Starting the restoration hobbie. What *Not* to get?

[Seg85]

Hey gents,

I hope you are doing great! I recently joined B&B and have been doing some research as I want to start restoring SRs as a hobby.
I found this great post by @seattleshaver where he advises the following:

Just don't buy blades with cracks, chips or excessive pitting. Scales, if they are going to be cracked, are usually compromised at the pins. Sometimes you get the best deals on Ebay from sellers who don't post the width of the blade as this means that they don't "know" straight razors.

If there aren't a lot of close up pictures I don't consider buying. If I find a good razor and no one else is bidding on it and I've checked the pictures I'll be likely to bid. If it's a Double Duck and others are bidding I'll stay away. There are a ton of razors out there. Just find the ones that others haven't found yet if possible.

These are some great pointers! Do you have any other suggestions on what not to get?

Additionally, I have the following materials:

1. El cheapo 200/1000 stone I use for my kitchen knives
2. The linen / leather strop I use for my shaves
3. 0.3 - 1 - 3 - 5 - 9 - 12 mic lapping films with an acrylic base to stick em into
4. Chromide and Iron oxide bars to treat some balsa with as a finisher / touchup
5. A USB microscope
6. Lots of patience and ample tolerance for screwups

Would the above be OK to start playing with restoring old SRs or would I need something additional? I'd like to transition into a Norton set up but want to take it slowly for now.

Thank you so much for making it this far!

 

[seattleshaver]

Hey gents,

I hope you are doing great! I recently joined B&B and have been doing some research as I want to start restoring SRs as a hobby.
I found this great post by @seattleshaver where he advises the following:



These are some great pointers! Do you have any other suggestions on what not to get?

Additionally, I have the following materials:

1. El cheapo 200/1000 stone I use for my kitchen knives
2. The linen / leather strop I use for my shaves
3. 0.3 - 1 - 3 - 5 - 9 - 12 mic lapping films with an acrylic base to stick em into
4. Chromide and Iron oxide bars to treat some balsa with as a finisher / touchup
5. A USB microscope
6. Lots of patience and ample tolerance for screwups

Would the above be OK to start playing with restoring old SRs or would I need something additional? I'd like to transition into a Norton set up but want to take it slowly for now.

Thank you so much for making it this far!

Get a small ball peen hammer and some copper/chrome rod and the necessary washers if you want to be able to take scales apart and put them back together.

 

[Seg85]

Thanks mate! I must confess I've been tunnel visioning focusing the edge, great call! I'll make sure to stock up on those as well. Cheers!

 

[Legion]

You will need lots of wet/dry sandpaper in various grits and metal polish.

 

[Seg85]

Hey Legion! Thanks a lot for your reply! I forgot to mention. I've some varied granularity sandpaper that I got as a first attempt at touching up my SR's and some autosol, will that do??

Awesome you are down under as well!! May I ask where do you usually shop for old razors besides ebay?

 

[mr_houston]

Polishing stuff.
Honing stuff.

Yes, you are ready to start.

I agree with @seattleshaver that you will soon want to unpin and repin scales. That way you can polish the whole tang and get rid of underlying rust. For now, try to buy razors that don’t show rust on the tang.

I wonder if you need one medium hone. Maybe a barbers hone. Seems like I remember that my higher grit film didn’t work well - mostly I tore them up.

 

[Seg85]

Good catch Mr_Houston!! I forgot to mention I do have a barber's hone I got off ebay a long time ago. I'm just waiting on the film to arrive and want to start with my first project!! Very excited.

Cheers,

 

[Aldwyn]

What NOT to get?

Any Dremel tool with "EZ Loader". Worst f-ing design ever.

 

[mr_houston]

What NOT to get?

Any Dremel tool with "EZ Loader". Worst f-ing design ever.

Thanks for that. I have been looking at current Dremel models.

 

[Seg85]

What NOT to get?

Any Dremel tool with "EZ Loader". Worst f-ing design ever.

Fantastic to know! I think I'll stick to manual sanding for the time being to keep the investment under control but will NOT get this in the future.

 

[Aldwyn]

Dont get me wrong... I like Dremel style tools for grinding, cutting, etc... but when it comes to cleaning a blade, it's all hand sanding for me.

And again, the EZ Loader is a ***!

 

[Seg85]

"Keep the investment under control" he said, and immediately bought more sandpaper as I realised I needed coarser ones

@Aldwyn just to be 100% sure, you really love the EZ loader right?

 

[Ice-Man]

"Keep the investment under control" he said, and immediately bought more sandpaper as I realised I needed coarser ones

@Aldwyn just to be 100% sure, you really love the EZ loader right?

Yeah right

its surprising what you end up with and don't forget the flush cutters or drill press to remove the pins, but if you get flush cutters to get good quality ones.
The cheap ones break and send bits flying at speed, oh and on that note a good face shield to protect your looks...

this is just some of my kit.

 

[Seg85]

Ooft. That looks amazing!!! I'll stick to just edge restoration at the time being as investing on a dremel / precision drill (which are the two methods I've seen so far to remove scales) is something I want to wait until I have one or two razors under my belt for Great call on not going for cheap ones + face masks!

 

[Srdjan]

Unless you're going to get a proper grinder, the Dremel rotary tool is extremely helpful for razor restoration. It has its limitations, but for example, I find the 80 grit flap wheel to be very helpful in the initial stages of rust removal.

Not sure what the problem is with the EZ mechanism TBH. I never had an issue and I use it all the time.

 

[Srdjan]

Ooft. That looks amazing!!! I'll stick to just edge restoration at the time being as investing on a dremel / precision drill (which are the two methods I've seen so far to remove scales) is something I want to wait until I have one or two razors under my belt for Great call on not going for cheap ones + face masks!

To remove scales, you don't need a drill, or the Dremel, unless you're wanting to save that old collar.

All you need is a flat file, a thin punch and a light hammer. Sand one side of the pin flush with the scales, place the punch on the pin and tap lightly. It will come out on the other side. Just don't forget to soak that pivot in mineral oil, or WD40 for a bit, before you attempt this.

 

[Seg85]

Thanks @Srdjan, duly noted! Would you mind clarifying what pivot are you talking about???
Cheers,

 

[Aldwyn]

@Aldwyn just to be 100% sure, you really love the EZ loader right?
[/QUOTE]

Jury is out.

 

[Aldwyn]

Weird.. my multi quote didnt work... trying again.

its surprising what you end up with and don't forget the flush cutters or drill press to remove the pins, but if you get flush cutters to get good quality ones.
The cheap ones break and send bits flying at speed, oh and on that note a good face shield to protect your looks...

You said it. It's amazing how painful it is when a small bit of brass rod hits your cheek at 200MPH! How in the world does it get to such speed in just a couple of inches???

 

[Ice-Man]

To remove scales, you don't need a drill, or the Dremel, unless you're wanting to save that old collar.

All you need is a flat file, a thin punch and a light hammer. Sand one side of the pin flush with the scales, place the punch on the pin and tap lightly. It will come out on the other side. Just don't forget to soak that pivot in mineral oil, or WD40 for a bit, before you attempt this.

Just to add by doing it the way you do is a sure way to crack the scales, I would never atempt to drive a pin through as it still has part of the mushroom. And driving it through the scales ends up badly, as it tries to expand the hole. So go with this method with caution.....