Thread: Any hope for a concave edge?

Just got an ebay special in the mail, a Geo. Wostenholm Pipe Razor with a concave edge. The edge is off by probably slightly over 1/16th inch at the worst point. Kind of a frown instead of a smile. The description said, "The blade has been sharpened, and is discolored." The horn scales, described as "in good condition with some wear" actually have a chip out of one side near the tang. Any hope for this item? Should I have expected this condition from the description? I've messaged the seller about my dissatisfaction, but haven't received an answer yet.

Kyle,

Actually, "frown" is the term we use to describe this condition. It's pretty descriptive, as it's the first thing I do when I get one of these razors...

The frown is fixable, but it'll take some work. You can try to get it out with normal honing, but when it's that bad what I usually do is lift the spine up so I'm honing at a 45 degree angle. This is horrible for the razor, but then, so is a frown.

You can do this on 600 or 800 grit sandpaper for a while, which will eventually true up the blade. I use my DMT 1200 grit, which is pretty fast. Sometimes I'll take the opportunity to shape the edge into a graceful curve. Turn that frown... OK, won't go there.

Then you have to reestablish the bevel, which is a bit of work. Tape the spine, and start doing X-patterns on coarse sandpaper like 600 or 800. I don't use a lot of pressure for this. Pressure speeds things up but also makes it easier to get an uneven bevel.

Wostenholms are nice razors, generally, so I'd probably consider this one worth saving.

Good luck,
Josh