Thread: Hairline Cracks SUCK!!!

I have been hand sanding a 7/8 W&B full hollow barbers notch for the last 4 weekends. It was comming along great. The blade was really starting to look pristine. I was all the way up to 800g sanding starting from 150g. Then disaster struck. I was happily sanding away using my magnetic safety jig clamped to the coffee table......(only about a foot off the ground)...when the blad suddenly came loose from the magnets. I got out of the way having learned my lesson on catching a falling razor some time ago. It clanged on the hardwood floor but looked fine. I continued sanding. After about another hour of sanding I took it over into the good light to see if I was ready to move up another grit. DOH!!!! There appeared to be a super tiny hairline crack right near the heel. I busted out my bench hone with some 1000g paper. I needed to throw a quick bevel on it to get a good look with the microscope. Sure enough that sick feeling in my belly was correct. It was indeed a crack visible on both sides of the blade, all the way up to the edge. RRRRAAAARRR! At least I only lost the 9$ I spent on it from Ebay. Next time I will take my own advice and throw a piece of carpet under my work space in case something like this happens again. Who would have thought a less than 1 foot drop to hardwood would have caused that crack.

It just goes to show you how hard and brittle the steel is in those razors. Just sell it on Eboy as a razor in excellent condition and if someone wises up just say you don't know nothing about razors you usually sell comic books.

1Adam12,

How far in from the edge does the crack extend towards the spine? If it is not long, you may be able to still use the blade. I started removing a chip from an 8/8 WB turning it into a 7/8 when disaster struck.... crack. It is now a 6/8+ and looks good enough to re-handle. Just a thought.

John

That sucks . . . maybe some egg crate stuff underneath? I can see a you making a little safety harness now for razors attached to a string.

HAHA a razor saftey bunjee. I like that idea Alan. If I would only have had a piece of carpet under my work area, I bet it would have been ok. The razor was a 7/8, and with all the sanding I had been doing it took at least a 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch off of it. I had to sand off all the etching to get all the pitting. It was really starting to look minty. The crack extends from the edge at least another 1/8 of an inch twards the spine. I may try to have it reground someday, but for now I do not believe it is worth it. I will just wait until my wife will let me spend some cash again to get some more blades from Ebay. I am not supposed to know, but I am getting a full on dremel set up for my birthday. I will get to restore a razor to completion eventually.

i like the comic book idea, but the trouble is ti will only work one time then your name will be toast to the ebay razor buyers out there
comic books. yea. thats right comic books.

I feel for you. The skills we aquire will always endure, even in defeat. There will be others.

Joe