How to hone bad geometry razor?

I have a very nice 6/8 Dovo Carre - Bismarck type blade. When I bought it, it arrived shave-ready from some professional shoppe in UK, and indeed it was a great shaver for a couple of years with only minor touch-ups along the road, but recently I felt it was time to hone it again.
Honing it I noticed (I did noticed it in the past of course, but it didn't matter to me previously) it has quite a messed-up geometry: unequal and not completely straight shoulders. This in turn caused the bevel to be uneven on both sides and along the blade. On the front side it's broader in the middle, while on the back side it's the opposite - narrower in the middle.
This is how it came to me originally, and this is what I got again when resetting the bevel myself. Now, I honed it this way again (one layer of tape applied), and it shaves well as before. However I wonder whether should I try to correct it somehow or leave it be? And how exactly - if I should?
Your advice will be welcome.
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Originally Posted by dimab

This in turn caused the bevel to be uneven on both sides and along the blade. On the front side it's broader in the middle, while on the back side it's the opposite - narrower in the middle.

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Apart from your other comments and pictures, the quoted remark is pretty characteristic of a razor with a bent spine. You can just keep honing flat with it (which will also move in the direction of evening out the shoulders, used without tape) to get at the good stuff, or you can use a rolling X-stroke to keep the lines even.

Especially if you are taping the spine, I would just leave it as is and hone it using a rolling X-stroke. This also will prevent it from looking like it's been to hell and back.

So you are saying rolling x-stroke on the convex side, and flat on the concave? Wouldn't it give it a smile eventually?

No, I'm suggesting a rolling stroke on both sides. A narrow hone is very useful in this regard.

An uneven bevel is purely cosmetic. As long as it shaves properly I would not worry about it. It is most likely the spine is bent as previously mentioned. Honing gymnastics is the only sensible solution.

I second RezDog. I would say that the problem is in the grind, but whether it's the grind or the spine is immaterial. As long as you can get a good edge don't worry about it.

Agree with bent spine, but it could also just be ground not very evenly side-to-side. whatever caused the condition doesn't really matter. The convex side isn't an issue, a rolling stroke will hone that side. The concave side may be a different story in the middle of the razor depending on how concave it is. If you have difficulty bringing up the middle of the concave side, you may have to resort to a narrow hone, using the side of the hone, or the corner of the hone to get into the concavity. Dovo I believe uses a domed hone for the 'problem children', but very few of us have domed hones.

Cheers, Steve

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Originally Posted by RezDog

An uneven bevel is purely cosmetic. As long as it shaves properly I would not worry about it. It is most likely the spine is bent as previously mentioned. Honing gymnastics is the only sensible solution.

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Originally Posted by bluesman7

I second RezDog. I would say that the problem is in the grind, but whether it's the grind or the spine is immaterial. As long as you can get a good edge don't worry about it.

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Thank you all for your answers! That was what I thought: as long as it shaves - leave it be. But I wanted to hear some advise from wiser and more experienced in this hobby than myself, and I'm happy to see you concur.

Definitely leave it be. The shave performance is the important thing. The problem is due to a razor that is not perfectly straight - whether it's down to the grind or the spine bending. Most likely options are that it was ground a little crooked from the start or that it warped a tiny bit during heat treat. It is not easy to permanently bend a razor blade after it's heat treated without breaking it. Either way no big deal.

Agree that how it shaves is the important thing. Too fix the geometry means removing extra metal. IMO, if you really want to even every thing out, send it to a true honemeister.

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Originally Posted by Steve56

The concave side may be a different story in the middle of the razor depending on how concave it is. If you have difficulty bringing up the middle of the concave side, you may have to resort to a narrow hone, using the side of the hone, or the corner of the hone to get into the concavity.

Cheers, Steve

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Thanks for the corner suggestion. I was setting a bevel with a razor that was concave in in the middle. I used the corner trick and had to learn the rolling X stroke as well.

My gut tells me the corner is not the best way to handle the problem, but cant figure out a better way. Had to use the corner on subsequent hones as well to polish up.

Regardless of the Nay Sayers and their fancy computer profiles. This Works!

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...than-mile.html

For determining wether it's a functional vs cosmetic issue, I always use a maker on the edge. Also a good way to tell what technique you gotta use, or wether the technique you're using is working or not. So you can easily tell which parts are or are not making good contact with the hone. I do this with all my blades, mostly during the bevel setting phase.

I wouldn't say it feels like a functional issue: the razor shaves well after all. I just wanted to know whether should I try and fix the cosmetic issue of unevenly looking bevel or leave it be and shave as it is. I'm happy to know the prevalent opinion here is the same as mine - if it shaves well, leave it be.

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Originally Posted by dimab

I'm happy to know the prevalent opinion here is the same as mine if it shaves well, leave it be.

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What a refreshing comment to hear! :bow:

I've been to several meets and spent time with some pretty good razor hone and restoration fellow and I've never seen any one gripe about a great edge no matter what it looked like. Tc

In case your razor does not touch the hone in the middle of the blade but at the toe and the tip only, what has worked good with me is during bevel setting I‘ve payed more attention to the tip and the toe. Doing this the edge gets a ever very gentle smile into it. It might be bot visible to your eyes, but the smile brings the toe and the tip of the blade back allowing the midddle of the blade to touch the stone. This is one reason why old razor manufacturers have used to produce razors with smiling edge, at least as what I‘ve read somewehere.

Working the middle of the blade at the corner of the stone has not worked with me, behabs due to my hands are not that stable...

Just to add my 20cents

Best regards

Philipp