Thread: broke razor by sanding to much

Been sanding a soligen razor I got from ebay trying to get all the pitting off when a section about 2/3 the length of the edge broke off. The razor is now totally dead.

I have a couple more which I am going to try and restore but before I do the same thing again, how important is it to remove all the pitting?

Bummer. Full hollows are definitely more delicate than stiffer grinds.

Sanding out pits are as important or unimportant as you want them to be. If your goal is something less than restoring the razor to as close as original as you can, pits are an aesthetic issue only. Significant pitting in the shaving edge area? That's a whole other potential problem.

Chris L

I personally would rather live with the pitting than change the geometry of hollow ground blades but I have sanded down wedges I purchased that had rust. Hard to pass up a 7/8s WB and other brands for under $15. I did try to sand down one hollow blade because the whole surface looked like orange peal. I got the same result you did. Blade just broke apart. That is the last hollow I try tp remove pits from unless its to hone them off the edge.

Very sorry to hear about your razor..... but for the benefit of others could you describe the technique you were using when you broke the razor??????

i can tell what happened on one of mine. i was sanding using a finger block to assist me. i usually sand right on my worktop. this day i had 3 shop rags under the blade. when i applied pressure on the edge right in the middle of the blade, i put a break in the edge about 3/16 inch p toward the spine. since i was on the rags and not the worktop, the edge flexed and broke. so if i wanted to fix, i would need to hone/grind off that much. that blade is not worth the trouble or effort, but lessoned learned.

vgod

I have great respect for you guys that bring back pitted full and extra hollows. I know Gary aka Traveller has said that most often he tosses those rather than restores them.

My experiences, although not extensive at this point in hand sanding full hollows has been bad as well. I have not broken a blade, but I found on one that all the repeated pressure (even though it was light) of hand sanding made a blade that laid flat on the hones prior to hand sanding very un-flat and a disappointing blade to hone.

Chris L

I started sanding on the kitchen table, laying the razor flat on the table and using 180 grit wrapped round a sanding pad. While I was sanding I sat back a bit and this caused the razor to lift sightly off the surface. This was when the the edge broke. If I was concentrating more or used less pressure the razor would probably
be still intact.

I manage to remove pits on full hollows by folding the paper between my thumb and forefinger (cutting side in) then pinch the blade (the belly), and run the blade in a sawing motion.
I can remove just enough material or stop before the blade gets too thin, this preserves the blade geometry and the hamburg grind too because i pinch the belly and not the thicker area behind the bevel or the spine.
If i need to work pitting out of the edge i pinch the very edge (bevel).
This method is slow going and "less than safe", one slip and the edge goes through my palm...
but the results are good. polish up with the buffer and it looks like new.

OK if someone can build a convex shaped rubber jig, you could sand the blade both sides at the same time (because pressure on the blade would be balanced) that would be good wouldn't it? you would only have to worry about sanding too thin.