Patina: Good, bad or indifferent?

[Legion]

Ha... that might be a better idea actually, considering I'll probably be ruining one already at some point with my inability to use a dremel!

Those things a purpose built for experimenting on.

 

[Frank Shaves]

You get a desk grinder and swap out the grinding wheels for soft cotton wheels. Then apply the greaseless compound to the cotton wheels and use them to get rid of rust on blades. From memory I get my greaseless compound from the car restoration supply company Eastwood. It works really well. I've been using this method for about 10 years now with very good results.

Harbor Freight sells a 6 inch bench grinder for less than $40. I could also use this to polish horn scales.

Is 6 inch a good size? Do many of you guys use bench grinders?

 

[Legion]

Harbor Freight sells a 6 inch bench grinder for less than $40. I could also use this to polish horn scales.

Is 6 inch a good size? Do many of you guys use bench grinders?

I have a 6" and an 8". If you are planning on turning it into a buffer for razors then 6" should be fine.

 

[Matt O]

I have evolved to the point where my knuckles barely drag along the ground as I walk…I don’t mind a little bit of patina and light pitting…so long as it isn’t on the bevel near the edge.

 

[johnmrson]

Being careful to not overheat the blade or launch it into something

Yeah, I've launched the odd blade into the back wall when I haven't had a good enough grip on it. I think I only overheated one blade. You quickly learn not to over buff or take a break to let the blade cool down.

 

[street]

Never ,never take away the signs of use of an object that has been used for many decades. That's one of the things I really can appreciate. Make it work,clean it and use it. But never go full restoration.Goes for cars,motorcycles,espressomachines and shaving blades.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

The Japanese have a concept called wabi sabi which, to over simplify it, means appreciating the beauty of the imperfect or incomplete. Many of my favorite razors have seen some hard times.

As long as there's clean steel at the edge, I can live with beauty marks and patina.

 

[Halfblade]

I like the look of that Dahlgren. That's the way a straight was often designed , with the good steel reserved for the actual edge.

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

I don't mind a razor showing it's age when I get it. I will take care of active rust, clean, and lightly polish, but no more.

At the same time will be horrified if I discover the slightest oxidation on a pristine razor in my care.

 

[Ice-Man]

That razor looks beautiful as is I would leave that and enjoy the shaves,if that razor could only talk just this what it has seen in its years.

Leave that well alone and enjoy it......

 

[CongaJon]

I'm in the leave it if it looks good camp. A fairly uniform blackness looks great to me. Tonight's razor was hit with Flitz and 0000 steel wool and I had little thought to breaking out the sandpaper!

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

I'm in the leave it if it looks good camp. A fairly uniform blackness looks great to me. Tonight's razor was hit with Flitz and 0000 steel wool and I had little thought to breaking out the sandpaper!

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"Before you go to prayer your face you should prepare by using this razor"

Love the inscription on your razor, reminds me of a comedy essay on another thread that someone posted about dad having his weekly shave before going to church. His brother was the only one that dared to make a remark about his face looking like a ploughed field after the shave.