Thread: Doctor, is there any hope?

I got this Bengall in a lot (5 razors, $5, two salvageable blades and all the scales salvageable...I think it went ok) and boy, is it sad. Well, it's smiling just a wee bit, but it's kind of a wisty, misty smile.

So, the patina and pitting and such I know I can sand out, but that toe...is there anything to be done? Leave it and see how it shaves? Or...just let it go?

What do you think?

In my opinion that is rather an endearing sort of a smile.

True enough, you could spend the hours needed to reduce and/or straighten the front cutting edge, but will the razor have any more value to you once you do all that?

Why not first clean it up a wee bit, hone it properly and see how it performs. After that you can always decide to go further if you like.

I don't see any real problem.

Why not just clean her up and hone her? Is there something I don't see?

Am I the only one who sees little pits in the bevel?

Originally Posted by Leighton

Am I the only one who sees little pits in the bevel?

Now that you mention it... But still, I think it is quite salvageable.

Originally Posted by JMS

I don't see any real problem.

Why not just clean her up and hone her? Is there something I don't see?

Thanks for the comments, guys.

Looking at it, the picture is maybe not so clear. The heel is a touch over 6/8. The toe is very nearly 5/8...

It's not that there's a smile, it's an uneven smile. The toe is quite a bit narrower than the rest of the blade. Were some blades designed to be like that? I was worried that past uneven honing would lead to serious honing complications in the future, but maybe it's not a problem at all...Awesome!

Well then, I'm definitely going to try to shave with it. If I can get it cleaned up, it should be a beauty in all other respects--the tangwork is really nice, and the scales are in surprisingly good shape.

Originally Posted by Leighton

Am I the only one who sees little pits in the bevel?

No, no you're not...

The spine does not appear to have the hone were that would account for the toe being “shorter” than the heal, so it was probably manufactured that way… and in my opinion a smile like that will shave better…
Most folks (including myself) will scorn a razor with toe smaller than the heal, as its a common issue with old razors worn down by uneven honing… visually uneven... Most of us suffer the “dis ease”, much that when we get one actually made that way, we want to “fix” it.

The razor is fine, if there is little or no hone were at the toe end of the spine. And if you ever decide to “fix” it, send it to me and I will give her a good home.

Lovely etching BTW.

Gentlemen, I am blind as a bat. I was so concerned about the honing and the grunge, I didn't inspect the blade closely enough...forest for the trees kind of situation, I guess.

Upon sanding, the sad truth was revealed. A 1/4 crack from the edge to the etching.

The worst part is, it was cleaning up REALLY nicely.

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

That totally sucks, but if it makes you feel better, all who replied to this thread are blind as bats too. I just looked at your first picture, to see where the etching starts, and see if you could just shorten the blade again. What did I see first? The crack which is really obvious after seeing your close up shot.

Wow, that is quite obvious now that you mention it.

That sucks to hear about the crack