John Primble Belknap 1091 5/8 Extra Hollow Ground with small cracks

Unfortuntely I didn't think to take any before pictures. Before I got the razor, I did some reading on this forum and it looked like the John Primble was a well liked razor, so I bought one. When it arrived, the blade was stained, there were some small chips along the edge, and there was some minor rust along the spine, and on the sides of the tang near the pivot. I followed the instructions I found in the wiki to breadknife the blade, polish it up, and reset the bevel. As I began polishing, I discovered that there seem to be a couple of small cracks that were hidden behind the staining on the steel. I want to know if it is fatal damage to the blade or If I could still use it.

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You can see one crack just to the right of the reflection.

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It looks like the same crack you can see from the back is visible under the T in the etching, and it looks like there might be a second one to the right of the first.

Thanks for your help!

Greg

Hi Greg,
I think that it is only good as a wall hanger. Sad to say that the cracks may extend as you try to hone it further. You willlose at least 3/16ths of an inch of width if you hone to the present end of the cracks.
I am sorry your search didn't have a better ending.
~Richard

I was afraid of that. I didn't realize how much of a gamble it was to get the razor. Live and learn I guess.

Anyone know if there is a market for razors like this that are not in shaving condition?