Thread: Fixing tosuke edge

The very tip of my tosuke somehow got bent. It's not a big deal in itself but it scratches the strop so I need to fix it before I can use it again.

I didn't originally hone it (sent to Lynn). Is it a good idea to try to fix it myself? I have 4k/8k norton. I also have belgian blue and yellow on the way (well, at least paid for).

I need an advice. If it's likely I can do it without messing up the whole edge, I'd like to try it rather than sending it back to Lynn.

Is the tip visibly deflected, or is it just scratching the strop? If it's a slight bend, a few strokes on the Norton 8K might be enough to grind off the bent portion enough that it won't scratch your strop. Try doing a few laps with just enough pressure to keep the blade flat on the hone. Remember that the Japanese masters say that these razors are supposed to be honed with a 2:3 ratio of strokes, not equally like Western razors.

My other question is whether you're sure it's bent. My Japanese razor has a really, really sharp tip, and I could see myself scratching my strop if I lifted the spine or tipped the razor during stropping.

I haven't gotten the hang of mine yet, so take this with a grain of salt...

Josh

Because of the steel used and the design of the razor I think it unlikely the razor got bent. The edge on all the japanese razors are bent sharply towards the concave side. If you look down the blade profile from toe to heel it actually looks bent but that's the way its supposed to be. However if your really sure it is bent don't try and hammer it back. probably honing it down is the best way but I have my doubts about a bend. Its a short blade I can't imagine how it would have gotten bent.

Maybe a silly suggestion, but isn't it possible that your strop is slightly curled inwards, thus causing the scratch?
Especially with spike points this could be what happens.

The tip is not visibly defective. It is quite possible that it's my technique combined with very sharp thick end causes this to happen. I have, however, tried very controlled movements when stropping and it's still happening.

The reason I thought it might be bent is when I try to "strop" on my finger, I can feel the tip scraping.

But, assuming the razor is fine and it's me, any tips on stropping it that are different from regular razors?

Actually stropping on plain leather only dresses the edge, it does not sharpen it so you can strop as you do any other razor. You don't need to worry about the 3:2 ratio in this case. It could be for some reason your just putting a tad too much pressure on the razor when you strop and thats why your getting that scratching of your finger or strop. Because of the shortness of the blade its just magnifying that pressure.

So I've fixed it. It wasn't my stropping technique. The tip wasn't bent either. There was some rough spot on the left edge, not on the bevel itself. I could definitely feel it with my finger but it was so small I couldn't even see it using 10x lens. I did 4 or 5 laps on 8k norton and it seemed to have fixed it.

Interesting - rough spot on the edge edge (and not higher on the bevel?) Wondering how this happened... Did you drop the razor and / or smack it in the faucet or something?

Anyway - good to hear that it's fixed now.

Btw, I also agree that some spikes can catch if the strop is cupped...

Cheers
Ivo

Do the japanese traditionally strop their straights?

Well, does anybody?