Thread: Spine and edge not flush when flat

Looking for some advice. Recently purchased a razor, I guess I got to enamored with finally finding something that fit what I was looking for and didn't look it over as well as a I should have. I touched the razor up today on my balsa strop, and noticed the edge didn't look like it was completely making contact. Sure enough, when I lay the blade flat on a glass surface, one side the toe edge doesn't touch when the spine is flat, and on the other side the heel edge doesn't touch when the spine is flat. The gap is enough to slide a piece of paper between the edge and flat surface, possibly a touch more. Also to clarify, this is just a simple everyday work horse razor that doesn't need to be exceptionally pretty. Are my only options learning the rolling x strokes? Any other suggestions or input would be much appreciated.

A little confused

Stropping, a slight warp should just not be an issue, even stropping on balsa as you should be moving slighly across the strop anyway..

Now Honing, Yes that does mean you are going to have to learn what the term "Honing Gymnastics" means, if that means a Roliing X then great, but often it means slightly more moves to that Tango to get the entire edge to touch the hone evenly..

Thanks Glen. Not necessarily the answer I was hoping for haha, especially since this will be the razor I learn to hone with!

If you haven't honed before I suggest you find another razor or your going to get very frustrated.

A cheap shot at a solution might be to use tape to take up the difference where the spine doesn't contact the hone.
(at the toe on one side and at the heel on the other)

I would like to get a different razor, but finances won't allow it. I will just have to put a different razor at the top of my list of shaving needs. The tape may work, thickness wise, it may be pretty close to leveling things out...

Originally Posted by Galaxy51

A cheap shot at a solution might be to use tape to take up the difference where the spine doesn't contact the hone.
(at the toe on one side and at the heel on the other)

There is a tape trick like what you are describing but it is a little more detailed than that ...


I will try and find you the thread where I wrote it all out so I don't have to type it all over again

Strategic placement of tape can work. But I suggest you don't take the hard road. Find a different razor. JMHO

Ok apply one layer of tape, and apply it long so it is well onto the tang

Hone on a 1k stone concentrating pressure toward the spine not toward the edge using two hands, you are setting the piece of tape to the razor not honing the edge...
Once the tape is worn across the one side on the spine you should notice that the wear is un-even and follows the un-even wear in the spine in reverse, I stay on the one side until the tape is just barely touching bare metal in the high spots..

Flip the razor and repeat on the other side..

Now you have a razor that has a piece of tape that has evened up the spine the tape filled in the low spots and is worn off the high spots, pretty much the same principle as using Layout Blue.

Now without removing that bottom layer of tape until you are done honing, you can apply a layer (s) over that and you should get a nice even bevel, apply the top layer a bit shorter then the bottom one at the tang so you can change the top layer as needed without distrubing the bottom layer...


It is a slick little trick, to have in your quiver of arrows

If I understand right, the entire spine is touching but at the edge the heel and toe are not? If that's the case, you just have a slight smile on a blade with a straight spine. Rolling X's will work.