Can these girls look good again?

Hallo guys,

I just got this off ebay (haven't got them yet). A pair of Erik Anton Berg and I'm not really sure about the size as it wasn't stated by the seller. I'm not really sure how bad they are...but I'm hoping they can still be saved. Hope you guys can chime in to answer some questions.

1. Is it as bad as it looks or it's just surface rust?

2. Is it possible to clean them without unpinning or some rust that's left near the pin will cause problem later?

3. Which would be more advisable, hand or machine polishing?

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Thanks for all the help and pointers! :rock:

IIRC the red stuff is surface rust (someone please correct me if wrong) and you can probably scrape the worst of it off and then maybe just give it a go with a mild polish such as Mothers Aluminum or MAAS and see where that gets you. You can use something like dental floss to get the worst of it from around the pins and you'll probably be ok. From a quick glance those scales may appear to be ivory :)

Always hard to judge from pics but...
1. Rust on the edge is always bad but sometimes you can hone beyond it. The rest can be removed to varying degree.
2. Yes it is possible to clean without unpinning & sometimes desirable but never as thorough as stripping it down.
3. By hand is the safer gentler approach. Machinery is faster but needs an educated touch.

Rust along the edge can be a problem. If it is deep you may end up with jagged bits on the edge that will give you a scratchy shave. As long as they hone out, they could be used as is. If you dont want to get overly extensive you could use a utility knife or single edge razor and scrape the worst of the rust off. The bubbly bits will be deeper than just surface rust. You will have some pitting in those locations. Problem with rust on a hollow grind is that there is not much material there to start with. To completely remove the rust/pits you have to remove steel which could leave your blade too thin and flex or worse yet, sand through the steel and end up with holes. Scraping it clean then hand polishing with something like MAAS will clean them up a bit, Then hone and use.

Thanks for all the answer. Is it adviseable to get a pro restoration for this kind of condition or it's ok to DIY and then send it for honing?

From my experience, you won't really know until you start restoring them. I've seen some pretty hideous looking razors shine up to beauty queens. Have fun!

Here is what I would do. I would do a light cleaning on them to remove the surface rust with a single edge razorblade like mentioned above. Then I would take it to a 1K stone (with a taped spine) to see how the rust was at the edges & if I could get a good bevel set. If I could get past any pitting along the entire edge, then I would clean up the razors. Those scales are ivory, so be careful with them. If the blades pass the stone test, I would de-pin them and clean up the blades by hand. There will be some pitting, but to me it's ok...I have quite a few scars myself I have accumulated throughout life.

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Originally Posted by pesa

Thanks for all the answer. Is it adviseable to get a pro restoration for this kind of condition or it's ok to DIY and then send it for honing?

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That would really depend on your skill & experience.

Swedish steel, me like!
Take it easy with power tools and razors, it can quickly go horribly wrong, both for the razor and you.

Another question, would there be any adverse reaction on the ivory scale if I were to use WD40 to try clean the rust near the pin?

It could change the color a little, but will not damage them.

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Originally Posted by pesa

Another question, would there be any adverse reaction on the ivory scale if I were to use WD40 to try clean the rust near the pin?

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Keep it wiped up so the rust/grime paticulate doesnt set in.

Hi guys,

Finally got these razors in the mail today and as was advised earlier in this thread, I used a razor blade to clean them. The condition of these razor aren't really bad at all...no pitting, and all the rust are just surface rust. No chipping or bad rusting at the edges though they will need to be re-honed. Managed to remove all the surface rust except around the pin. Gonna try using floss thread after this. Here are the pics after I cleaned them up with the razor blade:

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What can I do to polish the darken spots/ areas? Can it be removed with soft cloth and metal polish? Or do I need to use sandpaper and sand it away?

Set a bevel on it with a 1K stone. See if you can get good steel along the entire edge, you will need at least 10x magnification. If you have good steel along the entire edge or can get to it, then by all means remove the pin and restore it. If not, I would recycle the scales and put them on a good blade.

If you don't do as I mentioned above, you are just polishing a turd...it will always be a turd. I don't care how shiny or pretty a razor is...if it can't take a edge, hold it, and give a good shave...it's a turd & needs flushed into the "collector" world.

I'm afraid what you call dark areas are actually corrosion i.e. pitting. They need more abrasion than a soft cloth & polish can provide. Of particular concern is the area near the heel on the razor on the left. Some careful sanding & then honing may give you success tho.

I used soft cloth with metal polish...it managed to significantly reduce the dark areas and make it shiny-er tho I think some would stay that way. Will keep polishing them and post some pics later. Right now I really wish I have a Dramel to help the polishing. Will send this out for honing later this week and will see what the expert think.

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Originally Posted by shooter74743

Set a bevel on it with a 1K stone. See if you can get good steel along the entire edge, you will need at least 10x magnification. If you have good steel along the entire edge or can get to it, then by all means remove the pin and restore it. If not, I would recycle the scales and put them on a good blade.

If you don't do as I mentioned above, you are just polishing a turd...it will always be a turd. I don't care how shiny or pretty a razor is...if it can't take a edge, hold it, and give a good shave...it's a turd & needs flushed into the "collector" world.

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I don't have any stone so I'm not sure whether it'll take an edge. There's a 50-50 chance it can either be a turd or a sword. I'll just have to send it for honing and find out...