One of the local skaters gave me a pair of skates to sharpen. Storage of the skates during the COVID shutdown last year caused the blades to rust. When she asked me to sharpen them, I didn't realize how rusty they were until I got them home from the rink. The hollow was still pretty bad, even though she'd been on the ice a few times this year. A sharpening would easily remove that rust.
However, there was unsightly rust along the chrome relief too. [click to enlarge photos]
(https://www.afterness.com/skating/images/blades_morgan_rust-1-800px.jpg)
I did some testing a few years back on ways to remove light rust, and found that a wetted q-tip rolled in the kitchen scrub called Bar Keepers Friend made a powerful rust remover. It contains oxalic acid plus a mild feldspar abrasive that works well when the surface is scrubbed with the slurry. After a few minutes of rubbing wet q-tips rolled in Bar Keepers Friend along the blade edges, I had them looking much better.
(https://www.afterness.com/skating/images/blades_morgan_rust-8-800px.jpg)
After doing this, I treated the sides of the blades with a wipe down of Quick-Glo chrome cleaner. It contains a wax to protect the surface plus a mild polishing compound to remove small imperfections. Then I went to work sharpening the blades.
She'll be happy tonight when I deliver the skates to her.
That's above and beyond what most techs in pro shops would do. I hope she appreciates all the extra effort. I'm always amazed by the number of advanced skaters (including coaches) who pay big bucks for pricey blades (such as the P99s you show) ... and don't know how to take care of them properly.
I am amazed at how quickly blades rust. After I skated in my last competition I stayed to watch 2 more groups (there was a 17 Sr man that had 2 quads and a triple axel so I wanted to see that from close up). It was no longer than 30 minutes and when I took my skates off to dry them the hollow was already rusty. The sides weren't rusty just the hollow. I am sure there was no rust prior to skating because I had looked at my blades carefully before I put my skates on.
Aside: the Senior skater was a 17 year old from the DC suburbs. He had won the French Jr GP in August. He landed a quad salchow with a GOE of 3.8, a quad toe loop with a 2.18 GOE and his triple axel was something like 1.8 GOE. It was pretty amazing to see that level of skating from 20-30 feet away. Since this was a non-qualifying event I assume he wanted to get out in front of judges to get scores and to be in an actual competition setting rather than a training setting.
They rust quickly in the right conditions!
I would have loved watching the skater you saw doing quads. Heck, I watch even when some of the kids are doing doubles!
And now the skater will think she doesn't have to worry about rust, because her skate tech (you) removes the rust when the skates are sharpened. :)
Heh! - the possibility of that crossed my mind.
Hello Bill,
Excellent thread, like always. Could you help specifying more detail level which Bar Keepers Friend product you was using? They seems to have quite many products.
https://www.barkeepersfriend.com/what-to-clean/in-the-kitchen/
Great post, thanks! I'm almost looking forward to the next rusty blades so I can try this.
Kaitsu - here is a photo of Bar Keepers Friend that won my informal light-rust removal test a few years back. I think that new wrapper artwork may call it "Cleanser" today.
(https://www.afterness.com/skating/images/skate_blade_rust-43-600px.jpg)
Edit: I did see this link online, and is called their Cleanser now.
https://www.barkeepersfriend.com/products/cleanser/ (https://www.barkeepersfriend.com/products/cleanser/)
Quote from: Bill_S on October 07, 2021, 01:22:18 PM
She'll be happy tonight when I deliver the skates to her.
So, Bill, how did the story end? Was the skater appreciative of your extra touches? Did you advise her on proper care and storage, rather than expecting this scenario to become routine?
I haven't seen her or talked to her. I left the skates at the rink's front counter for her to pick up. She's in infrequent skater, and she still may not have retrieved her skates.
Quote from: Bill_S on October 09, 2021, 11:46:49 AM
I haven't seen her or talked to her. I left the skates at the rink's front counter for her to pick up. She's in infrequent skater, and she still may not have retrieved her skates.
Let's just hope the blades don't get rusty before she picks them up. At my home rink, they finally replaced the roof a couple of years ago. Before then, every time we had a heavy rain, water would drip over the front lobby ... particularly over the front counter.
They shouldn't. I wipe down freshly sharpened blades with a light coat of oil.
Quote from: Bill_S on October 09, 2021, 06:42:02 PM
I wipe down freshly sharpened blades with a light coat of oil.
Wow. A real full service skate tech! :)
I haven't heard any other skate tech say they do that.
