Thread: Honing a trapezoidal blade?

I've been a little curious about this but might have trouble describing it. I've bought a Case Red Imp, knowing that the blade wasn't completely perfect. Anyhow, let me see if I can describe the issue. It's not frowned, but the heel is wider than the toe. The spine wear is more pronounced at the toe, than at the heel as well. Which makes perfect sense ofc. But what steps would a person take first, in honing this razor? I was thinking it may be necessary to take the blade to a slow grinding wheel, after tracing the spine onto the cutting edge. Then removing metal up to my new line. But the problem of more spine wear at the toe than the heel will still exist. The other option I was considering is deliberately using a toe heavy stroke in an attempt to try to even out the spine wear. I always figure a blade like this was put away at the point where the guy who used it before me could no longer get it sharp. And I assume he couldn't get it sharp any longer because of the way he sharpened it. So the blade is trapezoidal I guess now. I know people have encountered this before a billion times, but wasn't sure where to look to find a pinpoint answer. So here's the post. Thanks in advance.

I would lean more to the thinking that it was put away when he died. I would try to figure out the stroke that the previous owner used and copy it.

I'm thinking it will either lay flat on the hone with the wear as is .... or it won't. If it won't you might do circles until it will .... or if that is a lot of metal removal, and not the way it looks like you should go, a modified rolling x stroke might do it. Some guys have recommended taping the spine in the worn area only , but I have no experience with trying that. I've always avoided blades with that type of wear because they don't appeal to me cosmetically. Therefore my contribution, such as it is, ... is more speculation than experience.

Well he just passed last winter. He was a local barber who retired many years ago, and this was out of his collection. As sketchy as I think it is when someone says that, I do have it on good provenance. He may never have used this one though I guess. It might have just been something he picked up after retiring as a memento. But all his blades were like this. It's fairly easy to copy the stroke. It's a typical knife sharpening type stroke I'd use. So that's what made me think they all came from the same sharpener. Thanks 32T! Anybody wanna second that motion?

And Jimmy, I was overcome when I saw an Imp for 19 bucks. Only time will tell if I should have saved my pennies for one a little more aesthetically pleasing. I was hoping I'd be able to figure a way to make it right again. But we'll see.

You could try the Trapezoidal rule and if that doesn't work, move to higher-order Runge Kutta methods...



James.

Are you talking about a Honed out toe ????

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Originally Posted by regularjoe

Well he just passed last winter. He was a local barber who retired many years ago, and this was out of his collection. As sketchy as I think it is when someone says that, I do have it on good provenance. He may never have used this one though I guess. It might have just been something he picked up after retiring as a memento. But all his blades were like this. It's fairly easy to copy the stroke. It's a typical knife sharpening type stroke I'd use. So that's what made me think they all came from the same sharpener.

I was hoping I'd be able to figure a way to make it right again. But we'll see.

You could very well be right that he used it and kept it as a memento. " I shaved X amount of guys a week for 2 years with this... I made a lot of money!"

The trouble in my mind is that if the toe is honed out the only way to make it "right" again is to hone out the heel. It would be aesthetically pleasing but both ends would be junk.

If you can't make it work as is add it to your collection with the memory of a well used tool. Think of how many dates, weddings, or business meetings it helped.

On the other end of the spectrum you could save the scales until another with a good blade but cracked scales came along.

Tim

I missed your last post. Good luck! You have nothing to loose.

Tim

Actually, you know, just thinking, but the last user's shaving method is just as important as his honing method. I use the heel a lot when I shave and the belly; I really don't consciously use the toe at all. In fact, find some of my razors a little on the narrow side to allow for accommodating my thumb under the tang and still allowing for room between my thumb and face. I hope you can visualise what I'm talking about. So maybe the last owner used the toe a lot in his shaving routine as well? Maybe the toe is quite a bit sharper than the heel? I'd actually really like to see a photo; and it'd be interesting to see a photo of it lying on a hone; or even better, pushing the pool of water across the hone. I'm really concentrating on the 'pushed pool of water' when I hone lately. However, I guess the pool of water can 'lie' if the hones not flat?

Originally Posted by regularjoe

...But the problem of more spine wear at the toe than the heel will still exist. The other option I was considering is deliberately using a toe heavy stroke in an attempt to try to even out the spine wear...

Do you mean a heel heavy stroke? And could that cause the spine to be curved? I'm not experienced in honing at all, but I'd agree that if it lays evenly on the hone it should sharpen. I'd work with it as it is for a while and see if you can get it to work.

I'm resisting the urge to send my De Pews away as I'm learning a lot trying to get it to work as it is (sort of a curved blade); though I did take some of the stabilisers at the heel off after some advice.

I hope you get it sorted, and I bet it'll be fun learning!

Carl