Getting started materials

I have a few razors that I would like to get to work on. Currently I have 0 and 0000 steel wool, NeverDull, and Prism metal polish. Not much to go with. I have seen people talk about sandpaper, emery cloth, micromesh, etc.

I've never used emery cloth but understand it to be an abrasive on a cloth backing, this would seem to be a lot better than using sandpaper for razors. Would I be correct in this assumption? Are the grits the same as sandpaper? What grits should I start out with for pretty tarnished and slightly pitted razors? I looked at the sticky and saw '150 180 240 320 400 600 1000 1200 1500 2000', is just for sandpaper or does it also correspond to emery cloth and micromesh? Should I forget about emery cloth and micromesh and just stick with sandpaper?

Looking at the tool used in the sticky I can see how that would work going from spine to edge but I cannot see how it would work going from heel to toe, at least on a full hollow ground. I don't see how it would make contact with anything other than the extreme left and right side of the tool, basically leaving the middle of the razor untouched. Perhaps I'm looking at this wrong.

The sticky also did not mention wet sanding, when should I go from dry to wet?

I really would like to start buying supplies, just not sure just what to buy :)

I always went with wet sanding from the start and I usually didn't go lower than 320 and depending on the blade I would usually start with around 400 that is if there wasn't alot of deep pitting. I will leave some pits if they are to deep than trying to sand them out completely. Especially with full hollow blades since they are thin enough, but that is just me. I found that a blade that was just tarnished alot of times just some Mothers polish would get rid of it. Not sure if the grit on emery cloth is the same as sandpaper, but the micro mesh I think is the same. It just goes to alot higher grit. Micro mesh goes all the way up to 12,000. The highest grit paper I have is 2,500 that I found at an auto part store. Mainly it is all trial and error till you find what works for you, but if you read alot of the great info on here you can alleviate alot of errors.

Should the sandpaper be labeled as wet/dry or is that not necessary? I can just get something at the auto parts store, any brand? I don't mind spending a bit more for quality if need be. Do you use any kind of a tool, holder, or anything like that when you sand or do you just use your hands to hold the paper?

It should say wet/dry something along those lines so you can use it with water. Most auto parts stores have it in stock and as for a holder I use my hands. I just cut it up into small strips about 1"x2", but that is just me I have small hands. Some people use erasers or wood dowels or something else cause it can be a pain on the hands after awhile. Just find what works for you and you can't really go wrong.

Wet or dry is made for metal so yes you want it :)

I also used to start at 400 and see what was going on..

Wine corks or a piece of rubber hose can also be used as a sanding block to save the fingers

Let me give you a good trick for the wet part of the sanding :p start each grit out dry sanding. then when it looks even, use wd-40 or something like it to do that grit again.. It creates an oily slurry and brings out a Glossy sheen that water or dry can't match...

Well, I seriously underestimated the effort involved in this...

I bought a bunch of wet/dry paper, starting and 340 and working up to 2000 grit. I had a razor that was actually in nice, shiny condition with the exception of the very center of the blade which had tarnish on it (I now believe that it's pitting, not tarnish). I figured I could knock that out in no time.

WRONG! I worked it with the 340 paper for a while and it really seemed as if nothing happened. I assume that I worked it for 45 minutes or so. Honestly, all I did was scratch up the razor, the tarnish (pitting, not sure) never went away. As this is my first time I decided to just go ahead and proceed with the rest of the paper, working up to the 2000 grit. I spent about 2 hours on it. Now remember, this razor was actually pretty clean with just this one area (took up the whole center of the blade, about a 3/8" circle) of tarnish.

By the time I got to the 2000 grit I might have it back to the way it looked before I started. Not sure, it might look better, hard to say without before and after pictures. All I know is that I have a new found respect for those of you that are able to make those old razors shine!

I'll just have to keep at it...