Thread: Warped blade...is it worth honing?

I am hoping that someone out there has hit on the same problem I have now.
A random purchase has returned an excellent blade, but it is warped....let me explain.
Imagine fully opening a razor so it is flat and horizontal, handle to the left, and the cutting edge is forming a horizontal line right in front of you, with the spine directly behind the edge.
OK, now, ideally the cutting edge sits perfectly in the middle of the spine behind it.
What I have with my blade is the cutting edge rising slighltly from left to right, so that at the toe, the xutting edge is closer to the top of the spine than the bottom.
Right now, you either have the exact picture I am seeing in front of me, or you are clicking on another link!
When this blade sits on the hone it is all out of whack. Resting on the spine, you can rock the edge from heel to toe.
What I would like to know is, is it worth spending some time with this unusual rocking motion to hone the blade, or is it going to be a nightmare? Can I re-align the blade? (Given that my profession is about as far from a blacksmith as you could wish to find!!!)
It would be a shame to give up now, because I really like the razor, but if blades like this are never going to shave I would prefer to spend my time on another project razor.
Either I am the unluckiest straight razor buyer on the face of this earth, or things like this happen a lot.
Any help is gratefully recieved.
Thank,
APs

I'm not really and expert in practice but I read lots ... I'd say you need to look into using a rolling x honing technique :

http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=21734

I've not had time to view them yet but it might be an idea to watch heavydutysg135's videos :

http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=21876

Obviously Lynn's DVD would be good too - the first 3 parts are on you tube if you are desperate - look in the video's section

From my experiences this is common I've had 5 razors and all but one of them needs a rolling stroke.

Barney

Why not send it to an expert to get the bevel or edge/spine relationship honed correctly, then, when needed, touch it up yourself, using what the master has done as your guide?

Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

Why not send it to an expert to get the bevel or edge/spine relationship honed correctly, then, when needed, touch it up yourself, using what the master has done as your guide?

Very good advice. Some razors with imperfections will hone up just perfectly some will not. It would suck to have the later in your hands when trying to learn to hone, you would have a hard time progressing in what is already a difficult skill. Once sharpened well, especially with an eye to making it easier to sharpen in the future, your razor will be far easier to keep in shaving trim than it will be to sharpen initially.

Master??? Who'd be that?

Thanks for the tips guys.
I would be more tempted to send this off to a hone ninja if I was in the same country!
I am finding that I need a rolling x-pattern on pretty much everything I try to hone, so figure that it is a skill worth having in my arsenal. I have a shave ready razor to keep me going until I perfect this type of honing, so will stick with it.
The difference with this particular razor is that, because of the warped blade, the x-pattern is WAY harder to control. I think this particular razor will have to wait in the wings for a while, until I can get the easy ones up to snuff.
Thanks again for the input, it's always such a good response on this forum....fantastic.
Cheers,
AP