Can a crack be repaired?

Hi there,

I'm an absolute noob to restoring razors, but I like what I see in the work of others, so I want to try and find my way in this amazing hobby.

I just started and ran into my first question. I understood that a crack in a blade cannot be repaired. Is this true? Or does it depend on the crack? I ran into a blade which would be some good training for me (quite a bit of rust to work on :dropjaw:). However, the owner admitted that the blade has a crack in it about 1 cm in length, horizontal, starting at the toe. Unfortunatly the pics he has are a low resolution, which doesn't make the crack very visible. I would prefer it if the blade could be restored to shaveready condition. If a crack prohibits this, I might just get the blade for the practice, but I would offer a different price.

Attachment 160978

Also I was wondering about the brand. Because of the blurred image it's hard to make out, but could it be a GB? Thanx alot for your help!

No, cracks cannot be repaired. There are some blade modifications that can be done sometimes to keep a blade in workable condition.

Take a sharpie and trace the crack and post the pic. Then we can tell you if a blade mod could keep the razor useable or not.

Thanx for the fast answers! I don't own the razor yet. I'm negotiating with the current owner. I just needed advise whether it could be made into a shaveready object or just have a training object.

The blade mod you're talking about. Is that cutting the cracked part of the blade? I can understand that works.

Yes, in general we just remove the cracked part of the blade. Most of the time if it's on the toe we will shorten the entire blade, but a crack in the heel is a no go for me honestly. Makes the blade look like crap IMO and if it's a full hollow the blade has no stabilizer and is just asking for problems of further breakage down the road.

If your after a training object then Ebay is full of RSO's (razor shaped objects) that work very well for learning to hone and strop with. A gold dollar razor will even take an edge that will shave.

The only reason to pick up a vintage is to restore and use it. Depending on the crack and the blade it might be restore able to a shave ready condition, It would be a gamble, If the blade is thin, or the crack affects the shave edge either through directly been on the shaving edge or by causing the blade to warp at the toe then the razor is just a pretty object.

Looking at the edge that blade may have more problems than just the crack,Look for another Victem to restore.

The rust on the cutting edge is also a serious issue. I wouldn't buy that one for that reason alone. I would pass on that in my opinion

Me too! Looking at that picture, I couldn't care less about a crack on that blade. The corrosion alone on the edge makes it a no sale for me!

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Originally Posted by Splashone

Me too! Looking at that picture, I couldn't care less about a crack on that blade. The corrosion alone on the edge makes it a no sale for me!

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I agree. Rust can be removed, but that kind of rust looks like it runs deep. To remove it, you'll have to remove a piece of the edge. If you haven't bought this razor already, but a different one because this one is not good.

IMO the sole value of that razor is contained in the makers mark on the tang.

Removing the rust and the dull, bitten into blue/grey areas is going to take an awful lot of work and will probably remove the makers mark.

That would imply a less invasive approach, less grinding, leaving it more as-is, which is always a good thing with historic oldies, but then you have the crack In th heal. That needs a pretty invasive approach, so you may as well forget about a 'sympathetic' restore.

Me - I wouldn't even pay pocket money for it. Far too much work required that will seldom, if ever, be recouped. If you are doing it for yourself thats no issue, though.

It's what I would term a Judgement Day razor. It's time will come, but not until the Archangel Gabriel blows his trumpet, the ground splits asunder, and the dead rise up and walk the earth again...

Regards,
Neil

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Originally Posted by Neil Miller

It's what I would term a Judgement Day razor. It's time will come, but not until the Archangel Gabriel blows his trumpet, the ground splits asunder, and the dead rise up and walk the earth again...

Regards,
Neil

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Neil, that's one of the most awesome quotes ever to describe a razor.

There are a million other razors to buy that will serve you better.

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Originally Posted by MisterMoo

There are a million other razors to buy that will serve you better.

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+1 on that. There will always be another straight razor that catches your eye and is the right price.