Thread: Blade sanded too thin?

Is it possible to sand a hollow ground razor too thin, to the point where it won't keep a decent edge?

I'm working on a blade that was in rough shape and now that the pitting and tarnish is smoothed out, I've noticed it has a different feel to it and a "tinny" resonance that wasn't there before. I'd like to know if it's hosed before I polish and put scales on it.

Any experience/perspective on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm still fairly new, but from what I've read, a "tinny" "ting" sound is a sign of high-qual steel. I wish an old crusty str8 shaving vet would reply. Its a very y good question. Good luck!

The only time you'll have an issue is when it's so thin that it bends like alu-foil when you try to hone it. So try to hone or simulate honing and and see what it does.

Yes, it's possible to go too thin. You could try to hone it and see if it will take and edge, if it's too thin the edge will either break down or, if you get an edge it will only hold for a very short time.

You can also put the razor's edge on your fingernail and carefully push it sideways to see if and how the blade bends. Not sure how to describe it as a hollow will flex, but you should not see any signs of sharp bends in the blade if that makes sense..?

Edit: Max described it well as alu foil

Someone may describe it better, or have other and maybe better tests, but this is what I have done the few times I've been in doubt.

As long as it doesn't crumple like foil, it's not too thin.
In fact, with a full hollow ground, if you run your thumbnail against the side of the edge, you should be able to see the bulge it causes in the steel.

Thanks guys! I'm going to give honing a shot and see what happens. I tried the other tests and there's nothing so far to suggest that it's too thin. It'll be interesting practice putting the blade to the stone without scales on it, but we'll see how she goes!

Lots of razors are double ground. There is a point above the bevel where the second grind will have a high point in the blade's face the length of the blade. As this is sanded off, the support it afforded the edge is gone. It will possibly make the blade flimsy and change the entire character of it, if not ruining it entirely. JMO

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Lots of razors are double ground. There is a point above the bevel where the second grind will have a high point in the blade's face the length of the blade. As this is sanded off, the support it afforded the edge is gone. It will possibly make the blade flimsy and change the entire character of it, if not ruining it entirely. JMO

I wondered about this! The blade is definitely double ground as there is a raised, wider section running across the face. The high point is definitely still there, it just may be thinner now than it should be. We'll see what happens when I try to put an edge on it, thanks!