Warped Blade - What to do?

[temjeito]

Hello again, honemeisters!

I spent the better part of the morning restoring this guy:

After cleaning him up, I went to set the bevel, and after a while I realized that the blade is warped. I could tell from the pattern it made in the water once I switched from elliptical to straight back-and-forth, and you can see it in the opposite uneven hone wear, as well:


All that hone wear is me, and I feel pretty bad I didn't notice it sooner. Is this guy a lost cause, or is there a technique for getting it shave-ready?

 

[oakeshott]

Not a lost cause at all. Everyone on this forum has a warped razor they shave with. You will get a couple of suggestions here on how to deal with it, but for me, since I mostly hone for my own purposes and don't have to worry about cosmetics unless I choose to, there is no more pussyfooting with with warped blades. If it is a replaceable item and not a family heirloom or rare and expensive collectible, I now pull out the DMT 325 and unwarp that mother. By the time that blade gets to my Chosera, it's flat on both sides. It will also have a ton of honewear, but it's a practical and useable tool now and for the rest of its foreseeable existence.

It takes a lot of work to get the razor to this point, but after dealing with, literally, dozens of warped razors, I'd had enough. My honing skills are not sufficiently far along to reliably hone a bent razor and besides, I resented their non-cooperation.

 

[smalltank]

You can "breadknife" the razor to make it even again...saw back n forth on a 220 grit synthetic stone...there might be a few other ways as well

 

[Kentos]

So it's bent like a canoe, correct? Your best bet is to get a very thin hone whose width is smaller than the radius of the circle your warped razor would make. Then take your time and hone it up.

 

[temjeito]

So it's bent like a canoe, correct?

I think so. When it is on one side, the middle rests on the hone while the sides are a bit higher. On the other side, it is the reverse (sides lower, center up).

 

[temjeito]

I now pull out the DMT 325 and unwarp that mother. By the time that blade gets to my Chosera, it's flat on both sides.

So you just hone regularly on a real low grit until it isn't warped anymore? I take that to mean the edge is warped but probably not the blade farther up?

 

[oakeshott]

So you just hone regularly on a real low grit until it isn't warped anymore? I take that to mean the edge is warped but probably not the blade farther up?

What happens is you flatten out the high spots on the spine. The blade is still warped, assuming that was the initial problem and not an untrue spine, but you effectively honed away the high spots on one side and the high spots on the other. It looks unattractive, unless your tastes go that way, but it makes for an honest razor.

Kentos' suggestion also works. A narrow hone allows you to treat small portions of the edge which are flat between those two points, but that go off of true beyond the two points.

 

[buca3152]

I use my choseras on their side (except the 1k, its stuck on its base) 600grit up to 10k, and then film to finish. Works great. I use to flatten em with the dmts, but thats a lot of work.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I just hone hone hone until the whole edge rests on the honing surface. There may still be wide and narrow spots on the bevel but that is of little consequence as long as the edge gets good contact from end to end.

A very narrow hone can hone such a razor but it won't have fixed anything. Your razor and you can go either way and still get it to shave so ymmv.

 

[temjeito]

Thanks, guys. I'm gonna spend some time on my 600 DMT and see if I can't make a proper shaver out of this one.

 

[smalltank]

the lower the grit..the easier for steel to be removed where it should be...

 

[rickboone1]

I can't really tell how/ where it's warped but i would approach one or two ways.

First, do the marker test to see where it is warped and how bad. This will be indicated by left over marker. Put that area of the razor on your DMT or rougher grit and rub half strokes until its almost gone. Then go to bevel setter. Keep doing the marker test to check your work.

Second way is a thin/ skinny hone. The side of a hone will work if its not glued into a base. Like a norton. Also you can cut some skinny strips of lapping film or use a bout. The skinny hone allows you to adjust and flow your stroke to compensate for the waves. So, really you're keeping the blade flats but your wrist and hand are moving up and down. Again, marker. Check work.

Doesn't seem that bad really. If you can't get it let me know. I can try and walk you through it or be happy to do it.

 

[blackhhawk]

I have a warped razor. The edge is flat, but the spine is warped. Your bevel and home wear will be uneven but it will still shave fine. It just looks weird, kind of.

 

[lindyhop66]

I just honed a $16 Dorner straight from ebay that would not lie flat on the lapping film. I just used more pressure with two fingers keeping the toe and heel down and did some of the half strokes Rick mentioned, but mostly regular back and forth honing laps (no X strokes or circles) and honed the heck out of it on 30 micron until I got the bevel, then 12,9, 5,3,1 microns, CrOx, FeOx, linen and leather. I honed 9 razors Sunday and the cheap "warped" Dorner now shaves the best of the lot.