My first restoration here; taken six months as I've only been working on it off and on, and today I've finally finished!
But to start, I got this blade off a popular auction site, with the intention of restoring the blade only. Upon arrival, I found the scales were beyond hope, as they were curving in towards the blade, and steaming and boiling the scales did not straighten them in the slightest. Actually, after boiling them, all semblance of black colour left the scales, and they were green beneath (not sure what was going on there!). And with that, I decided that not only would the blade have to be restored, but it looked like I would be attempting my first scales as well.
I have to say, this B&B has the best community of any site I've been on! I scoured for tips and tricks in the resto forum, and found them aplenty. I began on a sanding progression from 80 up to wet sand 2000, did some Dremel polishing with rouge, and then Autosol and Maas. Here's the blade coming together. I decided since this was my first time, I'd go for a mirror finish, just to see how hard it would be. Not sure if I'll make that mistake again! Next time I go to a mirror finish, it will only be for a better blade, or until I get a real buffer.
No pics of the scales being worked, but I picked ebony (for a classic black) and decided to try a CA finish. I used the old scales as a template. It was taking far longer than I thought it would, and so mid way through I decided that I wanted to practise on something else (did some decent CA accents on a humidor I was working on). I think I started learning the trick of working with CA by the end. Polished with Turtle Wax Polishing Compound. I hummed and hawed about what wedge to use; I would have liked a contrasting white, but in the end, decided just to go with more ebony. Peening went remarkably well I thought, using a 2 oz hammer and divots in a framing hammer. More polishing with compound on the rivets, and I finished it up this morning. I always appreciate comments (both good and bad!), but this post is mostly to thank all the members that share information in the restoration section of B&B. You guys are the best; taking the time to give advice and help, posting instructive topics on all stages of a resto ... all that information you leave helps a newbie like me to further enjoy this hobby!
kenski
But to start, I got this blade off a popular auction site, with the intention of restoring the blade only. Upon arrival, I found the scales were beyond hope, as they were curving in towards the blade, and steaming and boiling the scales did not straighten them in the slightest. Actually, after boiling them, all semblance of black colour left the scales, and they were green beneath (not sure what was going on there!). And with that, I decided that not only would the blade have to be restored, but it looked like I would be attempting my first scales as well.
I have to say, this B&B has the best community of any site I've been on! I scoured for tips and tricks in the resto forum, and found them aplenty. I began on a sanding progression from 80 up to wet sand 2000, did some Dremel polishing with rouge, and then Autosol and Maas. Here's the blade coming together. I decided since this was my first time, I'd go for a mirror finish, just to see how hard it would be. Not sure if I'll make that mistake again! Next time I go to a mirror finish, it will only be for a better blade, or until I get a real buffer.
No pics of the scales being worked, but I picked ebony (for a classic black) and decided to try a CA finish. I used the old scales as a template. It was taking far longer than I thought it would, and so mid way through I decided that I wanted to practise on something else (did some decent CA accents on a humidor I was working on). I think I started learning the trick of working with CA by the end. Polished with Turtle Wax Polishing Compound. I hummed and hawed about what wedge to use; I would have liked a contrasting white, but in the end, decided just to go with more ebony. Peening went remarkably well I thought, using a 2 oz hammer and divots in a framing hammer. More polishing with compound on the rivets, and I finished it up this morning. I always appreciate comments (both good and bad!), but this post is mostly to thank all the members that share information in the restoration section of B&B. You guys are the best; taking the time to give advice and help, posting instructive topics on all stages of a resto ... all that information you leave helps a newbie like me to further enjoy this hobby!
kenski
