Thread: Honing vintage razors

Originally Posted by Euclid440

So, first, be very careful with Alcohol, some celluloid scales can kick off with cell rot with the use of harsh chemicals.

I have never had a problem with WD40 or Simple Green for cleaning. I generally hose the razor down with WD40, let it sit a few minutes to soak in then clean with steel wool. I would not use alcohol, except possibly on a towel to wipe just the blade.

What I did not see on your list is the most important tool, magnification. Get at least a 60x lighted loupe, they are only a few dollars and will tell you volumes about your razors and what they need. You can't fix, what you can’t see. A 60-100x micro max will show you a lot about your razor for about $15.

A Vintage razor, will tell you a lot more than a new razor, because in maintaining the razor the prior user(s) have cause wear patterns, that will tip you to issues that can turn into problems.

You want to do this inspection before you do any restoration with abrasives or polish, or you will just erase all tells on the razor and now you are starting all over, blind.

Laying the blade on a flat surface, looking for warp is a good start, but still does not mean it is not warped. Look at the spine with magnification, inspect the wear pattern from heel to toe on both sides. Most razors have some warp and it is not a deal breaker, if you know how to deal with it.

Is the spine wear pattern even, if not, why?

Look at the width of the blade is it even, if not why?
Look at the edge, does the edge run from heel to toe? Are there any chips or cracks?

Look at the heel, is the heel rounded, is the heel fully honed, does the edge end before the stabilizer, if it has one. The edge should end at the corner where the heel begins the upturn or just a bit past the round, but that corner need to be well in front of the stabilizer.

If not the heel, will need correcting and re-shaping.


Is there wear (Hone Marks) on the stabilizer, where they are keeping the heel off the stone?

If so the stabilizers may need re-shaping.

Now look at the tip, is it honed all the way to the tip, if a spike or just a bit past the round corner, if a round point? If a spike has it been muted, if so how severe? Decide if you want to restore the tip, which will require grinding the top edge to form a point at the corner.

Is there rust at the pivot?

Now inspect the scales for tightness and cracks, cleaning may reveal some hidden flaws.

If you have use any abrasives on the blade and touched the edge, the edge will need to be refreshed. How you do that depends on how flat the bevels are from heel to toe and from the back of the bevel to the edge, and if they are in the correct bevel angle.

Here is a simple test. Ink the bevel fully with a colored sharpie, WD40 on a paper towel, will easily remove sharpie ink so use it liberally. Colored ink is much easier to see with the naked eye and magnification.

Do one lap on your highest grit stone, yes it will come off the stone with wear…

Look at the bevel, how much of the ink came off and where? Why? See if you can tell if the remaining ink is there because of the bevel, (not flat or in the correct plane) or are there other issues that you can spot.

Make a reference mark where the ink remains on the belly of the razor, a dot or a tick. Now do, another lap, did you remove more ink? If so, it is the angle or a non-flat bevel. If after a few laps ink still remains, you will have to alter your honing technique to reach the whole bevel.

If the bevels are mostly flat, you can probably re-set the bevels on a higher grit stone, an 8K or 4k and avoid the deep 1k stria. Just ink the bevels and make sure you are honing to the edge.

These are all the “Variables” we talk about in honing.

Thanks @Euclid440 This will serve as an excellent checklist.

They will all probably need a bevel reset, I've probably bought 300 antique store razors and I've only had 2 that didn't need a bevel reset. It can be deceiving as at least 100 of those cut arm hair straight from the store. looking at them through an eye loupe will tell the real story. Also check for frowns, they might be very slight but will make honing very frustrating until they are fixed.

I always use tape as I messed up a few spines when I was learning. If you really don't want to use tape, start with the worst of the bunch and pay close attention to the spine to monitor for excessive wear.

Originally Posted by rodb

They will all probably need a bevel reset, I've probably bought 300 antique store razors and I've only had 2 that didn't need a bevel reset. It can be deceiving as at least 100 of those cut arm hair straight from the store. looking at them through an eye loupe will tell the real story. Also check for frowns, they might be very slight but will make honing very frustrating until they are fixed.

I always use tape as I messed up a few spines when I was learning. If you really don't want to use tape, start with the worst of the bunch and pay close attention to the spine to monitor for excessive wear.

Thanks @rodb I have been thinking about this issue of tape based on posts above from others...and until I get proficient at honing I may be wise to just tape as a matter of regular practice. It will just help to control one more variable. If I use it consistently this should help.

Might want to read here

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...-you-leap.html

Many, MANY words have been written here on the great tape vs no-tape debate. You can use it or not - totally your choice as both work.

*But* I will say that if you do decide to use tape, it's worth spending a couple of bucks to get good stuff. There is a fairly widespread consensus that 3M (or Scotch brand) #700 is as good as any other option. It will last far longer than the cheap dollar store stuff, and thereby leave less gunk on your stones.

Good luck!