Need advice on honing a dinged razor

Ok, this is gonna be a quick post cause I have to leave for work in a few minutes, but I want to get my razor back in shaving condition asap.

I dropped my razor today, might I add the only one out of four that is shave ready:rant: And I was just getting the edge where I liked it with my paddle strop. But my new norton 4/8k arrived today so not all is lost.

It did not chip the blade, but rather bent the fin over to one side in two small spots. I can feel it sticking over on one side. Should I back hone this a little bit to get this messed up edge off? Or should I just hone as Lynn demonstrated in his DVD? Keep in mind this is my first time honing a razor, ever. And would you recommend using the 8K or 4K side to smooth this boo boo off?

I will try to take some picks and post up on my break.

If it matters it is a 6/8 dovo full hollow.

Thanks for any advice.

Its a good time to learn some honing. I'd start with the 4K and cut down the bevel until the damaged section is removed. Then onto the 8K to smooth out the bevel, then some ultra light touches to add a bit of sharpness.

You won't get it at first but with practice atleast you'll get to use the Norton for awhile. And just think of all the cool questions you'll come up with and can post on here! Yeee HA!

I guess I'd recommend taping the spine at first until the damage is removed. Not my typical practice but in this instance its probably advisable.

Strop it on something hard and non-abrasive -- I used my counter top -- to try and bend the fin back. Then strop it firmly on linen for 100 laps or so and see how it looks. As long as it keeps getting better, keep stropping on the linen. Take it to the hone when the linen stops improving the edge.

I bent the fin on my John Clarke & Son once, and this routine got the ding nearly completely out. In the end it only took a few minutes on the hone to fix the edge.

Ahhhhh that sounds cool! A few minutes on 8K? Try Parker's routine first, sounds like a good plan.

Thanks guys, that sounds like a very good plan of attack. We have been meaning to get a nice large vanity for our bathroom for some time. We bought the house and it had a pedestal sink, with no room on the sides. So I use a movable towel rack and place it next to the sink. So that gives me a 5" wide by 10" long place to put my razor. I knew it would happen sooner or later. It fell through the towels and landed in between the grating on the bottom (kind of like the grates on a weber grill). I almost didn't want to pick it up, thought there would be a chunk gone. Did I also mention I have a ceramic tile floor :cry: Needless to say we went and picked out a 72" vanity with dual sinks and med. cabinets. Hope to start the project after the new year.

I will give it a go tomorrow if time allows. Hopefully I get my new Otto Hess sooner than I thought :)

I will try attaching some pics of the damage below.

Pics will not work, too large. I cut some of pic out but it is still 566kb. Is there some way I can make the picture smaller? All I have is Microsoft XP with Office, no fancy photo editors or anything.

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Originally Posted by Sec162

I will try attaching some pics of the damage below.

Pics will not work, too large. I cut some of pic out but it is still 566kb. Is there some way I can make the picture smaller? All I have is Microsoft XP with Office, no fancy photo editors or anything.

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Here is a good way to attach pictures to most message boards.

Use this site to post a photo: http://www.imageshack.us/
Browse until you find the photo you want to upload.
Check resize image and use the "640 x 480 (for message boards)".
Select "Host it"
It will upload the picture and show you a thumbnail.
Copy and paste the line called "Hot links for forum 1" right into the text of your post.

Preview your post and the picture should be there. Nothing to it... :tu

Wow thanks a lot Iceman!! Here it goes...........


http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1571/img0397wu4.jpg



http://img420.imageshack.us/img420/6...0398bx0.th.jpg


http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/5...0403jf1.th.jpg

Holy cow that looks wierd! If you can bend that back and shave with it, more power to ya! I'm just dying to pull out a hone just looking at that edge from here.

Im not! I honed with my cheap boker the other day, had very poor uneven results. I am afraid to take a nice razor to the hone just yet. And Lynn made it look sooooooo easy on the DVD :shrug:

Practice, practice, practice I guess.

I am guessing the edge hit on the grates and that is why it is pushed over like that.

Yea, lengthwise I suppose. Its a nice looking bevel, some really pretty work there. Did you try and bend it back yet with a stropping motion?

