Thread: How damaging is hone wear?

If the edge is even and nick free, but there is evidence of honewear on the spine, is it still possible to get a good shaver out of it?

I'm not an expert however if the edge is straight then the spine should also match as edge and spine lay flat on the hone. The angle when flat may have diminished by microns due to wear.

Gary

I have one with a lot of hone wear on the spine. It still shaves well. I wouldn't sell it to anyone but it still works for me.

Thanks. My interest is entirely in keeping them for myself and trying my hand at getting them cleaned up and shave ready. I picked up a pair of sheffields for under $10, very little corrosion on either (tang only) but both have a definite patina and show hone wear on the spine.

If the hone wear is even you should have a good chance of getting it shave ready. It's when the wear is uneven you will have problems. There are a lot of razors out there that you can still shave with. Just look at the geometry of the blade and see if it shows any signs of uneven wear. The spine will show wear, but also note if the razor seems to taper towards the point.

Glen

I've also heard that if the hone wear on the spine gets to be too much, you can put tape on the spine during it and that'll allow you to get more life out of the razor (assuming all else is fine).