Hand polished Karve

[Bicep123]

So, I got tired of the water marks/tarnish on my Karve and thought I'd try to buff it out with a little Autosol and some rags. All done by hand (no buffing tool on a dremel, although, that might not be a bad idea...). Didn't take all that long either. Maybe 20 min at most. I thought it would only cut it back to the matt finish, it ended up more shiner than I thought.

Before:

After:

 

[SpeedyPC]

I just use cheap bloody toothpaste and a toothbrush to keep my Karve brass clean without any chemical smell on the razor.

 

[rhodes96]

Vinegar and salt works wonders as well.

 

[StratMan]

nice job

 

[Mark1966]

Sweet!

 

[JohnJohn321]

I use toothpaste and it works well without polishing away the matte finish. I've been tempted to go at it with something more powerful to get it even shinier though because it does look good.

 

[Bicep123]

I use toothpaste and it works well without polishing away the matte finish. I've been tempted to go at it with something more powerful to get it even shinier though because it does look good.

I'll admit, I didn't expect the Autosol to cut away that much metal and thought it would just still stay matt. But now that it's done, I like it. Shiny but not mirror smooth.

 

[Rhinehoth]

I use Brasso on my Hone and General razors. Back in the day, when I was in the army, I used it to mirror polish the brass clips on the webbing.

 

[TomG]

Nice work .

 

[Gargravarr]

I use Brasso on my Hone and General razors. Back in the day, when I was in the army, I used it to mirror polish the brass clips on the webbing.

Brasso would be the obvious choice for me too - I've got a can I've probably had for about 20 years. It lasts forever, since you need so little of it to get the job done.

 

[Mark1966]

I use Brasso on my Hone and General razors. Back in the day, when I was in the army, I used it to mirror polish the brass clips on the webbing.

Brasso would be the obvious choice for me too - I've got a can I've probably had for about 20 years. It lasts forever, since you need so little of it to get the job done.

I believe that Brasso is a fairly aggressive polishing agent so is generally not recommended for vintage razors, especially those with delicate plating. I'm sure I read a thread ages ago explaining the 'why' of all this but have forgotten the reasons now!

 

[Gargravarr]

I believe that Brasso is a fairly aggressive polishing agent so is generally not recommended for vintage razors, especially those with delicate plating. I'm sure I read a thread ages ago explaining the 'why' of all this but have forgotten the reasons now!

Does anything get plated with brass? Not sure that I see the point. But Brasso must surely be a lot less aggressive than Autosol.

 

[Mark1966]

Does anything get plated with brass? Not sure that I see the point. But Brasso must surely be a lot less aggressive than Autosol.

Nothing is plated in brass, but most vintage razors are plated brass.

Brasso and Autosol are both aggressive polishing agents. I use toothpaste on my vintage razors as it is much milder, there are also some mild commercial polishes as well but cannot recall their names

 

[Chad]

I've used autosol very delicately on vintage before and at no point gone through the nickel to brass. I think the problem is when people go too hard and for too long like when dealing with auto parts.

Brasso is certainly more aggressive than autosol imo

 

[Mark1966]

... I think the problem is when people go too hard and for too long ...

Oh what I did once with a Dremel on a vintage Slim ...

 

[Razor Burn]

I'll admit, I didn't expect the Autosol to cut away that much metal and thought it would just still stay matt. But now that it's done, I like it. Shiny but not mirror smooth.

A great job!

I agree that the tea stains are annoying so I also use Autosol and manage to get a great shine that matches my Timeless Bronze.

I tried PlastiX but it seems to work better on stainless steel parts better.

 

[Gargravarr]

Nothing is plated in brass, but most vintage razors are plated brass.

Brasso and Autosol are both aggressive polishing agents. I use toothpaste on my vintage razors as it is much milder, there are also some mild commercial polishes as well but cannot recall their names

Most toothpastes contain a grinding agent equivalent to 1200 grit. You can use it to polish gemstones. (It works quite well.) The abrasive additive in Brasso is approximately equivalent to 6000 grit, so a lot finer.

 

[Bicep123]

So, of course, I can't let a thing alone. Ended up polishing via dremel and buffing wheel. The top cap polished really well. The handle, not so much.

 

[rhodes96]

You can see scratches on the top cap in the light.

 

[Mark1966]

Most toothpastes contain a grinding agent equivalent to 1200 grit. You can use it to polish gemstones. (It works quite well.) The abrasive additive in Brasso is approximately equivalent to 6000 grit, so a lot finer.

That seems to be completely the opposite of conventional wisdom!

Not saying it is wrong, just the opposite!

More research needed - better see if I can track down the old disccussion ...