Shiny Blades?

zig zag

zig zag

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I've just had a look at Neil's Website and am now wondering; how does he get his blades so clean and shiny? So if I was to buy a secondhand razor would I be able to get it anywhere near as clean and shiny as Neil does? Any suggestions on cleaning blades and the best way to clean the surface that has an etching on it? Also the best way to clean scales and the pins etc.? All your suggestions kindly received, Adam.
 
He has a buffer wheel machine (I don´t know what they´re called in English) and several special compounds (that´s not to abresive) + he re pin the scales and buff them too (and oils them). The closest you can get, without going pro, is s Dremel, but they´re very hard to use. We have something called Autsol (compound) here in Sweden, I think it´s German though. Anyhow, it works, if you are prepared to get dirty and gritt away :D
 
Here's a link to the first in a great series of ten videos on youtube showing the restoration of a vintage straight from beginning to end, including all the steps, such as removing pitting, polishing the blade to a mirror finish, making new scales, pinning the scales etc.

I was bored one afternoon and sat and watched them from start to finish (easily 60+ minutes), they are really informative and well worth a watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uurBeF1u83U

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uurBeF1u83U[/youtube]
 
zig zag said:
I've just had a look at Neil's Website and am now wondering; how does he get his blades so clean and shiny? So if I was to buy a secondhand razor would I be able to get it anywhere near as clean and shiny as Neil does? Any suggestions on cleaning blades and the best way to clean the surface that has an etching on it? Also the best way to clean scales and the pins etc.? All your suggestions kindly received, Adam.
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Easy answer is dremal or buffer if you want it real shiney, but if you have goldwash or your etch is frosting and not engraving kiss good buy to them even normal metal polish and a cloth can wipe this stuff away, high grit wet and dry/ micromesh are good for scales
 
Neil gets good results because he has the right equipment and a lot of experience. The alternative is a lot of elbow grease and a Dremel for polishing: with patience that will get you somewhere near ...
 
I'd pay attention to what Mikael says about Dremels - one slip or a moment of inattention can cause a lot of grief or a nasty accident. If you must use one, make sure you have some sort of clamping device (eg a holder with rare-earth (strong!) magnets in it) so you dont flip the blade into the air if you get near the edge.

Purpose made grinders are great - they operate at a slower speed than normal, but most buffers will go at around 3,6000 rpm and with small wheels you run the very real risk of overheating and ruining the temper of the blade - it wont take a good edge after that. It is easy to step-down the speed in america due to the smaller current they use, but not over here - using home-made rheostat devices presents the risk of burning out the wiring in the motor, and not all electric motors will work with them anyway.

My setup is home made: a hefty electric motor coupled to a spindle arbour via pulleys and belts - stepped pulleys let me get a variety of different speeds, and different wheel diameters give further scope for altering the speed (we are talking about surface feet per minute here).

You can't do the impossible though, like pedro says - buff the blade and the gold wash will be gone in a flash. Do more than buff and the etch under the gold wash will disappear too.

Regards,
Neil
 
Thanks for that Neil. The razor, that is hopefully on its way to me, has a two word engraving and no etching or wash. So what would be the best way to clean and polish it by hand? I've read somewhere that autosol has been used to good effect, what do you suggest, thanks, Adam.
 
Neil Miller said:
My setup is home made: a hefty electric motor coupled to a spindle arbour via pulleys and belts - stepped pulleys let me get a variety of different speeds, and different wheel diameters give further scope for altering the speed (we are talking about surface feet per minute here).
Click to expand...


Yeah, that's what I would say, although I would actually recommend converting a small cheap wood lathe to a buffing machine, preferably with rollers rather than buffing wheels.
 
zig zag said:
Thanks for that Neil. The razor, that is hopefully on its way to me, has a two word engraving and no etching or wash. So what would be the best way to clean and polish it by hand? I've read somewhere that autosol has been used to good effect, what do you suggest, thanks, Adam.
Click to expand...

Depends on the amount of tarnish, Adam. Maas/Autosolve/Flitz will remove a little and most of the patina, but if it goes any deeper you will have to hand-sand. Its best to make a small magnetic jig with a raised back for the spine to rest against and a bar at the front under the jig to hook the bench. Then make a wooden former (curved to echo the grind curvature) and tape strips of wet and dry sandpaper to it. Try high grits - if that doesn't work, drop down a grade, then work back up, eg 400/600/800 and then micromesh grades 1500/2000/2500, followed by Maas or similar. If you see deep lines, drop back a grit and remove them, then work back up again. Try and slightly vary the angle with each grit, so you aren't reinforcing any lines - this also lets you see when lines from the previous grit have disappeared.

The engraving should be deep enough to survive the attack!

I used to do all mine by hand, sometimes starting at 100 grit. It takes many hours, but you can get a near mirror polish if you pay attention. Not to mention repetetive stress syndrome!

Regards,
Neil
 
Thank you Neil for that weclome bit of information as I was initially going to attemp it by hand. So that has encouraged me to do so. Just a few questions, hope they don't sound too dim. Would you use the wet & dry wet or dry? Where would I be able to purchase Maas/Flitz? Tahnks again for being so generous with your knowledge, Adam. I think once it's cleaned up it will be making it's way over to you to be honed, then I'll know what shave-ready is and it'll give me a benchmark.
 
No problem, Adam!

Some people use it wet, but they use WD40 as the lubricant. I never bothered - just used it dry. You can get Maas here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.lastingshine.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.lastingshine.co.uk/</a><!-- m -->

Regards,
Neil
 
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