Thread: Dropped My Straight Razor....Now What?

So that is why I can't have nice things......lol

I accidentally dropped my new (to me) razor last night into the sink just after my shave as I was oiling the blade and drying the scales. It appears there is a small (1/4 in) flat or rolled spot in the center of the blade (barely noticeable but can be seen and felt). I put it to the strop just for a few passes and it seems to have flattened out a bit, which to me means that perhaps it isn't so bad and I could possibly get it to work out on some balsa with a little chromium. I guess we will see. So the question is...

Should I just forgo this minor effort and have it re-honed straight away or give it a shot? Is there any chance of restoring that edge? It seems fairly minor, however I have no desire to play sushi chef with my face either...especially given I am so new to straights. I would prefer not to default to my shavette as over the past couple of days I have really begun to dial in my technique and get 2 great shaves. Any advice appreciated.

IMHO, send it out to be honed, pal. The one who hones for you will check other problems that could be happened, as cracks etc. To strop a damaged edge can damage your strop too, or scratch your hone. But if it fells but did not cracked, I assume there was only a minor problem.

You can view the edge with a loupe if you have one but I think if you could see it with the naked eye you will need to have it honed

Sounds like you got lucky and didn't chip or crack the blade. Send it out, that's going to need more than Balsa and cRox IMO.

It is unlikely that any visible damage can be stropped out. It will in all likelihood need a fresh hone from the bevel up. The good news is that seeing as you are in Denver there is a high likelihood of finding someone local to do it. You should check this thread Mile High Strop & Go - Straight Razor Place Forum
I am sure you will find someone helpful there.

These loupes work great for performing blade edge inspections. Also if you begin to hone your razors, you get idea of scratch patterns as you move through the stone progressions.

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Ditto : you are a lucky one because there is no metal loss (crack, dent, etc) which makes it fairly reversible without having to reshape it.

Yet, if you can see and feel the defect, have it checked

And, just incidentally, congratulations too on not losing any body parts.

But yeah, I'd send that out.

I agree that if there was visible damage it will need honing. However, I don't think it would be a bad idea to do a little experimenting with the stop. Spend a little time on Linen before you go to leather. Couldnt hurt and it'd be a good learning experience... Well, probably wouldn't hurt..

If it were me I'd send it out for a hone job to correct any malformations. If you are not experienced at this don't trust that all is well. Make sure it is.

I'd also squirrel away the coin for a second razor for just such emergencies. That way you can use one and let the other rest for the night and you'll have one when you need to send the other out for honing. Then I'd start saving for a nice hone and learn that art to keep it in house.

Tough luck on dropping the razor especially when it was just getting good.

Good luck with the solution.

Regards

Chasmo