Thread: Can regrinding ruin razors metal?

Some time back I got an henckels razor from a barber near by, for amonst nothing. Since it was used and not cared for (lots of pitting and lots of barber use), I sent it to the only place in Israel that would accept to resharpen and regrind it.

I got it back with severe markings on the metal (from the stone), indicating low workmanship, and not even close to honed. I was very angry at them, but that was only aesthetics.

When shaving with it ( after honing and stropping, just as I do with my Dovo and filarmonica + HHT), I get a very uncomfortable shave and much more razor burn than before. The razor feels harsher on my face and not as soft gliding as the other two under identical treatment and soaps, even the sound is different.

Can it be that while regrinding the blade they heated the razor so much they ruined the original tempering process? thus changing the razors properties?

You answered your own question 'and not even close to honed'. Send it out to be professionally honed. It probably isn't honed properly. You can lose the temper of your razor when you overheat it while grinding or even on the buffers. But not when sharpening on hones. The main thing that will happen when losing the temper is that your razor will not hold an edge.

I honed it just as I do my other razors. Coticule from full slurry to clean water in about 30-40 minutes. CrOx and clean leather stropping. My filarmonica was honed from a similar state.

I do believe it heated on the grinding stone.

Each razor can or will need need a different honing approach. I still say your razor is not honed properly.

I agree with Max. Its not honed correctly. Send it out!

Sending it to the states is not an option, I'll keep trying honing in different approaches.

Originally Posted by Diegok

Sending it to the states is not an option, I'll keep trying honing in different approaches.

Will it shave arm hair off the coticule with slurry? You may not be hitting the edge. Maybe a lower grit hone to set the bevel?

Also, if the spine is really worn down, you may have to tape it to get the proper angle for honing. How wide is your bevel?

Im sure there are several members in europe that offer honing services.

Adding: Show us a few pics. Maybe we can help identify the problem that way.

Without seeing the razor in hand it is hard to guess as to the cause of your problem with the razor. Your concern of overheating during the regrinding process is a valid concern and a possibility but it is difficult to determine w/o causing more damage to the razor. Most Henckel's razors I have seen are hollow grinds so I am guessing that your razor was a hollow grind prior to the regrind process you recently had performed. Hollow grind razors are very thin to start with so I am guessing that very little metal was removed near the edge but if any metal was removed it is now very thin. Any pressure on the razor to the hone may result in honing the back of the bevel and not the edge due to the blade flexing under the pressure. During one of our Western NY SRP meets we were using a microscope to inspect our honing and I was able to produce a double bevel just by using pressure on the courser hones and a lite pressure on the finishers.

Next, every razor is different as to the amount of honing that is needed to get to the optimum edge. Using a coticule and diluting the slurry to water only requires a high skill level to determine when to add more water and how much to add. Maybe saying a high skill level is incorrect but getting to the point where the slurry has produces the best results it can at the current concentration requires a good test which can be repeated on different razors. Then adding a small amount of water and doing all over again to the point of adding water again means there is a lot of learning to get to the perfect edge. I realize you may not be looking for the perfect edge but gauging when to add more water and how long to hone the razor before adding more will effect the final edge quality. If you do not have a lot of experience judging when to add the water throughout the process the end results may not be as expected. Trying your luck on the hone a few more times is a good path to take. Try to develop a that will give good results as to when to dilute. If you are still having problems try dropping Manah a PM. He is an SRP member that I believe is located in Israel also. Good luck

@#$%&^* Knife grinders!

I wished I were nearer so that I could help, I get very upset every time some knife guy thinks he can do a razor using knife techniques.