When I had non-stainless blades, I carried a dry cloth (to wipe the blades dry), and an oil cloth, in my (mesh) skate bag.
I don't need to be as careful with stainless steel blades, but I still at least wipe them dry, and if I'm not going to use them for a few days, I do use oil. I miss the shape of my old MK Dance blades, but I don't miss having to take such care. y
When the rink I worked at ordered new (Reidell brand, I think) boots, the blades came coated in grease, which actually worked for several days.
Is it rust season? Over the last week, I have been given four pair of blades with varying amounts of rust on them. I've had excellent results with the Bar Keeper's Friend. It has the added advantage of smoothing the chrome relief area, leaving less surface texture to trap water to encourage future rust.
I polish the entire chrome relief band on both sides and check to be sure they are consistently smooth on both sides and both blades. I'm surprised how rough the chrome relief is on some blades—having experimented with smoothing it on my own skates and on those of other adult skaters, I can verify that you can feel the increased flow when they have been polished.
Maybe skate techs should add this service to their list, and charge accordingly. :)
I was mostly concerned about the appearance of the blade during experimentation, but its good to hear that it can increase flow. It makes sense.
Quote from: supersharp on October 17, 2021, 01:38:51 AM
Is it rust season? Over the last week, I have been given four pair of blades with varying amounts of rust on them.
That's reasonable. Skaters who don't skate year round, and only during fall/winter, are now taking their skates out of storage. And many didn't take the precaution of oiling the blades prior to storage.
That is true in one case. The others are all "I forgot that hard guards were only for walking" mistakes.
I always point out that the hard guards will need to be replaced if the embedded rust and grit can't be removed and I'm astonished at the level of denial. "But I love my guards" or "my mom isn't going to want to buy new ones". I'm sure she isn't going to be happy that you made this mistake, but I'm also sure she understands that she would rather spend a small amount on guards rather than continue to damage the expensive blades.
There have been a few cases where there was zero hope for the guards. In one case, I was able to replace the rusty blades with some lightly-used blades, which had the bonus of getting the skater on a better blade. I disposed of the guards as part of the upgrade. Another case was when a coach acquired some "lightly used" blades that were shipped to her in the hard guards. I wish I had known about the Bar Keeper's Friend at that time. She saved a few hundred dollars compared to new blades, but it was a huge amount of work for me. I should have charged her $200 for the rust removal, just to make a point, haha. I told her that next time, I would charge for it. Later she asked "oh, can I get back those guards that came with these?". The guards were a mess, even the screws were rusty. They had gone straight into the bin without a moment's hesitation. No, sorry, they were beyond recovery. "Really?" She says? My response is that if you want me to take care of your skates, I will do exactly that, and part of taking care of the skates is protecting them from evil rusty hard guards. She laughed and said "wow, you're like the skate mom, take no prisoners!". Correct! Hahaha. If I have to, I will pull out my parenting skills and use them. After surviving the fiery furnace of raising two children, I am well-equipped to shut down whatever argument you can come up with...
Quote from: tstop4me on October 17, 2021, 08:30:22 AM
And many didn't take the precaution of oiling the blades prior to storage.
Because they don't know they should. Should blades should come with appropriate instructions?
That surface roughness slows down blades makes some sense - it's widely held true on boats and ships.
QuoteI always point out that the hard guards will need to be replaced if the embedded rust and grit can't be removed and I'm astonished at the level of denial. "But I love my guards" or "my mom isn't going to want to buy new ones". I'm sure she isn't going to be happy that you made this mistake, but I'm also sure she understands that she would rather spend a small amount on guards rather than continue to damage the expensive blades.
I'm totally stealing this position statement. Never thought about making it all about the guards, although I do tell the kids with Rockerz and Edea eGuards that they're expensive to replace and difficult to clean.
One of my skating families uses a paper towel to wipe the blades before putting on the guards. It takes a little longer, but keeps their gloves and guards clean.
Glad to have an ally in the fight against evil rusty hard guards!
I was off ice for roughly a year, back on for four months, then back off for five. I never oiled my blades and they didn't rust. I generally triple dry, go change clothes, then double dry before putting them in soakers. They live there until the next time I skate. I only use Rockerz at the rink, never store blades in them. I think I only saw rust back when I first started skating before I learned how to take care of blades.
