Thread: Arrrrg! Cracked My Own Blade

I honed a Crown razor yesterday with floral bakelite scales and got it shave ready. I have been trying to get used to using my new Triplet 30x Loupe (thanks for the suggestion Glen), and I spotted a little chip near in the blade near the shank. The more I looked the more I realized it was actually a crack.

While I was doing the heavy X strokes on my 1k, I thought I heard a noise like a crack - and I was correct, but would not have found it until I shaved with it. Thank God for the Loupe, I could have cut myself or ruined my strop.

I have a nice Henkles blade that needs new scales, so I am going to try and do an unpin and reuse the beautiful scales.

Dough!

No razor in the world is worth shaving with if it has a crack or tear and get scarred for life. Good thing you noticed on time.

Originally Posted by Maximilian

No razor in the world is worth shaving with if it has a crack or tear and get scarred for life. Good thing you noticed on time.

Agreed - and it was going to be my morning shave - yikes!

Sorry to say i just cannot imaging how in the world you can crack the razor by honing?
it may was in there before you start to hone that blade.
You just didn't notice until you get the loop.

My guess is that the blade had probably been worked on someone who removed a little too much steel. I had a similar thing happen with a Torrey; I'd set the bevel on the 1k no problem, but when I was doing TPT to check the bevel out, I heard *ping* *crack* *ping* The blade was fine during honing, but cracked when I touched the edge. It was a razor I'd gotten off ebay; a full hollow with pitting and staining that someone had done a "light restoration" on. That's why you have to be really careful about removing steel from full hollow razors; there's not much there to start with.

That is another reason I examine every razor with a microscope. Not every crack is visible to the naked eye.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Sorry to say i just cannot imaging how in the world you can crack the razor by honing?
it may was in there before you start to hone that blade.
You just didn't notice until you get the loop.

I know it doesn't seem possible, and it could have had the crack to begin with, but it was a smiling blade that I neede to do rolling X strokes with. I heard the noise just as the heel came off of the edge of the hone. So maybe - put too much pressure, maybe there was a previous fissure. I don't think I will ever be able to say for sure.

Originally Posted by Alembic

I know it doesn't seem possible, and it could have had the crack to begin with, but it was a smiling blade that I neede to do rolling X strokes with. I heard the noise just as the heel came off of the edge of the hone. So maybe - put too much pressure, maybe there was a previous fissure. I don't think I will ever be able to say for sure.

I assume you rounded the edges of the stone??

Originally Posted by mainaman

I assume you rounded the edges of the stone??

Yep-all of my hones have the edges well knocked off.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Sorry to say i just cannot imaging how in the world you can crack the razor by honing?
it may was in there before you start to hone that blade.
You just didn't notice until you get the loop.

I've had this happen to me before, total bummer.