Media tumbling?

[jamesbeat]

I read something on here somewhere someone (yup, vague to say the least:biggrin:) mentioned that they used a tumbler to polish blades.
I have a few antique razors that I would like to restore, but as many of you are no doubt aware, the sanding is laborious to say the least.

I'm not too concerned about removing pitting, I would be happy removing the majority with sandpaper and leave the deeper pitting alone.
I'd like to have clean stain free blades with a high polish.
So with that in mind, I have a few questions....

Is a media tumbler a viable option?
I would assume that you could only do one blade at a time?
Would one designed for cartridge cases work?
What media would be best?

[wazazzle]

The tumblers at harbor freight work fine. They sell them for $50 or so. I'd get the larger bowl type and many guys already have them for their bullet casings. Plus they seem to float your blade better. There are those canister types but i don't know how they turn out. Personally i'd only polish one at a time as to not nick the blade. But there was one guy somewhere around here who tossed 2 in and was fine. Both are time consuming as it takes hours and hours for it to work. And the tumblers are a bit noisy. Just leave it running in the garage while you're at work for the next 2-3 days. Media preference varies but i've read most guys use walnut and add compound, such as turtle wax. They've had good success removing the rust, just not the pitting. And forget about achieving that mirror shine, you'll just get a satin finish. which in all aspects is fine for me if it's a daily shaver.

[DogHair]

I've gotten a pretty good mirror finish using polishing compound and walnut shells. It doesn't remove pitting or deep scratches but seems to remove the scratches left by 600 grit or higher.

[garyg]

There's a long thread over at SRP about media tumbling to clean up old blades

I've tried a couple with decent results, not miracles but good.
(http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/workshop/18075-new-idea-experimentation.html)

[Kees]

There's a long thread over at SRP about media tumbling to clean up old blades

I've tried a couple with decent results, not miracles but good.
(http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/workshop/18075-new-idea-experimentation.html)

Here's the links: http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/workshop/13301-tumbler-polishing.html

and

http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/workshop/18075-new-idea-experimentation.html

[jamesbeat]

Wow, thanks guys, that was just what I wanted to hear.
I have been sanding my blades so far and although I've been getting decent results, it's just too labour intensive.
I like having little projects, but the sanding gets old fast. I'm a shaver not a sander I think.
I'm willing to let some pits remain if I can get a half decent finish with a tumbler. I could also use coarse sandpaper to get rid of the pits and then tumble afterwards. Either way, the sanding time will be greatly reduced by the sound of it!
I live in the UK at the moment but I'm moving to the states soon and intend to do some reloading, so if I can use the same tumbler for both of my interests, that's fantastic!

Thanks for the link, I'm going to read it all the way through right now.

[The Real McCoy]

I want to warn to be careful with tumblers- they can chip or damage blades in some cases, and I'm speaking from experience. do it at your own risk! :eek:

[SavantStrike]

I want to warn to be careful with tumblers- they can chip or damage blades in some cases, and I'm speaking from experience. do it at your own risk! :eek:

Did you have multiple blades in at once, or did it wreck the blade solo? I'm not sure what the deal is entirely, but from what I read it's fairly safe if you've only got one or two blades in the tumbler at a time.

[jamesbeat]

I suppose there is a risk involved, although I think putting more than one in at a time would be inviting trouble.
I wouldn't be too concerned about putting them in one at a time, but I guess there is still poteential for damage.
I'd certainly feel safer tumbling a heavier ground blade than a full hollow or singing blade.

[wazazzle]

yeah but there's risk damaging any blade when restoring. i'm fairly certain everyone has ruined at least one blade.