Thread: Hand Sanding A Blade, Redux

The fact that Bruno, Glen, and Robert say that the blade can be successfully honed with tape, to compensate for the wear, or without tape to bring the honing flat back, would indicate to me that it is not a paperweight after all. IME hone wear is many times a cosmetic issue more than a deal breaker, depends on the extent. Taking into account the vast experience of the aforementioned gentlemen with honing/restoring and actually in Bruno's case forging razors, I would try what they suggest, one way, with tape, or the other, sans tape. YMMV.

Originally Posted by JBHoren

As I see it, the issue is not the minute change in angle caused by rounding the spine edge; rather, it's that the new non-edge is no longer uniformly straight: it's now wavy. The spine edge on a new, or well taken-care-of razor, is straight for a practical reason -- not only for esthetic value -- it keeps the blade edge lying flat on the honing surface; this one doesn't... not anymore. And yes, the esthetics of a straight razor with a crisp spine edge are clearly superior; if not, why all the fuss about "hone wear"?

Oy Vey

I cannot even begin, other then to say,,, Razors are built with simple geometry, take out your Micrometer and all your razors and start measuring. I think you might just learn a thing or two..


I refuse to argue a point with a person that refuses to learn using their own time to do it...


ps: If you sanded that razor into un-evenness, you really had to try to screw it up, it just isn't that easy...

Originally Posted by WadePatton

As i see it, 1000-grit and higher sanding is only polishing, not shaping. Methinks shaping is something done way on down there 320 and below.

I use a wine cork.

and tape for honing.

I use a wine cork as well. Worked great on a lot of the restores I've done.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Oy Vey

I cannot even begin, other then to say,,, Razors are built with simple geometry, take out your Micrometer and all your razors and start measuring. I think you might just learn a thing or two..


I refuse to argue a point with a person that refuses to learn using their own time to do it...


ps: If you sanded that razor into un-evenness, you really had to try to screw it up, it just isn't that easy...

Agreed. Personally, I started my razor restoration quest with some cheap blades just to learn the knack of it, learning from my mistakes. I'm no master, or even "advanced" by any means, but I learned a lot from those first couple of razors....for example how much metal actually comes off when sanding. Not much. Using greaseless compound really doesn't take off that much either unless you really work it. In summation and to clarify my point- I would't have "practiced" with a valuable blade or one that was near and dear to my heart.

Lastly, and I'm not trying to be a jerk, but the last thing I would do is blame someone else for my mistakes. Calling someone out for a helpful post, I assume out of grief, that numerous people have benefited from is just disrespectful. Maybe I read more into it. /shrug

Why the arguing at all? I thought the OP posted this as something he wanted to share. It looks like egos are being hurt here for no reason. If he says he sanded his razor into oblivion who should argue against that? If your experience suggests otherwise then fine but I don't think the OP posted this with any ill intent. Can't we all get along? Or does everything have to be an argument? Geez. Just saying. My 2¢.

Oh I agree that it is something to be added to the tutorial. It never hurts to be more descriptive. In fat this morning I started figuring out how to log in to the wiki to do just that (something with my password being incorrect). Whenever you write an tutorial, you write down the things you think need telling, and you omit the things you think are obvious. Whether something is 'enough' or not, only time will tell.

In this case, hundreds of people have used the sanding guide without running into issues. When following a guide, you should always consider the impact of what you are doing. You might approach the problem in a different manner, or have a different razor, or whatever, something may not apply, or apply differently. Restoring razors has a learning curve, so whenever you try something new, best try it on a dud blade.

I have destroyed several dummy blades over the years (which I kept for that purpose), just in trying out something new. From time to time I even do something wrong intentionally, just to see what happens or how bad it will be.

If your password may have changed since the last time you logged into the wiki, could it be looking for the former password ? Just thinking out loud ........

My best advice would be to do a few laps on a say 4000 grit hone with no tape, and take a look at what is happening at the spine. You could magic marker both the edge and the spine for this purpose. Maybe even post some pics of that here and see what people say.

At worst you may need to get someone to give it a very light regrind, though I wouldn't think that likely. I'd be very surprised if, by handsanding, you had ruined either the geometry or the aesthetics permanently and irretrievably.

Good luck!

James.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

If your password may have changed since the last time you logged into the wiki, could it be looking for the former password ? Just thinking out loud ........

Definitely - as far as I can tell the Wiki login user credentials database dates back several years to not long after it was initially installed (maybe mid to late 2009?). I just logged in then and I needed to use the password I had 3 passwords ago - just think back to when the Wiki was set up and the password you were using then. Easy!

James.

I'm far from an expert but I would try sandpaper on a piece for rubber tubing that conformed to the hollow of the blade up to the honing flat. Or, as aforementioned, a wine cork, in the event the OP might have one floating around somewhere .......