Quote from: ChristyRN on October 17, 2021, 07:09:10 PM
I was off ice for roughly a year, back on for four months, then back off for five. I never oiled my blades and they didn't rust. I generally triple dry, go change clothes, then double dry before putting them in soakers. They live there until the next time I skate. I only use Rockerz at the rink, never store blades in them. I think I only saw rust back when I first started skating before I learned how to take care of blades.
Yeah, that varies a lot with the composition of the steel and with the room environment. I had my daughter's skates (no oil) stashed in a bedroom closet for 20+ yrs; no visible rust. I was working on a pair of skates in my basement and left them there. I usually run a dehumidifier down there. But it croaked and the humidity went up to ~80%. Visible rust within two days or less (didn't know exactly when the dehumidifier croaked).
I have made some instructional video for the local skaters so that they would take care of their skate guards too. I have also tried to explain them that they should always keep guards until they step in to ice and before they step out from the ice. This even there would be rubber mats on the floors. There is always sand and other dust on the rubber mats. Especially when blades are cold and wet, they "glue" all the dust from the floors and then it is melting in to guards. When you walk with the guards, the dirt will sink in to the plastic and that is hard to remove then. So its not only rust which will cause more friction in to the blades. Listen the sound when I "paint" the blade with marking pen. https://youtu.be/6lSZeOg_3Tc
Subtitles are not in English, but if someone helps me, we can edit also English version either with subtitles or audio track.
Has anyone else seen corroded on blades which has areas which looks like a worm tunnels? Blades are not rusty, but there are clearly visible "worm tunnels" on those areas where you typically see traces from the guards. I am not sure if that is some kind of chemical reaction or why such appears. It takes 2-3 grinding passes before they disappears so they are pretty deep.
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by a "worm tunnel", but it is well known that rust often forms in scratches, and on rough surfaces. It's one of the reasons that people say that when you get a surface scratch on a car, you should sand it down to bare metal, apply a primer to the area, then paint, and then only add the usual clear coat, rather than just re-applying more clear coat alone. Obviously the sand/primer/paint/clear coat routine doesn't apply to skates, but it might be another possible reason to justify trying to maintain the very smooth finish you work so hard af, even to the sides of the blade.
I could speculate that there is simply more surface area in such areas to react with oxygen, and/or that the electrical-chemical forces are larger (just like sharp objects attract lightning, because electrical charges can be shown to tend to move towards sharp points and towards high and low points - something explained in 1st year college physics), and/or that for some reason valence electrons are more free to react when there are no atoms to share electrons with in more than one direction, but I really don't know. I presume the matter has been studied in some detail by appropriate experts.
In any event, if you did form a scratch, it is completely reasonable that moisture and oxygen would sit in the scratch for longer without evaporating than on the outer surface, and that corrosion could develop around there.
A lot of rink guards and coaches are constantly going on and coming off the ice, and have to walk for some distance before they can adequately care for the blades, and don't have time to do a thorough job of drying the blades first. When I played rink guard/rental desk person I personally did use hard guards going back and forth between the two, because soakers wore out too fast, but I used paper towels (applied twice) when I could, and I used stainless steel blades. Plus, once I take off my skates, I don't use guards at all, but let them air dry after drying them with paper towels, and sometimes oiling. Of course that won't work for someone who puts their skates in a bag in the middle of things that might abrade it - they may need soakers to avoid abrasion.
I recently bought a (used) hockey bag. Part of the outside skin is nothing but a rugged mesh. Way better, IMO than the expensive figure skating bags that look like suitcases, but have no ventilation. (It is, however, larger than is needed for my figure skating stuff.) Many figure skaters would hate the idea of buying hockey related gear, but some of it is good quality, and is much more durable than cheap supermarket bags.
Quote from: Kaitsu on October 21, 2021, 12:14:27 PM
Has anyone else seen corroded on blades which has areas which looks like a worm tunnels? Blades are not rusty, but there are clearly visible "worm tunnels" on those areas where you typically see traces from the guards. I am not sure if that is some kind of chemical reaction or why such appears. It takes 2-3 grinding passes before they disappears so they are pretty deep.
I know what you mean - it's the damage that appears before the red rust forms. It "pits" the metal - I've had it happen on stored blades and removing the discoloration/damage to restore the blade requires several sharpenings.
As long as it's not on the actual edges, it's more cosmetic than harmful. They have to increase their vigilance in taking care of their skates, but it's not a death sentence for the blade.
