So I bought a gold dollar for about $6 shipped the other day (Came with a cheap 100/220 hone and noone was bidding on it so I got it for opening bid). Figured $6 shipped was a good price for a single GD, you've got to buy multiples to get them any cheaper as far as I've seen.
It arrived today.
First, it appears new, but had light rust on it. Unsure what is to blame for that. Seller seems to sell collectables, mostly zippo's, so probably it was displayed at a flea market or something for awhile, then eBayed when it didn't sell. Interestingly, it's in a "Pride Cutlery" box that is red white and blue with "USA" stamped on it. My guess is Gold Dollar markets these to flea market/trade show knife guys as a cheap cabinet filler.
Anyway, I took a shot of the stock gold dollar edge. Honestly it wasn't terrible. I'd guess around 220 grit. The edge was NOT however straight. There were some gaps that would require more work at low grit to fix.
My first step was to take a shot after sanding the rust off (with, I believe 800grit automotive wet/dry).
Next I took the razor to a DMT 600. I spent a little over 5 minutes to fix the razor on this stone, but likely if I were more familiar with fixing these razors, I could do it in a minute or so. Going lower than the 600 seems unnecessary, and likely would save very little, if any, time. There are two images at this stage. One after work would be completed, were it not for edge gaps... displaying the edge gaps on an otherwise 600grit edge, and a second after the 600 has been used to fix the edge gaps.
As for the grinding. Yes the stabilizer is on the stone. This seems to be nowhere near as much of a problem as most people are experiencing. A more significant, (but still easy to remedy) problem was that the razor is not of even thickness or perfectly straight. It thins slightly at the toe. This requires a slight lift to focus the toe, particularly on the facing side (2mm on the "back" side does not contact, vs almost 2cm on the etched "front" side). Again, for any honer familiar with razors, this is child's play to hone around.
This is where I've stopped tonight. Final image is showing the wear on the stabilizer from the initial beveling on 600grit.
It arrived today.
First, it appears new, but had light rust on it. Unsure what is to blame for that. Seller seems to sell collectables, mostly zippo's, so probably it was displayed at a flea market or something for awhile, then eBayed when it didn't sell. Interestingly, it's in a "Pride Cutlery" box that is red white and blue with "USA" stamped on it. My guess is Gold Dollar markets these to flea market/trade show knife guys as a cheap cabinet filler.
Anyway, I took a shot of the stock gold dollar edge. Honestly it wasn't terrible. I'd guess around 220 grit. The edge was NOT however straight. There were some gaps that would require more work at low grit to fix.
My first step was to take a shot after sanding the rust off (with, I believe 800grit automotive wet/dry).
Next I took the razor to a DMT 600. I spent a little over 5 minutes to fix the razor on this stone, but likely if I were more familiar with fixing these razors, I could do it in a minute or so. Going lower than the 600 seems unnecessary, and likely would save very little, if any, time. There are two images at this stage. One after work would be completed, were it not for edge gaps... displaying the edge gaps on an otherwise 600grit edge, and a second after the 600 has been used to fix the edge gaps.
As for the grinding. Yes the stabilizer is on the stone. This seems to be nowhere near as much of a problem as most people are experiencing. A more significant, (but still easy to remedy) problem was that the razor is not of even thickness or perfectly straight. It thins slightly at the toe. This requires a slight lift to focus the toe, particularly on the facing side (2mm on the "back" side does not contact, vs almost 2cm on the etched "front" side). Again, for any honer familiar with razors, this is child's play to hone around.
This is where I've stopped tonight. Final image is showing the wear on the stabilizer from the initial beveling on 600grit.
