Thread: Bent tang

The vise jaws will act as a heat sink and keep the heat from traveling too far. There is also a compound called Heat Fence that will do the same job. You glob it on like peanut butter and it protects the area not wanted to be hot. Heating only the tang willl not ruin the hardness of the blade unless you go too far. Watch out which direction the torch flame is going and avoid pointing down the long axis of the blade.

Really the tang of the razor does not have to be hardened. It may not be hard if it bent in the first place, and a little hammer work will correct it anyhow.

Originally Posted by Mike Blue

The vise jaws will act as a heat sink and keep the heat from traveling too far. There is also a compound called Heat Fence that will do the same job. You glob it on like peanut butter and it protects the area not wanted to be hot. Heating only the tang willl not ruin the hardness of the blade unless you go too far. Watch out which direction the torch flame is going and avoid pointing down the long axis of the blade.

Really the tang of the razor does not have to be hardened. It may not be hard if it bent in the first place, and a little hammer work will correct it anyhow.

I have used that Heat Fence (or a diff. brand) before, it's pretty cool stuff. *rimshot*

Seriously though, it works great.

OK, I put it in the vise and tightened up enough to get it close, then set it on top and tapped it relatively straight (no heat). Straight enough to go through the scales, so now I just need to shine it up and put a good edge on it. Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

Originally Posted by clrobert60

OK, I put it in the vise and tightened up enough to get it close, then set it on top and tapped it relatively straight (no heat). Straight enough to go through the scales, so now I just need to shine it up and put a good edge on it. Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

Awesome! You should post some pics! I'm curious, did the tang steel feel pretty soft?

I think you got lucky, I've seen razors snap from a lot less.
I gave a friend a vintage red imp, and the tang broke when he sat on it...

Originally Posted by joke1176

Awesome! You should post some pics! I'm curious, did the tang steel feel pretty soft?

Actually it felt very soft, and when I cleaned it the tail is a shiny brass color and appears to be 2 layers. The blade itself seems normal (shiny silvery steel), I'm in the process of sanding the accumulated patina and rust off. I'll try to get some pics up sometime soon, I'd like some feedback on the composition.

If the tang *did* break off, I was going to suggest grinding it narrow and mounting it in a handle, as in a hidden-tang fixed-blade knife. Then you could use it like a Japanese razor. I've never tried this myself but it seems like a cool thing to try, and if the tang's already broken you have nothing to lose.