As a skate tech, you should let customer know that you have to take off a lot of metal to restore the blade's appearance quickly. If you explain that the edges are more important than the sides, they may choose to not have the extra passes done right away. If you just fix the edges now, and sharpen the rest off later, it will extend the blade life.
This is how "worm tunnel" looks
(http://skatingforums.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8693.0;attach=1404;image)
Quote from: Kaitsu on October 21, 2021, 12:14:27 PM
I have made some instructional video for the local skaters so that they would take care of their skate guards too. I have also tried to explain them that they should always keep guards until they step in to ice and before they step out from the ice. This even there would be rubber mats on the floors. There is always sand and other dust on the rubber mats. Especially when blades are cold and wet, they "glue" all the dust from the floors and then it is melting in to guards. When you walk with the guards, the dirt will sink in to the plastic and that is hard to remove then. So its not only rust which will cause more friction in to the blades. Listen the sound when I "paint" the blade with marking pen. https://youtu.be/6lSZeOg_3Tc
Subtitles are not in English, but if someone helps me, we can edit also English version either with subtitles or audio track.
Has anyone else seen corroded on blades which has areas which looks like a worm tunnels? Blades are not rusty, but there are clearly visible "worm tunnels" on those areas where you typically see traces from the guards. I am not sure if that is some kind of chemical reaction or why such appears. It takes 2-3 grinding passes before they disappears so they are pretty deep.
The sound of the marker!!! I want to play that at high volume for the coaches that have told me that the hard guard marks are "only cosmetic". I've suggested that they test the sharpness of the edge—clearly it is dull on the dark bands and sharper on the underaged areas. Rolling of eyes.
I would be happy to help with an English subtitle version of the video. Then I could require that everyone watch it before I will agree to sharpen their skates. Like the SafeSport training, it wouldn't let you go to the next step unless the whole video has played. Kaitsu would get a royalty, of course.
I tell my skaters to wash their soakers and scrub out their hard guards every time I sharpen their skates. Only the adults do it, I suspect...
I also suggest that putting old hard guards on new blades is like wiping down your new car with sandpaper.
Quote from: Kaitsu on October 22, 2021, 12:09:39 PM
This is how "worm tunnel" looks
Interesting pattern. Are there only a few isolated patches? Or is there a sequence of such patches, nearly equally spaced, along most of the blade, except for maybe near the toepick and near the heel?
Excellent photography OF those "worm tunnels"!
Could they be the result of surface abrasion by things other than ice (like dirt, the springs in a blade guard, or maybe even metal filings released onto the surface by an ice surfacer), rather than the result of chemical oxidation (rust)?
Regardless, it is likely that any surface roughness, such as those "worm tunnels", would increase the rate of rust formation, and that it might also increase friction and slow down the blade on the ice. I.E., they are probably bad.
Anything you do to help your customers take better care of their blades is a good thing.
An EVIL skate tech, or blade manufacturer, would love it that many skaters take poor care of their blades. More frequent sharpening and more frequent blade replacement increases profit. Your willingness to do help them prolong their blades makes you one of the good ones. So does your steps to turn sharpening and blade care into a science, rather than merely an art. :love:
Quote from: tstop4me on October 22, 2021, 05:27:55 PM
Interesting pattern. Are there only a few isolated patches? Or is there a sequence of such patches, nearly equally spaced, along most of the blade, except for maybe near the toepick and near the heel?
Damaged areas were all over the blade in those areas where blade guards are in contact to the blade, means they were equally spaced. I am sure that it is some reaction which is caused by moisture, blade guard and something else. What I do not understand is why there are such a tunnels.
Quote from: Kaitsu on November 14, 2021, 11:41:23 AM
Damaged areas were all over the blade in those areas where blade guards are in contact to the blade, means they were equally spaced. I am sure that it is some reaction which is caused by moisture, blade guard and something else. What I do not understand is why there are such a tunnels.
I had a feeling the regions corresponded to the raised nubs along the bottom channel of a skate guard. One possible cause (which would need to be verified) of the tunnels: There is abrasive grit embedded in the raised nubs.
I looked over my plastic blade guards. Not much dirt, but a little. I cleaned them out with a brush and water.
The still springs are starting to rust a bit - but that doesn't matter - on my guards (made by Guardog[/urll]), the springs do not touch the blades; all that touches the blades is plastic and air spaces.
It makes no sense to me for any guard to be designed in such a way that the blades touch metal. Even if there were no rust, that must be hard on the blade, as your example shows.
