Thread: What do I do with a warped blade ?

I am trying to learn how to hone my razor, but with limited success so far. A bit about the materials I have:

- A DOVO black star razor (bought it new),

- a two-sided waterhone labeled 800/6000. I bought it in japan and have read the designations used there are different from those used in the west (something to the extent that it's the average rather than smallest particle size that determines the grit size).

- a barber hone of some sort. It is fairly long (about 6" or 16 cm) and narrow (1.5" or 4 cm). I believe it may be made of slate. It is dark gray but lighter in colour than charcoal.

- a TM four sided paddle strop, a TM red latigo strop, a DOVO strop and another TM strop I don't remember the name of (the light, very smooth horse leather) (yeah, I know I've got plenty of strops but I like them and the dollar was cheap so I bought an extra)

When I press the razor flat on the hone and hold it to the light I can see it does not touch the hone evenly. Depending on which side of the blade is held against the hone it either balances on the middle or there's a gap in the middle. So it seems the blade is bend ever so slightly.

This is confirmed by my result from doing the permanent marker test:When I use a permanent marker to colour the bevel and give it 1 or 2 strokes on each side on the newly lapped japanese waterhone (lapped using wet sand paper on the back of a fairly thick mirror) some colour remains on the bevel: on one side it remains coloured in the middle but not the sides, on the other the colour is gone from the bevel in each end of the blade but not from the middle section. This just confirms it has a concave and a convex side.

Now my question is what I do about it ?

If I keep honing to flatten it I'm afraid the bevel will not end up being equally wide along each side and between the two sides. Is that a problem ?

As an experiment I tried to use a few strokes on the edge on the hone - now concentrating all pressure at one point as opposed to the whole edge/shoulder resgin on the whole width of the hone should mean a much greater pressure on the point touching the stone, but at the same time would ensure honing of the bevel is equal on both sides (if the two stroks are performed symetrically of course). This immediately got the razor much sharper, which again leads me to believe the uneven contact with the stone is the problem.

It does get sharper when I use the higher-grit and much narrower barber hone I've got, but it will still not pass the hht, though I can get it to pass the thumb pad and nail tests (to my knowledge at least).

I have a TM paddle strop (3.0, 1.0, 0.5, 0.25 diamond) but I cannot get it as sharp using this as I can on the barber hone.


All comments welcome !

If you hone on one side and it touches the middle, and on the other touches the heel and toe, that is a classic warped blade. I would look into sending the razor back where you got it--if it is that warped.


It's funny.

I have a Dovo that I have trouble with, too. It has some kind of defect that causes it to jump in the middle of a stroke.

Personally I am staying away from Dovo razors at the moment.

I get these $12.00 razors on Ebay and very few of them have any problem like this. On the other hand, I've got a couple of Wade and Butcher meat axes that do not hone comfortably. They have wierd places in the stroke where they suddenly shift to a different angle.

I don't have any that are bent like yours, though.

Return it for a refund or exchange if you can , but since you've honed it you might be stuck with it . I have read more than a few posts advising the use of a narrow hone for warped razors . And as you see , a narrow hone will sharpen a warped razor , but the spine and edge will still be warped . If you don't mind shaving with a warped razor , it should work fine . I want my razors flat , and I gave up on a W&B Bow Razor I got off ebay that was so badly warped I would have lost about 1/3 of the width of the spine if I had honed it flat . If the warp isn't too bad you should be able to hone it flat without too much loss .

I have on occasion been able to press the blade flat enough to hone it straight. But if the blade is still new, send it back.

yes I realize now that maybe it should have been returned, but it has been more than 6 months since I bought it so I don't think it's possible. It's my first razor and I have on
ly realized the problem gradually ... so now I just want to try and make the best of what I've got.

The gap that's visible when pressing the razor against the hone and holding it to the light isn't that big ... we aren't talking mm's here, maybe .25 mm at a max, probably less (comparing with how wide .25 mm looks on my vernier calliper when held similarly).

But I'm looking into getting a couple more on ebay, preferably one of the NOS old german brands frequently sometimes available at reasonable prices.
.. Still I'd like to get my first razor to work...

