Thread: How important is a straight blade?

I recently purchased an F. W. Engels "President" razor from a great seller off the bay. The item was listed as having been taken through a 20k stone and stropped. When I got the razor it was in excellent condition but I did notice that the blade itself was not straight along the length of the cutting edge. It comes up slightly in the middle and dips down about .5" from the tip before coming back up. It's probably less then 1 mm in variation but I'm wondering if it is something I should even concern myself with. The razor seems to cut fine and I will shave with it soon. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.

I picture to go with that description would be excellent. :-( frowns are bad. they don't shave well. :-) smiles are good. They are easier to shave with. A wobbly edge is also very difficult to shave with. Hope that helps.

Shaun nailed it, we need a picture

I'll try to post a picture but I'd like some suggestions of what I can hold the razor against to get a good impression of the edge deformation without dulling the blade. It's hard to see with just the naked eye.

I am not sure if it will work, but maybe draw a heavy line on a piece of paper and lay the razor flat with the edge against the line.
Or just a dark Background maybe, the experienced guys have a good eye for defects (alas I do not fall into that category). 1mm variation should be spottable.

It was probably straight from the factory and then drifted from honing over the years. How much wear is on the spine?

I once got a brand new Dovo that had a dip in the edge near the heel - sent it back for a replacement.

John

Here are some photos I managed to take today on my worktable. I hope these show what I'm talking about. The blade shows very little hone wear from what I can tell. I'm extremely new at this so maybe someone can tell me if I'm correct on that point.

I think that will hone out fairly easy to straighten the frown

The President is a stainless blade. Pretty nice. Obviously honed incorrectly. Were it mine, I would breadboard/high angle hone it, concentrating on the center/front portion of the bevel to be rid of the frown while staying off the heel as much possible. Then I would tape the spine and swoop it on a worn DMT and on to 1k. This will save the maximum blade width and straighten the whole out.
Smile, good! Frown, bad!

Sharptonn, you know your razors. The President is a Cryo Treated Stainless blade from what I can tell. I'm not sure on the cryo but it says stainless on the scales LOL! I am new to honing and I don't want to risk anything since I'm trying to keep this thing in good condition and it's not a razor to learn on. I've been talking briefly with Glen about taking care of this and a few other ones. BTW. If anyone knows where I can get my hands on a Dictator I'd love to find another one.