Hi Folks,

Long time SRer, long time lurker, first or second time poster. (edit: it says I have 5 posts!)

I have a Dovo Best Quality I bought new in 2015. I have used it since then, only with a strop (fire hose and leather) since that time. I purchased an 8k Norton about a year ago, and did 3-7 strokes once every 5 months. It never really seemed to make a difference but I was simply attempting to maintain the edge. I have pretty thick stubble and the razor, since I learned how to use it correctly, has always kind of pulled, but not uncomfortably, and the shave was always very close so I just continued doing what I was doing.

As a grad present, I bought a Dovo Bismarck 6/8, so I decided now was the time to learn to hone on my BQ. I bought a 1k/4k Norton, and will soon have a 12k (haven't decided, Shapton or Naniwa, yet) on the way. With the 8k, I think that's a pretty complete setup.

I started in the other night on the 1k. After about 50 strokes, I noticed something: on one side of the blade, the bevel on the heel and toe were pronounced but there was no bevel in the middle. On the other side of the blade, the bevel looked consistent along most of the blade except at the very tip of the toe and heel, where it was noticeably absent.

I took a look down the spine and sure enough it's warped. I checked it on a metal straight edge which confirmed this to be true. Note that I did properly lap my stones before beginning to hone.

Anyways, I am at a complete loss here on how to proceed. I have a bunch of questions and am looking for some help. I have searched the internet but this does not seem to be a common problem. I remember seeing someone post somewhere that, out of their 80 razors, only 1 was bowed/warped (and ironically, it was a Dovo BQ).

Note my funds and equipment are limited; I don't, nor do I have access to any metal working gear, and the only hones I have are those listed. The main reason I decided to go this route and learn myself was because, where I live, for some reason, there are no sharpeners who do straight razors... in a city of 350k, mostly filled with newlyweds or nearlydeads.

With that background, my questions are:

1. Did I cause the warping of the blade by something I did? Rather, could I have caused the blade to warp, or would it have come from the factory that way? I have been so incredibly careful with it because I was always afraid that, if I did damage it, I wouldn't be able to fix it and would have to go back to the gillette, which always caused my face to break out.

2. Is there a cheap solution to this issue? Something that preferably will cost me zero dollars?

3. Should I contact Dovo? It was bought brand new, but that was 3 years ago. Would they care?

4. Is the razor garbage?

Thanks for any help.