Thread: Convex Edge

I bought this razor from wojtec and it arrived with a convex edge. I bought it to practice honing so I guess I'm getting what I paid for. I put the blade on a white sheet of paper to serve as a backdrop. I want to remove the bulge without hurting the two ends. How do I straighten it out? Thanks.

No you don't.

That is called a smile, and it makes for a nicer shave, you want to learn how to hone it as it is, you do not want to remove it.

Originally Posted by Wildtim

No you don't.

That is called a smile, and it makes for a nicer shave, you want to learn how to hone it as it is, you do not want to remove it.

Ohhhh. That puts a new wrinkle into the equation. Now I have to search for smiles.

Look up the post on the "rolling X". There is a pretty good explanation on there on how to deal with these types of razors. A convex edge is something different that, from what I'm told, not to do on straight razors. I work as a Meat Cutter/Butcher and I use convex edges on my knives. Now that I've learned a little more, it would be almost pointless to use a convex edge on a straight, because the process would waste too much metal.

Check out videos 8 and 9
http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...eo-series.html

A convex edge is something completely different from a smile.

Originally Posted by heavydutysg135

Check out videos 8 and 9
http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...eo-series.html

A convex edge is something completely different from a smile.

Hmm. I guess I need to do some more searching.

I just convexed my straight razor's edge. The razor seems "out of true" - twisted in a way so that when you hone it with the spine on the hone, only the part near the tip gets ground on one side, and only the part near the tang gets ground on the other side.

(It's a bottom of the line DOVO, and I'm not sure if this issue is typical or reflects poor quality control.)

I was feeling random today. So, on a lark, I lifted the blade off the spine just a little while honing on a Norton 4K/8K, deliberately changing the angle a little bit in order to convex the blade. Looking at it with a loupe, it looks like I've been successful. Most importantly, it looks like the blade passes the hanging hair test over its entire length for the first time in its two-year life!

I only started straight shaving in 2006, so if anyone with more experience cares to comment on this, I'd be interested to hear what you have to say.

Originally Posted by heavydutysg135

Check out videos 8 and 9
http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...eo-series.html

A convex edge is something completely different from a smile.

Could you explain this difference?
What you see in the picture "TstebinsB Photo" is what I mean by smile. It seems the same.

Thanks

Dioni

Originally Posted by Estroncio

Could you explain this difference?
What you see in the picture "TstebinsB Photo" is what I mean by smile. It seems the same.

Thanks

Dioni

Yes, the razor pictured is considered a smile not a convexed edge. A convexed edge has to do with the actual bevel/edge angle. Instead of having a single or double angle, a convexed edge is rounded. This is created by honing the edge on a type of honing media that has some "give" to it.