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Edge Chipped - What Should I Do, if anything?

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
The steel of this SR is high carbon with a hardness of 59 RHC. It is sharpened to tree-topping chest hair and is lapped very lightly about 50 passes on a 0.1u diamond-pasted hanging balsa strop after each use. This SR has been used for about 15 x 3-pass shaves since I set the bevel and sharpened the edge using "The Method".

After the bevel set and sharpening, I inspected the full length of the edge under a USB microscope and all was good. After that, I inspect the edge by eye only before each shave and have found nothing wrong.

This morning before clean-leather stropping and shaving, I decided to use a 40X loupe to insect the edge. I then faintly detected a chip at about mid length of the edge. I further inspected this chip with the USB microscope and found this:

edge01 20200205.jpg
That big chip is 27u deep x 170u long (0.001" x 0.006"). The rest of the edge looked like this:

edge02  20200205.jpg
I then stropped the SR and shaved with it - 3 passes WTG, XTG and ATG. The shave was perfect as normal, only some very light tugging in tough spots when ATG. I then gave the edge 50 laps on the 0.1u hanging balsa and check again under the USB microscope. There was no discernable change to the chip.

I am happy with the way this edge is shaving now. Should I worry/do something about this chip or just forget about it and let it eventually wear out of the edge?
 
Is this a chip in your strop??? If you can’t see it with the naked eye I honestly wouldn’t be to concerned.
 
I'd let it wear out of the edge. These things crop up now and again but if they don't affect performance then don't worry about them.

Next time you hone it breadknife it beforehand, it should level the edge taking that chip right out.

Chris
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Is this a chip in your strop??? If you can’t see it with the naked eye I honestly wouldn’t be to concerned.
No, it is a chip on my SR blade edge. All my leather strops are good and clean.
 
Its actually surprising what you will see when using high magnification.
Small irregularities will still shave just fine but they will bother you knowing they are there.
This is the "problem" with using high mag. you first of all, will now be aware of everything. You will want to fix it and make the edge perfect. It will probably bother you and you will end up fixing it before long even though it shaves fine.
As a rule, for me, if I can't see it with a very good loupe or barely see it - then it will shave fine.
This type of thing is fairly common with use and stropping. You are deforming with shaving and straightening with stropping. Eventually the edge will not look so great, then its time to re hone.
Happy honing:)
 
As long as it is not effecting the shave I'd let it be. If I was going to sell the razor I'd fix it.

I think of chips like that as dull areas. If I can't feel it it can stay. As the numbers or area of these chips increases the edge will be perceived as dull.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Thank you all for your guidance.

Knowing too much is not always a good thing. I will forget about my "big" chip and just continue on enjoying my SR shaving education.
 
Agree - not to worry.

When I started with pasted balsa I threw some chips I think either due to rough diamond paste or from applying it too thick. Next time around I kept it sparse - as per the pasted balsa thread - and didn't get problems after that. Might be worth bearing in mind?
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
The steel of this SR is high carbon with a hardness of 59 RHC. It is sharpened to tree-topping chest hair and is lapped very lightly about 50 passes on a 0.1u diamond-pasted hanging balsa strop after each use. This SR has been used for about 15 x 3-pass shaves since I set the bevel and sharpened the edge using "The Method".

After the bevel set and sharpening, I inspected the full length of the edge under a USB microscope and all was good. After that, I inspect the edge by eye only before each shave and have found nothing wrong.

This morning before clean-leather stropping and shaving, I decided to use a 40X loupe to insect the edge. I then faintly detected a chip at about mid length of the edge. I further inspected this chip with the USB microscope and found this:

That big chip is 27u deep x 170u long (0.001" x 0.006"). The rest of the edge looked like this:

I then stropped the SR and shaved with it - 3 passes WTG, XTG and ATG. The shave was perfect as normal, only some very light tugging in tough spots when ATG. I then gave the edge 50 laps on the 0.1u hanging balsa and check again under the USB microscope. There was no discernable change to the chip.

