Thread: Small crack in blade edge. Fix it?

I just bought a near mint Filarmonica 12 Romo 5/8" razor on ebay.

After receiving it today, and careful examination, I found a tiny notch and crack at the end of the straight part of the edge just as it rounds over at the toe end. The crack is barely visible to the eye, and is about 1 mm long or less.

My question is: Should this be removed by bevelling, or can I leave it alone? If I don't remove it, will it grow with time or break off?

I.e., is this a "stitch in time" issue? Otherwise the razor is in perfect shape. Not bad for $25 including shipping!

If the crack runs to the cutting edge, you should NOT shave with the razor. If the blade flexes, the crack will separate and you could get a very nasty gash.

If you could post photos, it would be very helpful.

See attached photos of the 1mm crack from both sides of the blade. It doesn't appear as bad on one side, so it may not go all the way through.

It definitely goes all the way through. I'd say put on a layer of tape and hone it out. If you round the toe a bit more, you don't have to remove steel along the whole length of the edge.

It broke my heart, but I rounded off the toe edge to remove the crack using a fine DMT stone, then re-honed the edge on 6000/12000 waterstones.

I've attached pictures of the poor baby after the amputation.

This is the sweetest razor I have so far: The blade is in intimate contact all across the edge on the stone while honing. It has no warp at all. A pleasure to hone.

well done!
Enjoy this razor!

I'd recommend removing it. Using a blade with a crack in it sounds like a really bad idea.
If you can hone it out entirely, fine, if not I would say that it is a lost cause.
Luckily you didn't spend that much on it, so you shouldn't feel too bad about it
And if you are able to remove it without loosing too much of the original blade, I'd say you made a great deal.
As with all this stuff, ymmv.
I sure hope you will be able to salvage the blade. Finer shavers is hard to come bye.