My experience: some cracks are fatal -- some aren't
I had a couple of cracked razors I got online, and I had very different experiences with the two, so I thought I'd share.
#1 was a Hibbard and Spencer Rattler, big old blade with a crack near the toe. I tried honing past it, and it just got longer and longer. I tried stabilizing it with epoxy so I could hone past it without it lengthening any more -- no dice. So that blade is going to become my first shorty.
#2 was a Filarmonica 14 I got cheap because of a small chip in the toe and a little bit of rust. No hone wear, gold wash still on it. When the rust was removed there was a 2mm or so crack, right smack in the middle. Arrggh! :banghead: At least it was cheap. I rounded the toe and did a little honing on the edge. It was easy to establish a bevel and the crack was stable. So I figured, well, let's try putting an edge on it and shaving with it. And, you know what? It took a great edge and has become a real favorite shaver. Never once have I had any discomfort. I have to look for the crack to be sure it's still there, and, it is, but I surely can't feel it.
Here is what I believe is going on. I think the Rattler had some internal stresses and the metal at the crack was in tension, so it wants to spread. Somehow the crack started and it will just open up more every time it gets a little help, like from honing. Don't want to try to shave with that thing, likely as not you'll get a hair stuck in that crack or worse, some skin.
I think the Filly had no internal stresses. It was banged hard on its toe and that chipped the toe and pulled the edge and it cracked a little in the middle, but once that momentary stress was gone the crack closed and it is not inclined to open again. Under a 120X microscope the edges meet; it's closed. It never pulls a hair. So I am just going to keep shaving with it and occasionally hone it and see if I live long enough to hone past that crack. It's slow going; I figure at the rate I use it (two shaves a week on that razor) it'll take me about 40 years to get past the crack. But I don't care, because functionally the crack has no effect.
Just thought I'd share that because I do see the occasional post in which people say that a cracked razor is either a shorty or scrap steel. I think it depends on the crack and you might be pleasantly surprised.