I am happy with the way this edge is shaving now. Should I worry/do something about this chip or just forget about it and let it eventually wear out of the edge?
If it works, don’t fix it.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I didn't try to fix it other than some extra pasted balsa stropping between shaves. Normally I would only do just 50 laps on 0.1u hanging balsa. With this blade I did 50 laps each on 0.5u, 0.25u and 0.1u all hand-held before the 50 laps on 0.1u hanging.

After a couple of weeks, my "huge" chip was almost unnoticeable under the USB microscope. I am now back to normal routine with this edge and all is good, both in shaving and psychologically.
 
People vary in the sensitivity of their skin. If you cannot feel it when you shave, the go with it. Unfortunately, I could not get away with chips like that. If I can see it under the microscope, I can feel it on my face. I wish that were not the case.

I have tried restoring some vintage blades with minor corrosion near the edge, but I can never get them smooth enough to shave without irritation. I even have a new Hart Steel blade that has a tendency to microchip. I have tried lots of different honing methods, but I cannot eliminate the microchips to the point it will give a decent shave.
 
The new Hart Steel razors form Microchips on the edge due to poor quality control and a bad temper process. It is not your honing. I bought one Dec 2020 and have been honing for many years. Their quality control died as did their customer service when Classic Shaving was bought out apparently.
 
That's what I did. Now all is good.
I will try with no tape. I am pretty sure I can make it take a somewhat shaveable edge at some point but for how long who knows. But not what I expected at all from a new product. Also not exactly great customer experience to say the least from them. Old vintage restored eBay razor where they heated it up and did not cool in water. Maybe, but brand new expensive razor? What the heck?
 
I will try with no tape. I am pretty sure I can make it take a somewhat shaveable edge at some point but for how long who knows. But not what I expected at all from a new product. Also not exactly great customer experience to say the least from them. Old vintage restored eBay razor where they heated it up and did not cool in water. Maybe, but brand new expensive razor? What the heck?

I got a Hart razor a few years ago. I have honed in without tape, with one layer of tape, with multiple layers of tape. I have honed it on natural stones. I have honed it on synthetic stones, including some very expensive ones. I have honed a single bevel. I have honed a double bevel. No matter what I tried, I have never been able to get a decent shave from the razor. I finally gave up. However, to be fair, I do have a very coarse, fast-growing beard and very sensitive skin. Thus, I am very particular about my edges.

If you figure out how to get a usable edge from your razor, send me a PM with your address and I will gladly mail you my razor for your collection. I lost all hope of getting a usable edge a long time ago. The only reason I have not given it away sooner is that I would not wish the frustration I have experienced with the razor on anyone.
 
I got a Hart razor a few years ago. I have honed in without tape, with one layer of tape, with multiple layers of tape. I have honed it on natural stones. I have honed it on synthetic stones, including some very expensive ones. I have honed a single bevel. I have honed a double bevel. No matter what I tried, I have never been able to get a decent shave from the razor. I finally gave up. However, to be fair, I do have a very coarse, fast-growing beard and very sensitive skin. Thus, I am very particular about my edges.

If you figure out how to get a usable edge from your razor, send me a PM with your address and I will gladly mail you my razor for your collection. I lost all hope of getting a usable edge a long time ago. The only reason I have not given it away sooner is that I would not wish the frustration I have experienced with the razor on anyone.
I suggest getting Theirs Issard razors. They have the best edges I have ever gotten. That being said I managed to guess the email for the CEO of The Shave Network and he actually got back to me saying he will make it right adn assign someone to my case. If I can get mine in a shave ready state I will let him know about your issue and see if he can at least get it honed properly with a keen smooth edge. If he can't make mine right I will try to get it exchanged for a TI or something. Thanks for the offer on your Hart. I suspect mine is going to wind up the same way. But let's give them a chance to make it right.
 
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