You are one perceptive person. Trying the edge of the hone was almost the perfect solution. The drawback is that the amount of pressure placed on the razors edge is sometimes enough to create microchips in the edge. The solution is to convert the edge to a small bevel and use only light pressure.
Do not try to round the edge of the hone, then you have the same problem as a sharp edge, to much pressure on a single point of the razors edge. I would try to make a small bevel on the hone of 1/2" or 3/4" width.

That small dark colored hone.... try lapping it dry on a piece of sandpaper. If it comes off as a fine dark bluish powder then you have a hone of the Thuringen/Escher family. It is from Germany and has a grit ranking of 6000-10,000 and is a finishing hone.

The concave side of a warped blade requires a narrow surface to hone on.

Keep us posted,

Just FYI, my first 2 razors are sitting in a drawer waiting for me to get back to them, now that my honing skills are better (after 3 months of daily practise).

I have since purchased a few razors on Ebay and honed them up, and I shave with two of them regularly.

I also purchased a few razors here on this forum and they are awesome shavers.

I recommend getting at least one from this SRP forum in the Buy/Sell/Trade section.

Why?

Because it is the best way to get an idea of what most of us are shaving with.
If you buy from a regular seller in B/S/T you will get at least a shave ready edge.

It's worth it. Izlat just sold a beautiful hammered tang Shuredge that was certain to be a primo shaver for something like $35.00.

I can't believe the great deals you can get here.

Hope this helps,

Paul

If I keep honing to flatten it I'm afraid the bevel will not end up being equally wide along each side and between the two sides. Is that a problem ?

You could proceed to completely flatten the
blade in such a manner if it was very mildly
warped. The bevel will be uneven, but this
should not affect the performance of the edge
noticeably.

The other option is to work with the warped
blade as it is on a narrow hone. I would say
that this will be a very difficult procedure
that you will have to replicate every time you
want to refresh the razor's edge.

- Scott

thankyou for your comments.

I think I'll try the narrow-hone trick first, and if I see no improvement in a week or two I will try to hone the razor flat.

The barber hone I have got is about 4/5 " thick, so I will flatten one side of it and give it a try. I'm a bit worried that I will be very difficult to keep the razor flat on such a narrow area of the stone though. Is there any particular setup or seating position that makes this easier ?

The barber hone indeed gives of a bluish looking material when flattened, or when I used a small piece of it I cut off the end for creating slurry. It scratches easily by a metal point such as a nail, and it was quite easy to saw off a tiny slice at the end using a hand saw made for metalwork. If it is a stone of the thuringen/escher family is it correct to use lather or is slurry created with the same stone preferable ?

Originally Posted by dodi

thankyou for your comments.

I think I'll try the narrow-hone trick first, and if I see no improvement in a week or two I will try to hone the razor flat. Use the 6000 hone first. Take the edge of the honeand make a bevel on it. Thats what I was referring to earlier. After you create the bevel be sure to soften the edges of the hone.
Do not worry if the bevels on the razor are uneven. Perform about 50 laps on the 6000 stone then switch to the Thuringen with a slurry for 50-100 laps.
BTW do not use the TNT after the 6000 stone, it dulls the edge. The HHT is not critical, some people cannot do it because of their hair type. Rely on the TPT more than anything when using a finishing hone. Perform the TPT frequently so that you can gauge the change that is occuring. I would check every 25 laps.
The barber hone I have got is about 4/5 " thick, so I will flatten one side of it and give it a try. I'm a bit worried that I will be very difficult to keep the razor flat on such a narrow area of the stone though. Is there any particular setup or seating position that makes this easier ? It will take some practice to hone on a narrow surface. There is no particular setup.

The barber hone indeed gives of a bluish looking material when flattened, or when I used a small piece of it I cut off the end for creating slurry. It scratches easily by a metal point such as a nail, and it was quite easy to saw off a tiny slice at the end using a hand saw made for metalwork. If it is a stone of the thuringen/escher family is it correct to use lather or is slurry created with the same stone preferable ?

It sounds like an Thuringen, use it with a slurry created with the same stone but use a "thin" slurry.