Thread: Hand sanding/polishing

So, I've got a few razors that I've sanded up from 150 to 1500 grit by hand. They look good but none have that mirror polished look. You can still see fine scratches on them. Should I be using anything else to remove those final scratches and have it really shine?

I'm trying to do everything by hand, (no buffer wheels).

Thanks,

Jon

That depends on what finish you want to achieve.

It's important that you make sure to remove all the scratches left from the previous grit before moving on to a higher grit otherwise it will leave scratches you won't get out.

When hand sanding I usually go up to 1200 or 2000 grit depending on how much mirror finish I aim for and finish up polishing with Autosol (Maas). I've been using a Dremel and felt wheel for this stage up til now, but it can perfecly be done by hand.

Be aware, if you choose to use a Dremel be carefull and pay attention to the direction of rotation, you don't want the wheel to grab the edge, (or any part of the razor for that matter) and watch the heat, if the razor gets too hot it can loose it's temper. Keep the Dremel on a low rpm.

And again, be careful, a Dremel can quickly turn from a nice tool to a razor killer!!

I will not recommend it to a beginner, but I know that many (like myself) will go for it anyway, but the safest way is by hand.

Good luck!

I'm no expert when it comes to restoring razors but I do have experience working with metal. Try hand sanding some more but work your way up to 2000 grit. The only way I have been able to achieve a mirror finish is to use a buffer with polishing compounds, coarse than a finishing compound. After that hand polishing with something like Autosol in the UK or Maas in the US should do the trick.

I'm sure some of the more experienced members will chime in with some more info.

You could always look into micro mesh for wet-sanding further. Using these I can get to a point where polishing compounds don't make much of a difference.

Cudarunner has some impressive results from a sequence he worked on, taking the 000 synthetic steel wool and 'Bar Keeper's Friend' scouring powder, then 000 synth SW and Maas, then newsprint + Maas, then cloth plus Maas. Some of his work easily matches polishing w/ buffers.

As mentioned above, make sure all the previous grit's scratches are gone before moving up. As for achieving mirror, I would recommend using a 3k sponge for the final pass if you wish to do it all by hand. These can be found at your local auto parts store.

do you have photos?

assuming you removed all previous scratches before moving up in grit, +1 on the micromesh.

Originally Posted by JackofDiamonds

As mentioned above, make sure all the previous grit's scratches are gone before moving up. As for achieving mirror, I would recommend using a 3k sponge for the final pass if you wish to do it all by hand. These can be found at your local auto parts store.

I agree. With any kind of sanding or polishing you have either skipped or not finished a step along the way.

I also find that if I 'rotate'my sanding angle about 45 deg when I change grits, I can easily see when the old scratches are gone.

I'll give the micro mesh a try



The scales are a first attempt with oak before working with my snakewood.