Thread: blade question

I'm restoring a blade, and found out that the top(furthest from the scales) part of the cutting surface to the spine is wider than the the bottom part tp the spine. I hope that was a clear description. my question is, is that normal? off that topic, I have found a drum sander to be most helpful when shaping wooden scales.

The heel is thinner than the toe???

So the blade gets wider as it gets closer to the point????

Yes, thats what I was trying to describe. mind you its only a little bit maybe a few thousandths difference. I discovered it when I was honing, and wasnt getting a bevel on about an 1/8" off of the heel, but the rest of the blade was getting one. If continue to hone it normally, will it eventually even out, or will I have to do some advanced honing techniques? This is my first time honing a blade. I am restoring one I got at an antique store.

I've had this kind of blade width difference on several older blades I've acquired from EBay. Some are wider at the toe, but most are wider at the heel.

What I've done is just place a piece of 400 or 600 grit wet-dry sandpaper on a plate of glass and use the marker test to determine when I've honed it down to where the entire bevel is making contact with the surface. Then I just hop on my DMT E (1200 grit) and continue my normal progression. This sometimes results in a little more hone wear than I would ideally have, but it works. You could probably lessen the extent of the hone wear caused by this kind of bevel setting by wrapping a piece of sandpaper around the spine and hand-sanding, and then reset the bevel, but I haven't really felt the need to do so.

DISCLAIMER: I am not necessarily what you would call an expert like Glen, or Max, or any of the others around here who carry that reputation. I have restored at least a dozen old, cruddy EBay razors to working condition, but not to a "showcase" finish like those done by the above-mentioned experts. I'm just saying what has worked for me.

Originally Posted by the wanderer

What I've done is just place a piece of 400 or 600 grit wet-dry sandpaper on a plate of glass and use the marker test to determine when I've honed it down to where the entire bevel is making contact with the surface. Then I just hop on my DMT E (1200 grit) and continue my normal progression. This sometimes results in a little more hone wear than I would ideally have, but it works. You could probably lessen the extent of the hone wear caused by this kind of bevel setting by wrapping a piece of sandpaper around the spine and hand-sanding, and then reset the bevel, but I haven't really felt the need to do so.

Absolutely works, it is a lot of work too, but really this is the correct way to do it...

The other thing you have to keep in mind is if the slant is even, it is not necessarily a bad thing, I would love to see a pic of this blade to make sure I am giving the right advice here...
You were also correct that a slightly different honing technique can be used...
Keep in mind a "Slightly" different honing technique can hone around some serious issues, which if you were doing things the right way, should be eliminated just like the Wanderer said..