Can I damage a razor's finish by using Flitz?

I see all these shiny polished razors, so I bought some Flitz. But some people say Flitz is too abrasive and it will damage the razor's finish.

Flitz, Semichrome, Wenol, I have not found too abrasive for carbon or stainless steel. Using a q-tip to apply it, and a paper towel to polish. Any other method of application I cannot speak to. I've also used Semichrome on Mauviel copper cookware with stellar results.

Specifically what razor(s) are you looking to polish?

When I purchased a customer straight razor from Jerry Stark, he provided a small sample of Flitz to maintain it. If use properly, Filtz or other fine abrasive should not damage a plain steel finish. However, I would not suggest using it on a razor with a gold washed etch as it could well remove the etching. I intentionally used it to remove the painted logo from a Gold Dollar razor.

Remember that using any abrasive like that is likely to damage the edge of the razor. Thus, after a polishing session, you may need to reset the bevel and go through the entire honing sequence to make the razor shave ready. Thus, if you do not posses a set of hones or have the skill to hone the razor, avoid the polishing compounds..

Flitz, Simichrome, Maas, Autosol, Blue Magic, Meguiar's, Brasso and countless others, I've used them all and all work to a certain extend on razors, except as you already mentioned will dull the edge and remove/fade any surface markings or etching. I personally like Simichrome the best. A buffing wheel with the right compound is still the best and fastest way to surface buff/polish and maintain a polish.

The biggest damage you can do is using a contaminated micro cloth or cotton towel when wiping down the metal polish. The use of a clean soft cotton or micro cloth is recommended.

Flitz, Semichrome, Wenol, I have not found too abrasive for carbon or stainless steel. Using a q-tip to apply it, and a paper towel to polish. Any other method of application I cannot speak to. I've also used Semichrome on Mauviel copper cookware with stellar results.

Thanks

Specifically what razor(s) are you looking to polish?

Either zamak like in Merkur (34C) and Muhle (Twist) or stainless like in the Razorock stainless  razors (Mamba etc) or whatever the metal is in the likes of SS, Blue, and Red tips. Thanks..

When I purchased a customer straight razor from Jerry Stark, he provided a small sample of Flitz to maintain it. If use properly, Filtz or other fine abrasive should not damage a plain steel finish. However, I would not suggest using it on a razor with a gold washed etch as it could well remove the etching. I intentionally used it to remove the painted logo from a Gold Dollar razor.

Remember that using any abrasive like that is likely to damage the edge of the razor. Thus, after a polishing session, you may need to reset the bevel and go through the entire honing sequence to make the razor shave ready. Thus, if you do not posses a set of hones or have the skill to hone the razor, avoid the polishing compounds..

Thanks. Wow. I don't have the skills to reset the bevel or go through the honing process, but I can't just polish the top cap, simple things like that? Maybe you're referring to mint collectors-type razors? (Which I don't have.)

Flitz, Simichrome, Maas, Autosol, Blue Magic, Meguiar's, Brasso and countless others, I've used them all and all work to a certain extend on razors, except as you already mentioned will dull the edge and remove/fade any surface markings or etching. I personally like Simichrome the best. A buffing wheel with the right compound is still the best and fastest way to surface buff/polish and maintain a polish.

The biggest damage you can do is using a contaminated micro cloth or cotton towel when wiping down the metal polish. The use of a clean soft cotton or micro cloth is recommended.

Thanks. And thanks for the warning about the contaminated micro cloth. But what contaminates a micro cloth? Plus you and RayClem refer to not damaging the  edge. What exactly is the edge? The edge of the safety bar? The edge of the top cap?

Thanks. And thanks for the warning about the contaminated micro cloth. But what contaminates a micro cloth? Plus you and RayClem refer to not damaging the  edge. What exactly is the edge? The edge of the safety bar? The edge of the top cap?

The edge of a straight razor. Of course it can also dull a DE blade if it gets in contact with metal polish. For a DE you should be fine as long as the cloth you are using is clean and has no dust, dirt or other debris/particles stuck as that can scratch your razor. Even without polish your cloth or towel should always be super clean.