And of course I don't leave the blades in the guards for more than a few minutes, while I walk off-ice - once I take off my skates, I wipe the blades down, & let them air dry. (https://bluetoad.com/publication/?m=63038&i=663280&p=6&ver=html5)
Quote from: Query on November 24, 2021, 05:42:13 PM
I looked over my plastic blade guards. Not much dirt, but a little. I cleaned them out with a brush and water.
The still springs are starting to rust a bit - but that doesn't matter - on my guards (made by Guardog[/urll]), the springs do not touch the blades; all that touches the blades is plastic and air spaces.
It makes no sense to me for any guard to be designed in such a way that the blades touch metal. Even if there were no rust, that must be hard on the blade, as your example shows.
And of course I don't leave the blades in the guards for more than a few minutes, while I walk off-ice - once I take off my skates, I wipe the blades down, & let them air dry.
(https://bluetoad.com/publication/?m=63038&i=663280&p=6&ver=html5)
Not sure where you got the notion that any one here was talking about the springs (or other metal parts of a blade guard) touching the blade. If you're referring to my post Reply #31 above, the "nubs" I'm referring to are raised portions on the (inside) bottom of the plastic channel that the blade rests on. On some guards, the bottom is nominally flat; on others, the bottom has a sequence of raised nubs. If the nubs have embedded abrasive, you could end up with a sequential pattern of damaged areas, as described. I've seen descriptions of old wooden guards that claim the blade is supported near the toe and heel only, leaving most of the blade clear of contact with the guard altogether; but I can't personally confirm that.
Oh, I see. You assume the rust in the grooves came from the blades themselves. A reasonable assumption.
My favorite guards were simple folded leather, held on at both ends leather cord, run through holes punched in the leather. Made for me by Don Giese, who used to be my skate tech. They looked rather classy, so they advertised his service, if anyone asked about them. A cool idea for a skate tech or pro shop.
They were tough enough to walk on for much further than soakers, but they fit loose enough to breath. They also folded to compactly fit into coat pockets, so I didn't worry about theft or accidentally leaving and losing them, as can happen with plastic guards.
I've been meaning to make something similar myself, maybe out of fake leather and nylon cord (cheap but NOT classy), but never get around to it.
Quote from: Query on November 24, 2021, 07:03:43 PM
Oh, I see. You assume the rust in the grooves came from the blades themselves. A reasonable assumption.
My favorite guards were simple folded leather, held on at both ends leather cord, run through holes punched in the leather. Made for me by Don Giese, who used to be my skate tech. They looked rather classy, so they advertised his service, if anyone asked about them. A cool idea for a skate tech or pro shop.
They were tough enough to walk on for much further than soakers, but they fit loose enough to breath. They also folded to compactly fit into coat pockets, so I didn't worry about theft or accidentally leaving and losing them, as can happen with plastic guards.
I've been meaning to make something similar myself, maybe out of fake leather and nylon cord (cheap but NOT classy), but never get around to it.
I would love to see a photo of these. I've seen the old wooden guards mentioned by tstop4me, very charmingly old school.
Quote from: FigureSpins on October 17, 2021, 01:27:46 PM
I'm totally stealing this position statement. Never thought about making it all about the guards, although I do tell the kids with Rockerz and Edea eGuards that they're expensive to replace and difficult to clean.
One of my skating families uses a paper towel to wipe the blades before putting on the guards. It takes a little longer, but keeps their gloves and guards clean.
The Edea guards are easy to clean, no? I just put them in my dishwasher every so often. ;D
Re: my old leather guards.
Quote from: supersharp on November 29, 2021, 01:29:46 AM
I would love to see a photo of these. I've seen the old wooden guards mentioned by tstop4me, very charmingly old school.
So sorry. After the blades finally wore through the leather (they were not quite as durable as plastic guards), I threw them out.
I just emailed Don Giese, who made them, but am not sure he is still alive.
As far as I remember they were very simple. I think he took a sheet of tough brown leather, cut it to fit, creased and folded it around the blades, punched holes over top, and threaded leather cords through the holes to stretch lightly back to the top of the blade - I don't recall exactly where it connected to the skate on top, but I don't think I needed to retie the knots every time.
