DONT USE A DAMAGED BLADE!!!
There was a thread a couple days ago where someone didn't think that a tiny chip could be of much harm....well, here ya go.
I was honing this heirloom (a beautiful Shumate Pacific) piece up today and noticed something weird. It honed flat on one side but required a rolling-X on the other side. I also noticed that the toe wasn't getting sharp on one side...hmmm. I managed to get it shave ready with a little persuasion.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...tepacific1.jpg
Wow, right? Well, as I dipped in on the first pass...I noticed this on the second pass...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/Red96TA/oops.jpg
Apparently, great-granddad dropped this razor on it's toe and the bend is too small to even see with the naked eye. My cheek sure knows it's bent.
Yeah, sure, I could alter the blade or turn it into a 4/8 but it's an heirloom piece and I think that the best thing I can do to honor both the razor and great-granddad is to just, sadly, remove this guy from ever returning to rotation. :(