Thread: Straightening A Bent Or Warped Tang

I acquired an old Wade & Butcher blade quite some time ago & it was one of the ones that didn't even say Sheffield on it, it was that old. I was so happy to get that blade but upon further inspection, I noticed the tang was bent so I put it on the anvil part of my vise & gave it a very light "love" tap to straighten it out like I did on another blade another time. This time I wasn't so lucky & the blade broke! I was so disappointed since it was a very old Wade & Butcher blade & I have not seen another one for sale since. I have broken 3 blades & they were all Wade & Butcher blades! Since then, I had seen a video by Lewis Razors & if i had known, I might have been able to save that old blade I had so I thought I would give a refresher course on it. It is a very simple procedure & all you need is a propane torch & some heat block paste that you can buy from different vendors or even find it on eBay. You apply the paste as shown in the video & then heat it up with the propane torch until it is red hot & then you can bend it or straighten it to where it needs to be. I give Charlie Lewis all the credit here & thank him very much for his knowledge & contribution to the straight razor community. Thank you Charlie!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYL7ocmWnFU

Bummer. I just broke a wade frame back a couple weeks ago, the spine was bent and the smile I would have had to put into it to get the bevel set would have looked terrible. I opt for the vise and 3 nails trick. It went so well, I almost had it perfect and instead of calling it good I got cocky. BANG! Oh well got to find another.

Originally Posted by jfk742

Bummer. I just broke a wade frame back a couple weeks ago, the spine was bent and the smile I would have had to put into it to get the bevel set would have looked terrible. I opt for the vise and 3 nails trick. It went so well, I almost had it perfect and instead of calling it good I got cocky. BANG! Oh well got to find another.

Yes, doing it that way has worked for me. I think using nails instead of larger diameter steel round stock might have been part of the problem too. I am guessing larger diameter round stock helps reduce the stress of the bending action. I could easily be wrong too oth.

Bob

I have a couple of blades with bent tangs and they drive me made
The ones with original scales all sit well but hook like 1/2" when fully open
I have straightened 1 with a few love taps but held my breath the whole time
The heating trick looks even more risky to me
Just need to make the scales match the blade like the old boys did by hand

I have read many times about guys not even wanting to rinse their blades under the faucet because they are afraid of breaking them but the others will say to "tap" them with a hammer....

If you have a blade that closes off center there are some ideas in the library on fixing that problem including the pin and vise method. You do not necessarily have to bend the tang to solve the problem.

Blade Centering - Straight Razor Place Library

Bob

i read once about a few guys putting steel plates on both sides and closing them in the vise !! i on the othere hand just leave them be cause i know i will break smthing ..lol

Originally Posted by gooser

i read once about a few guys putting steel plates on both sides and closing them in the vise !! i on the othere hand just leave them be cause i know i will break smthing ..lol

Oh, trust me, I leave 'em alone now unless I can heat them up like the video shows! I broke 3 blades, 2 with my buffer out in the garage & one with a "love" tap. I straightened one once with just a tap! All three were Wade & Butcher's & I wasn't happy!!! I trust my Dremel more than I do the buffer in my garage but I learned to used the Dremel the right way, otherwise, I DO NOT recommend anyone using one unless they are experienced with one. If anyone wants to learn to use their Dremel, buy Lynn's DVD first & watch it. I never tried it until I watched his video. So far I have had success with it but ya have to mainly watch which way the shaft is spinning on the Dremel or you can damage a blade in a nanosecond!

I don't think I am brave enough to try that... It seems simple but I see lots of issues!

Originally Posted by Ernie1980

I don't think I am brave enough to try that... It seems simple but I see lots of issues!

Charlie Lewis makes it look simple!