Thread: White vinegar vs rust

My question is about white vinegar the questions is. Is it safe to leave multiple blades in white vinegar and does the white vinegar eat at blades cause it is a acid

Anything that will attack rust will have acid in it,any acid will,over time etch steel.
Everyone is seeking the magic bullit for rust removal,no such chemical exsists IMO. that will not degrade the underlying steel.It takes fine abrasives and one hell of alot of handwork to restore any razor.
As with most things in life,doing things by hand is the best way.

How long is too long to leave the blade in the vinegar

I did an experiment on a junk blade. I left it in over night. Um, that was too long for that blade. It basically destroyed the edge, turing it into flakes. But as was mentioned before, elbow greese....ah, that was not what you were asking.

That's what I have now is a junk blade I the vinegar and elbow Grease is always required in making art but my young hands are starting to be cramping so I figured I'd try something I help out and eventually I will get a buffer and I'll use that

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Anything that will attack rust will have acid in it,any acid will,over time etch steel.
Everyone is seeking the magic bullit for rust removal,no such chemical exsists IMO. that will not degrade the underlying steel.It takes fine abrasives and one hell of alot of handwork to restore any razor.
As with most things in life,doing things by hand is the best way.

Thank you

I am really glad somebody else said it besides me, If you go back through the search feature here on SRP you will find at least 100 threads on some "Magic liquid" to remove rust from razors,, The latest one is the Molasses thread... Not one of these has worked since 2005 on razors, even if it magically removed the rust and left the steel you would have a dull finish and pitted steel... With that result you still have to either Buff or Sand to remove that so where is the advantage

I have read every one of these threads and will watch the Molasses one as it progresses, maybe the 1-2-3 month routine is the trick...


BTW the fastest way to remove active rust on a razor is with a single edge razor blade, you can cut it right off and get a good look at what is underneath in about 30 seconds...

Last one I did, I went to the Auto Store and got some metal polishing sandpaper, started with 220 then moved to 400, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, then finished with 2500 before going to 2 buffing compounds. All using good old arm power. Took me three hours on the blade, but now she's purty! I will tell you what, the hardest part was getting the buffing compound on my rag. I ended up shaving it with a knife, and kind of melting it to my rag with my power sander (velcro to the rag). Then pumped the arm, wife wasn't too happy - I cut myself three times in the process, and I thought I was being careful! The next one was easier, only one cut, and the third no cuts at all.

Thanks Glen,I would bet that your Gunsmithing backround has alot to do with the way you do razors today,are no shortcuts.My Dad was a gunsmith,I spent a little over a year at the Colo.school of gunsmithing (never graduated tho)
Have been to turnbull restorations on several occasions.
You get to observe the best of the best restore high end firearms,you will understand what true resto work is folks.
You dish out a screwhole or round off a once sharp edge,you are dogmeat,because you cannot replace what was once there,same holds for our razors IMO.ONLY, Our razors are far more delicate than guns.
I remember watching my dad do his maybe last resto,was a simple little K22,took him two weeks,little sticks wrapped with emory,small round stones,valve grinding compounds,never used a buffer,all hand done,looked when finished like the day it left S&W.
I cringe every time someone talks of metal finishing with dremels and sanding drums,it actually pisses me off to a point,but thats me,same with chemicals,take your time,do it right.End of rant.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

I cringe every time someone talks of metal finishing with dremels and sanding drums,it actually pisses me off to a point,but thats me,same with chemicals,take your time,do it right.End of rant.

Man, carpal tunnel syndrome? I gotta respect the way your dad did it but not sure if I would have the time to do it that way. I mean I am just learning about restoration so who knows what I will learn as time goes by. Might feel the same way in a few years. That's if I stick with it.

Originally Posted by Mephisto

Man, carpal tunnel syndrome? I gotta respect the way your dad did it but not sure if I would have the time to do it that way. I mean I am just learning about restoration so who knows what I will learn as time goes by. Might feel the same way in a few years. That's if I stick with it.

Thats the key,are you just doing a wambam cleanup? or a true resto? separates the wheat from the chaff.