales...! They must be the most beautiful I've ever seen. (not that I've seen many but if those were common everyone would keep at least 1 straight razor, if only for looks :) )

Astonishing! :cool:


Please post pics when they're finished? :)