Thread: BIG chip in russian ebay blade

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

The results -- the shape of the final razor -- are exactly the same for both methods.

That's where you're wrong. The result in most cases is not the same.

Most razors do not have perfectly straight edge, but rather a curved one i.e. a smile. It matches the curve on the spine in a very specific manner because the hone is a flat plane. and you only hone one point of the edge at a time.

By breadknifing you are destroying the relationship between the lines along the spine and the edge (actually bands, the one along the edge is called bevel) that must lay on the same plane while honing and reestablishing that takes longer time and takes more steel off the razor.

Regular honing strokes modify these two bands very gradually keeping the relationship intact, so there less work to be done overall.

This is a bit mathematical, so understanding it is not everybody's cup of tea, but it is what actually happens.

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

I don't understand that.

Say we start with a perfectly straight edge, with a chip in it. Two ways to fix:

1. Hone the bevel until it reaches the bottom of the chip.

2. Breadknife the edge until the breadknifed "edge" reaches the bottom of the chip, and then re-set the bevel.

The results -- the shape of the final razor -- are exactly the same for both methods. So they remove _the same amount of steel_.

Charles

PS - I've never breadknifed a razor; my _personal_ choice has been method 1. But I'm not prejudiced.<g>

that's how I visualized it. I used very light pressure and just a few strokes across my dmt 325 trying to bring the "edge" down to where I visualized the chips were. I don't know if that is breadknifing proper or not but it seemed to work, whereas multiple attempts at honing it out did not.

Hate to tell you but if you could not hone out such a small chip by regular means there is every chance that area is still not as sharp as the rest of the razor.

Something to consider. You hone & hone & hone on a 1k & the chip is still there. Obviously there is no stone contact at that point. Now you breadknife the chip away. You have not changed the grind or spine geometry. How has that changed the original problem ?

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Hate to tell you but if you could not hone out such a small chip by regular means there is every chance that area is still not as sharp as the rest of the razor.

Something to consider. You hone & hone & hone on a 1k & the chip is still there. Obviously there is no stone contact at that point. Now you breadknife the chip away. You have not changed the grind or spine geometry. How has that changed the original problem ?

well the only answer I have is that under the scope the chip is gone, the edge line is even with the rest of the blade, and polished, and the bevel looks even.haven't shaved with it yet so that, obviously will be the real test. again, I am a complete newbie here and I'm SURE most of my 'techniques' are suspect and just in complete beginners mode.

To me, the original problem was what I perceived as a big chip(actually a microchip) is now gone and the edge is symmetrical with the rest of the blade.

Originally Posted by RogueRazor

haven't shaved with it yet so that, obviously will be the real test.

The shave is what it's all about & a good one makes any honing challenges worth while. G'luck & keep us posted.

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

I don't understand that.

Say we start with a perfectly straight edge, with a chip in it. Two ways to fix:

1. Hone the bevel until it reaches the bottom of the chip.

2. Breadknife the edge until the breadknifed "edge" reaches the bottom of the chip, and then re-set the bevel.

The results -- the shape of the final razor -- are exactly the same for both methods. So they remove _the same amount of steel_.

Charles

PS - I've never breadknifed a razor; my _personal_ choice has been method 1. But I'm not prejudiced.<g>

There is a difference. If you breadknife a blade, you then have to hone away some material to get a bevel and then
polish that bevel. If you don't breadknife the blade, you don't have to hone away as much steel because you have
retained the edge without breadknifing it away. The difference may not be considerable, but any time you have removed
steel that didn't need to be removed, that is an unpardonable razor sin. You can take off steel, but it's hard to put it back on.