Worth Restoring?

[AlanP]

So i grabbed this dubl duck up at a antique store the other day for a few bucks. I inspected it in store and the rust on it seems to all be on the surface, i tried to scrape a bit off with a key and under where i scraped the rust off there is just a dark spot on the blade no pitting or anything else.

So i guess my questions are.
1. Is it worth trying to restore.
2. what is the easiest/best method of removing the rust.
3. While i'm removing the rust is it going to demolish the gold finish around the base?


So after doing work, i'm pretty sure the gold is shot. I may just get some naval jelly and strip it completely.
What direction do i go now????


Also, sorry for the crappy pics.

UPDATED PICS

After a little work with a GEM SE.

Some brasso on the far end.

Thanks!

 

[sapito318]

I for one forgive you for the pics

Yes, that definitly looks restorable, although it is difficult to tell from the pics...

You'll need to sand it with sandpaper, prolly should start out at around 300, lower if that doesnt do anything. Also, due to the amount of rust on the blade, you'll prolly want to remove the scales and get the whole blade sanded out.

So long as there is not any rust on the edge, you should be able to get that sucker cleaned up by hand.

As for the gold, i'm not sure, but I would imagine that the gold would be sanded off if it is just etched on. Im sure though that there is something you can do to work around it, but I myself do not know.

 

[AlanP]

I'll try and get some more pics later tonight with a camera so you can really tell the extent.


Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[sapito318]

Also, soaking the blade in some sort of solution (im not sure what would work, google it) should help to make the rust easier to remove. Could also start out with some Brasso/MAAS metal polish and see if you can remove some of the corrosion with the chemicals.

 

[Jatte]

and if you get all the gold off, you could always gun blue the spine instead , there are some dubl ducks that did have that

 

[SavantStrike]

I can't tell from the original pics if the area with the gold is rusted or not. The area with the gold plating is probably okay if the ultra thin gold wasn't scraped off anywhere. If there is no rust on the gold plated area you could tape it off and just sand the rest of the blade. You could also just polish the crap out if it and leave the pitting.

 

[ambrose]

I would clean and polish that thing entirely, forget the gold wash. I would also leave it with a nice satin finish. It would restore just fine as long as there is not pitting near the edge.

 

[GsSixgun]

A DE or SE razor will take all the red rust off,,, just carefully scrape it off there...

DO NOT use chemicals or wheels until you get that off there or you will cause yerself more work...

Until the active red rust is gone you still have a mystery there, once you can see what is going on underneath the red rust then you can proceed from that point.. From the look of the pics (not a good indicator) the Goldwash is most likely history...

 

[AlanP]

Updated pics added in op! ! !

 

[Jatte]

Now those are some nicer pics,

i'd say that if your careful you could proabbly salvage the gold,

if i were you i'd try to polish the gold as best i could, then tape it , and work on the blade,

 

[AlanP]

OKay, so whats next do i need to get some super fine sandpaper and go to town???




I'm a total newb. I'm really not sure what i'm going to do once i get it presentable b/c i've never had a straight that was shaving sharp.


Also, how do you pull the scales, i think there is some rust behind them. Is it easy and what would it take to put them back on?

 

[mdunn]

I did a bit of a howto here.


Popping scales and repinning is a bit of a hassle, you need pins and washers. Basically file out/drill out the pins, and pop it off. Though TBH I wouldnt practice that on a dubl duck, because you will probably snap a scale on your first try.

 

[AlanP]

I did a bit of a howto here.


Popping scales and repinning is a bit of a hassle, you need pins and washers. Basically file out/drill out the pins, and pop it off. Though TBH I wouldnt practice that on a dubl duck, because you will probably snap a scale on your first try.

That is kind of what i was thinking. I guess it's off to the bay to buy some beaters to practice on.

Also, i'm bookmarking that link of yours to study tonight when i get home. Thanks!

 

[mdunn]

no worries. Im far from an expert, but ive handsanded my way through a couple of blades (actually, im up to my elbows in WD40 and sandpaper as we speak) feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[English]

It doesn't look to bad. But the scales will need cleaning, the pins renewing and I suspect you will loose the gold to get the blade to a level of mirror polish that will be acceptable to you.

It's a labour of love.

 

[GsSixgun]

OKay, so whats next do i need to get some super fine sandpaper and go to town???




I'm a total newb. I'm really not sure what i'm going to do once i get it presentable b/c i've never had a straight that was shaving sharp.


Also, how do you pull the scales, i think there is some rust behind them. Is it easy and what would it take to put them back on?

Popping Pins should be your last resort, it devalues the razor and should only be done if absolutely necessary...

Looking at the razor now, (I told you the SE razor would work)
You are going to have to do some careful sanding.... Personally I almost always try 400 first so you are not making more work then you need to...
in general 60-2500 is what I use but only go as low as you need to get the rust /stains/pits out... Be careful here that GE blade is a very thin hollow grind YOU CAN SNAP it... start on the blade itself, and leave the tang for later... WD-40 helps the sanding and will help cut the crud under the scales...

 

[AlanP]

Popping Pins should be your last resort, it devalues the razor and should only be done if absolutely necessary...

Looking at the razor now, (I told you the SE razor would work)
You are going to have to do some careful sanding.... Personally I almost always try 400 first so you are not making more work then you need to...
in general 60-2500 is what I use but only go as low as you need to get the rust /stains/pits out... Be careful here that GE blade is a very thin hollow grind YOU CAN SNAP it... start on the blade itself, and leave the tang for later... WD-40 helps the sanding and will help cut the crud under the scales...

As far as the pins go, there is some rusting under the scales I got it off up as far as i could, so i don't see any other option than taking the scales off.

Also when i start sanding, should i just sand where the rust was? I just don't want the razor to look deformed after and have one clearly sanded spot and the rest not. Or will it start to match up the more i work with it?

 

[GsSixgun]

You sand the entire blade evenly, some people reverse directions with each different grit... From toe/heel then from spine /edge...

You might do some reading on how to sand razors in the restoration section here at B&B and over at SRP... Bill has put up some great tips here on how to sand blades safely and evenly....

"TAKE YOUR TIME"

We have a saying in the restore circles "Rush a restore, Wreck a razor"


BTW there are other options to taking the scales off, using high grit sandpaper and slipping it between the scales, using dental floss and polish... You are going to be surprised with what you can do and not wreck the value, or the scales...

One more warning !!!! I don't care how good you are at this or how many times you have popped scales, they can snap in a heartbeat and you don't have to do anything wrong.... DD scales are the worst too, I have a love hate relationship with them, I love the look, hate the fact that they're are so fagile....

 

[AlanP]

I'm going to try the dental floss route tonight. What kind of polish do i need to use. I know i have some brasso at home, will that work?



Also, at this point i don't think there is any saving the gold finish around the tang, should i just sand it off as well, or try and polish it up as best as i can and leave it?

 

[GsSixgun]

Blade first, tang second,,, Leave the tang alone until after you get the blade sanded and polished...
The blade is easier and since it is your first restore, working that steel first, will give you a little experience before tackling the tang...