Thread: When to say "when"?

The blade I'm currently working on has a couple of scratches and one pit that defy my efforts to clear up. Even after 4 hours of 60 grit sandpaper, they are staring me in the face. I'd show some pictures, but I can't take photos worth beans and nothing but a shiny blob is visible.(I'll be asking about how to take clear pics later)

I'd like to move on, but those blemishes really bother me. Can I continue, or is there a danger in damaging the blade using such coarse grit levels?

I'm not surprised it's taking forever if you're hand-sanding. A pic would be helpful but there are some things not even dremeling will help. In most cases you'd be ok shaving with it and it would even look nice, just not mint.

ya, i agree


just move on. finish up the rest of the sanding and it will work fine as a shaver. that pitting won't do anything except be an eye sore. you will end up buying new blades as we all do anyways and at that point this older one will get replaces and put in a drawer as you start the collection.

so don't worry about. move on and get using it.

~J

Or get a rotary tool with a flex shaft and some flap wheels.. It's cheaper than a new blade

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

I'm not surprised it's taking forever if you're hand-sanding.

Yep. Hand sanding. I want to do this without electricity.... I'm weird that way. I also don't mind the amount of time involved. There is somewhat of a meditative quality to hand sanding. I was just concerned that using a grit of 60 might be doing more harm than good.

A pic would be helpful but there are some things not even dremeling will help. In most cases you'd be ok shaving with it and it would even look nice, just not mint.

Well as stated earlier, I can't take pictures worth half a crap. I suppose I'll swing by Wally World and see if I can sweet-talk the portrait photographer into taking some shots of it.

It won't do any serious harm. You'll just do more hand sanding at lower grits so it's all good.

Keep in mind that sanding with higher grits also removes metal and some blemishes will disappear or almost disappear when you finally sand out all the lower grit marks.

My wild guess would be to recommend switching to a higher grit. It will still take a few hours at 100 grit to sand out 60 grit lines and that will also remove considerable amount of metal. After that another hour at 150 then switch to 220.

The thinner parts of the grind are in danger of either becoming too thin or sanding out completely at the edge, making the edge uneven which requires honing/grinding of the edge to even it out.

Overall you have another 4 to 5 hours of sanding before you are done with 220 grit. By that time any blemishes and pits that are still there are definitely too deep to be removed without endangering the razor's geometry.

Sometimes it is better to leave some blemishes in rather than sanding so much that it ruins the blade.

...as for pictures, do you have a scanner?
Place the razor on the scanner and take various images rotating the razor each picture. You shoule be able to catch the blade just right, with the right angle (most images will make the blade either too dark or bright, but one of the many will catch the scrathces, and pitting just right to show.)

C utz

Originally Posted by vladsch

My wild guess would be to recommend switching to a higher grit. It will still take a few hours at 100 grit to sand out 60 grit lines and that will also remove considerable amount of metal. After that another hour at 150 then switch to 220.

Hmmm... I'll give that a shot. If that does not do the trick I can always start over.



C utz... No scanner, sorry. I was considering finding a photographer to take some really clear closeups when this is finished(could be next week, could be 5 years from now). I'll just move that bit up the timeline a little.

One more question... How much pressure should I be using with the coarser grits? Don't want to warp the blade but I don't want to be too soft either. What is a good way to tell if you are doing it "just right"?