Heel Repair Video

[Slash McCoy]

This was discussed over on SRP and I thought I would throw a quick vid together to illustrate this method of fixing a heel prior to honing. It will take about 3/16" or your edge out of play, but will make honing of most razors a lot easier.

Template is a nickel. Feel free to use a different coin. Grinder is a Black & Decker Dragster sander, guards removed, clamped upside down in a bench vise, 1000 grit belt but you can go as low as 400 or so, no problem. The final deburring is done with a little scrap cut from a worn strip of 60u lapping film but you can use 30u, maybe even 15u, or 600 grit sandpaper.

 

[rbscebu]

Now I am starting to understand why some say that they have problems when honing SR's with stabilisers at the shoulder. It is not so much the stabilizer but rather the heel profile. When the heel profile is like at 90° with a stabiliser, I can appreciate their problem.

Fortunately for me, I have never had to experience a heel with a near 90° profile at the heel. All of my SR's with stabilisers have come with a well rounded heel profile.

 

[kohalajohn]

I wonder if the work sharp ken onion edition would work for that

 

[Slash McCoy]

I wonder if the work sharp ken onion edition would work for that

It might. Gotta be good for something.

 

[buca3152]

The easiest way imo if to use a dremel with a stone wheel. And then a rubber wheel 180 grit to polish.

 

[Slash McCoy]

The easiest way imo if to use a dremel with a stone wheel. And then a rubber wheel 180 grit to polish.

That may be true for most people, though I would lean more toward the sanding drum attachment than a stone wheel. In my case, that belt sander more or less lives in the bench vise so it is ready to go, and the half worn out 1k belt works nicely and doesn't chip. So anyway, yeah there are many different tool setups that will work just fine and who doesn't have a Dremel or a knockoff?

The SRP crowd mostly just uses the side of a stone. That works, too. Especially for doing just one razor at a time. I do a handful at a time and I don't want to be all day about it, so it's power tools for me.

I got called out on using a nickel instead of a quarter. Elitism, I say. Not everyone walks around with a whole quarter in his pocket.

 

[Bowmaker]

I would question running a razor across that belt and the heat build up on such a thin edge. I would go with a water cooled stone myself.

 

[LJS]

I do the same but on a water grinder. I don’t really use any template, it is pretty clear what needs to go so the edge is on the stone properly and no hook forms for a long time of honing. Good vid to help explain.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I would question running a razor across that belt and the heat build up on such a thin edge. I would go with a water cooled stone myself.

LIght contact, just a few seconds. Notice there is no BSOD. Never even gets to straw. Temper is intact. Believe me, I have toasted many a blade and I know if I went to far and too long.

 

[buca3152]

You can blow the temper for sure. But you can also cut yourself from ear to ear while shaving. Be careful. Not.too much contact at any given time and your golden. The dremel is variable speed which I like. Not saying other methods don't work. But the metal done right doesn't even get hot to the touch.

 

[Bowmaker]

LIght contact, just a few seconds. Notice there is no BSOD. Never even gets to straw. Temper is intact. Believe me, I have toasted many a blade and I know if I went to far and too long.

You have toasted many a blade but you still condone the use of power grinders, belt sanders for razors and for those that may be beginners?
My belt grinder gets no where near a razor. Each to their own.

Does Sharpening with a Grinder Ruin Your Edge? - Knife Steel Nerds

 

[Slash McCoy]

You have toasted many a blade but you still condone the use of power grinders, belt sanders for razors and for those that may be beginners?
My belt grinder gets no where near a razor. Each to their own.

Does Sharpening with a Grinder Ruin Your Edge? - Knife Steel Nerds

Yes, I do condone the use of power tools. If you don't, cool.

<EDIT> Just checked your link. I fail to see what that web page has in common with careful use of a belt sander to modify a heel. That site seems to be all about using a grinder to sharpen a knife edge.

Why don't you make your own video, showing folks how YOU trim a razor's heel? That would be more constructive than just saying mine is all wrong.

 

[buca3152]

I've sharpened many a knife on a belt sander and or.paper wheel as well as free hand and have not burnt any knife edges up. some people should stay away from power tools if they can't use them correctly though. So if you don't have the mental or physical fortitude to do things controlled and careful stay away. If you can.use common sense and work carefully then by all means.

 

[Bowmaker]

I am into other types of vintage edged tools also and have had this discussion many times. Different belts, grinders that are variable speed designed for sharpening ect. Yes, you can do it with power tools. Problem is it don't happen like it should and folks are using belt sanders not designed for the task at hand or bench grinders with the wrong wheels ect.

I come across more old tools ruined tools by improper sharpening on power tools than any other cause.

I have had my say on the matter and won't say any more.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I am into other types of vintage edged tools also and have had this discussion many times. Different belts, grinders that are variable speed designed for sharpening ect. Yes, you can do it with power tools. Problem is it don't happen like it should and folks are using belt sanders not designed for the task at hand or bench grinders with the wrong wheels ect.

I come across more old tools ruined tools by improper sharpening on power tools than any other cause.

I have had my say on the matter and won't say any more.

You still don't get it. This is not "sharpening" anything. But that's okay. I think everybody else understands perfectly. Nobody here, including me, hones razors with any sort of powered grinder or sander.

 

[Doc226]

 

[trentr]

Have you ever made or seen a razor with a "square" or slanted heal? On 1 side where my beard meets mustache, I use the square toe to get right in the corner. On the other side I need to use the heel and it is much harder to do with the roundness. I am currently modifying my Gold Dollar. (Side note polishing is more difficult than I envisioned) I saw this video for heel correction and put my own twist on it to have a slanted heel (with a very slightly blunted corner). I have not gotten my scales put no yet (or honed obviously) so I do not know how it will play out. Just curious if anyone else had experience with a more squared off heel.

I used what I had available at the time which was a 24" disc sander with 36 grit paper. Definitely not the right tool for the job, but with a light touch and EXTREME caution, the razor never developed any heat and my fingers are still intact.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Of course. You can profile the heel pretty much however you like. Look for the annual Gold Dollar Modification Competition threads for pics of modded razors from mild and conservative, to extreme.

 

[trentr]

It runs in my mind that the w59 I ordered may have a more square heal, I guess it was easier to ask then pull up a pic LOL.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I used your coin trick on this George Wostenholm, @Slash McCoy - very clever! Because I don't have any power tools, I taped the bottom of the tang and used P100 and P200 sandpaper on a wood block, and then in my hand - took about an hour. Other than a small dimple behind the heel, it looks good to my eye. At first, I had a little trouble smoothing the curvature but once I switched to holding the razor stationary in my left hand and rubbing the sandpaper with my right hand the curve smoothed out in no time.

BTW, the reason I needed to do all of this was because I had flattened the heel grinding the hole out.

And I used a quarter !