I think if you are new to a Norton you might want to pop that razor in the mail to a more experienced honer. That might take a little more than a counter. You may have to circle up the wagons on that and then hone a new fin. Just a thought if it is one of only four.

No I have not tried to bend it back yet, havent had time to deal with it yet. Hopefully today. After my experience on the Norton I am in no hurry to put my good razor to it just yet. I do have two ebay razors that have a decent bevel, but are not sharp. I may try them next to see if my honing has improved.

Pmays, I think you might be right on that one. I may try the Norton if I get it mostly back in shape with stropping it, but I will not try too hard. Don't want to whittle it down to nothing.

Even with the Norton it would take a lot of work to whittle it down to nothing. If the stropping doesn't work, you will probably only need a touchup honing treatment to bring the edge back to life and it takes about 2000 of those to render the blade useless.

Mparker's suggestion is terrific. I hit a brand new Wacker on the faucet a week ago, giving it a ding similar to yours - maybe not quite as bad, but similar sort of thing. Anyway I just got a new coticule from Howard and had been wondering whether to try it out on the ding when I read this thread. I did over a hundred passes on linen, then 30 or so on leather, then took it to the coticule. 15 passes on that and the bevel looks new again. Amazing. Good advice, man.

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Originally Posted by mparker762

Strop it on something hard and non-abrasive -- I used my counter top -- to try and bend the fin back. Then strop it firmly on linen for 100 laps or so and see how it looks. As long as it keeps getting better, keep stropping on the linen. Take it to the hone when the linen stops improving the edge.

I bent the fin on my John Clarke & Son once, and this routine got the ding nearly completely out. In the end it only took a few minutes on the hone to fix the edge.

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Well I finely got some free time and started working on this ding. I tried stropping it on several wood surfaces, it didn't help at all. Just scraped some of the wood off. I then tried the linen for a while and that had no effect either. (didn't think it would since the wood didn't phase it)

So I have been honing it for the last week or so. 20 minutes here and there and it is getting better, but still a ways to go :rant: :cry:

I am definitely getting my honing technique down. It doesn't seem to be over honing it, but the edge doesn't seem to be very sharp (away from the nicks) either.

I have been doing 10 laps on the 4k and then 20 on the 8k. I did tape the spine BTW. I am applying little to mild pressure. Should I be doing anything else? Or should I just keep plugging away at it?

I would hate to even consider trying to hone out some of the dings in the "mint" ebay razors I have seen:rolleyes:

One thing is certain, I will have a firm grip on all razors from now on so I don't drop another one. :D

The reason it's not feeling sharp is b/c your'e overfocusing on the ding and getting sloppy with the other parts of the blade. To quickly get rid of the ding, take a piece of 1000grit wet/dry sandpaper, put it over the wet 8k Norton surface, and do some circular honing (equal number of circles/pressure on both sides of the razor). That way you'll get rid of it quickly, still have some sort of a bevel and go for pyramids.

Dinged a razor of my own tonight. Having just given me one of the new production 6/8 friodurs for our anniversary wife wanted to see my collection of friodurs. While hauling out the 8/8 it slipped and dropped into the toilet, rolling a half inch of the edge on the way down.

I stropped it on the corner of my formica countertop for 20-30 laps, then did 100 fast laps on the linen. There was still a visible distortion to the bevel, but you could just barely feel it with the thumbnail so I went to the 4k till this was gone (about 10 laps with moderate pressure), then 20 light laps, then to the 8k for about 20 light laps. Finished up with about 30 laps on the boron carbide persimmon paddle and 20 laps on the chromium oxide leather paddle. Haven't shaved with it yet but it looks and feels fine now.

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The reason it's not feeling sharp is b/c your'e over focusing on the ding and getting sloppy with the other parts of the blade

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I don't doubt this, but the first few sessions I could shave my arm hair with no problem, now it is not the case. Either its what you said or maybe it is getting over honed?

I have been keeping a close eye on the bevel and it is staying pretty even. Right now its just a hair wider at the heel. The first razor I honed I had problems with the bevel staying even so I am keeping a close eye on this.

Thanks for the advice on the 1000 grit. I was wondering if I needed a 1000 grit stone, but the paper would work fine for what I need it for.

I use it for lapping my Norton anyways, so it's not an additional expense.