A quick web search yields another leather skate guard, which doesn't look as classy:
https://www.shorttrackspecialist.com/zandstra-leather-skate-guard
If you want a quick and dirty equivalent, buy tubular webbing from a store that sells climbing gear (e.g., a backpacking store), cut it to the length of the blade, slit open the tubular loop along one edge, punch holes (add grommets if you want to be fancy), and tie it back to the blade with stretch cord. It will still fit in your coat pocket, but it won't look as cool. I haven't tested that, but the material is pretty tough. (It's meant to survive abrasion against rocks, under load.) Since it folds so small and light, you could make an extra or two, in case one wears through.
Those leather ones in the link look pretty neat to me. The kind you described sound very easy to make if I'm picturing it right, so I'm also sad you never got a photo.
I just noticed chamois leather blade cleaning rags on a site recently, and I'm now envisioning making leather guards with a chamois lining thinking it could help prevent rust. My only issue with this is that I like my Edea guards but usually have no reason to use them since I don't walk around and use soakers right away, but also I like to wash the soakers and such weekly and couldn't clean leather the way I like to. Either way the idea will have to wait until I'm back home with my sewing machine if I want to try the liner variation stitched nicely the way I picture it. Perhaps the softer chamois isn't wise since it might not survive sharp blades as long as thick vegetable tanned hide?
You don't want chamois, as it would probably cut through very fast.
Anyway, chamois absorbs moisture, so I think it would make your blades rust, almost immediately! What you want is something non-water absorbent (e.g., oil the leather), and fit loose enough for air to get in. And of course, you should first dry the blades as best you can, and probably oil them - once you are far enough off the ice not to block the entrance while you do it.
The reason I am hesitant about using the plastic faux leathers you can buy at fabric stores, is that I'm not sure how tough they are, plus they don't quite look real. But reasonably thick leather is harder to find - you may have to order it if you don't have the right kind of store local.
I'm not sure how to crease leather for a clean crease - if you search Google for "folding leather" you see a bunch of links, but I haven't tried actually folding it.
The Zandstra guard whose link I sent you looks pretty simple to make, but I guess most sewing machines would break if you sewed thick tough leather, so you may have to omit the stitches, and only glue on the left end piece, shaped to cover your toe pick. (Or use a sewing awl - I've never used one, but they look simple. Maybe you need a drill to make the holes?) You can substitute cord (leather cord, if you want to be classy) for the strap.
Quote from: AlbaNY on December 01, 2021, 09:30:49 AM
The Edea guards are easy to clean, no? I just put them in my dishwasher every so often. ;D
Dishwasher is a good cleaning method, but I recommend that you follow it with a hot rinse with clean water to remove all of the rinse aid the dishwasher uses. Those chemicals cling to the plastic and can be corrosive to blades.
Bill: you mention Quick-Glo. Did you use the original (coarse) polish/rust remover or the fine, or perhaps the P3 version of this product?
I used the "Original" formulation for those blades.
(https://www.afterness.com/skating/images/misc/quick_glo_polish_grades-2-850pxh.jpg)
I used Fine this morning after sharpening brand-new blades for a friend.
p.s. Glad to see you back here. It's been awfully quiet.
Bill—can you clarify the difference between Original and Fine? Do you apply this only to the chrome plating? Thanks!
When I use it, it's mostly for the chrome. This morning's sharpening left some finger prints on his new blades, so the Fine took care of that nicely. When blades are old and get the slightly bumpy, hazed chrome look, then I use the Original for faster cleaning. P3 is their finest grade.
Quick Glo is a combination of waxes and fine abrasives. The wax provides a protective barrier to prevent micro-oxidation through the pores in a chrome plating.
This page from Quick Glo probably explains the differences best...
https://quick-glo.com/which-formula-is-for-me/?v=76cb0a18730b (https://quick-glo.com/which-formula-is-for-me/?v=76cb0a18730b)
Bill: Thanks for the clarification and the PS! I had some non-Covid medical issues, but I'm clawing my way back.
Quote from: Bill_S on December 12, 2021, 03:44:16 PM
When I use it, it's mostly for the chrome. This morning's sharpening left some finger prints on his new blades, so the Fine took care of that nicely. When blades are old and get the slightly bumpy, hazed chrome look, then I use the Original for faster cleaning. P3 is their finest grade.
Quick Glo is a combination of waxes and fine abrasives. The wax provides a protective barrier to prevent micro-oxidation through the pores in a chrome plating.
This page from Quick Glo probably explains the differences best...
https://quick-glo.com/which-formula-is-for-me/?v=76cb0a18730b (https://quick-glo.com/which-formula-is-for-me/?v=76cb0a18730b)
Thanks!