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After trying to get a Carl Monkhouse razor to line up in the scales. I made the decision to straighten it out or break it trying... I'll give you 1 guess what happened.
At one point I had it close enough to stop but was committed to the task, so I stayed at it.
To be clear, this isn't my first razor I've straightened but it has been awhile since I broke one.
that'll buff out.
It's easy to forget they don't all come out that way. 'Takes a certain humility and honesty to share the failures. Everyone that does gets more respect from me.
I've also been thrilled to view some of your successes, and they are really impressive. I admire your determination and expect your work will be amongst the better offerings soon. Keep pounding, polishing and stoning.
Hey Brian
Ouch! My heart sank seeing that, as I'm sure yours did when that happened . I have been in your shoes trying to make a razor with a twisted tang work, very frustrating!
An easier method to get it to center is make a tapered washer
maybe with some crazy imagination and the right tools all is not lost ;p
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasp
Time to Wikipedia some silver-solder and/or TIG welding.
What little I've looked into silver-soldering is definitely more feasible.
Don't know how that thin thin metal would take it....and I doubt anyone's tried it before...but hey, one adventure leads to another adventure. You could be the first.
Oh, and yes...my heart goes out to your and your Monkhouse. I've had a favorite pair of Paduak scales that split-out while I was trying to peen the brass.:boohoo: ...and losing the scales doesn't even compare to losing a blade.
It's always bad when you brake a razor but I went into it knowing it was a 50-50 chance. To me you have to be in that mindset if your going to start smacking, clamping and flexing a razor.
The very first one I broke was a nice W&B, man did I love that razor. When it snapped my heart dropped.. While the Monkhouse hurt, it was nothing like the first one.
I'm working on plan to salvage the blade. Who knows if it will work but if it does I'll post a pic.:idea:
I'm not sure why you thought you could straighten through-hardened steel... but there was a 100% chance of braking this razor when you started "clamping, hammering, and bending."
I have to agree with Ben. Trying to bend hardened steel is asking for disaster. It may have worked once or twice or a few times in the past, but it's not something I would ever try.
There are a bunch of tricks you can use to get razors to center in scales, but none of them involve bending the razor.
ARRRRGGGGHHH Matey, be there any TIG welders in your family?!:confused:
:gl:
Maybe I'm wrong, but straightening a razor with dowels and a vise isn't unheard of. It's worked for me before.
mrsell63 - Yes, I have a friend that's a welder but no, I have no plan to weld it.
I have done quite a few with the 3 dowels and a vise myself, you always have to expect them to break...
Honestly you can usually tell if they are soft enough to bend before they get to the breaking point... As you start to apply pressure look to see the give in the metal, if there is a springiness,, it will bend, if it is very stiff, and makes you want to crank on the handle, back off and go another route...
I have also noticed the thicker tangs seem to bend easier, perhaps they are not as hardened
This is not foolproof, and it doesn't always work, it is just an observation I have made...
A little ducktape can fix that.
J/K, I feel sorry for you and your blade :boohoo:, good luck in repairing
Just a word of warning here.
Some razors have been hardened in such a way that the blade gets the full effect of the hardening and the tang remains somewhat softer. In these cases you might have success trying to straighten the blades. Do note that I stress the word 'might' because the slightly softer tang can still be brittle enough to shatter.
In particular I would like to remind everyone that the new series of blades coming from Thiers-Issard (135 Carbonsong steel) are hardened all the way through, end-to-end. Anyone trying this same 'straightening' routine with one of these new blades is asking for trouble.
If you have any issues about the straightness of one of the new TI blades, talk to your supplier... before you take up the hammer. ;)
Glad its not just me. I was very carefully and ever so gently trying to shorten a blade the other day. It didnt end up well.
It just depends on how the temper was done. When I was working with Bob Allman in his shop, we intentionally didn't harden the whole razors (tang and tail left out) so that we could adjust the tang if necessary. He had broken several of his razors trying to fix just that issue, but had much better results after changing his tempering process...
A question:
. . . Could you put the wide part of the blade into water, or wrap it with wet cloth,
. . . and anneal (or at least soften) the tang?
That would let you bend the tang so that the blade centered in the scales, without cracking the blade. I don't have enough experience with hot steel to know whether it's feasible or not.
Charles
that could be tig welded youll have to notch out the back of the blade
thanks for posting that. the info from the other posts on possible fixes and past run ins with the same issue has been interesting reading.
I would expect this to work with thicker razors (mostly Sheffield) because quite a few were not quenched all the way. I've tried drilling through a tang on some damaged razors, and the Sheffield blade did not put up a fight while the Solingen blade was impenetrable (my drill started bending).
This is possible. I've known Mike Blue to do it.Quote:
Originally Posted by cpcohen1945
However you have to know what you are doing (wet cloth won't suffice) and the tang will discolor severely.
I have put the blade in water with the tang sticking out and heated it up with a propane torch till the metal turns from brown-blue-gray, let air cool then bend in vise.
I have also clamped the razor in a big vise with the tang sticking out and used the vise as a heat sink. The advantage here you can bend when still hot.
Mike Blue and Butch were the ones that told me these methods.
Charlie
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpcohen1945
Well here is some straightening at the Dovo factory:
http://i52.tinypic.com/103blt2.jpg
snipped from this video at 1:50:
YouTube - Making DOVO Straight Razors
Not that I would know any different, but I read this at Martin's site:Quote:
Originally Posted by ignatz
Due to a new hardening process the back of the razor is a bit "softer" than the edge. Thus is giving the razor's back more flexibility and more sharpness and shaves to the edge.
The First Thiers Issard Silverwing LE
Old school blacksmiths used the color rings in order to tell what type of microstructure they had on the ends of axes, pick axes, etc... Yellow = matensitic structures (hard) and blue = pearlite structures (soft). This was done without the use of microscopes, micro-hardness machines, tensile machines, etc. Pretty incredible what they people where able to achieve with the use of heat, hammer, water, and the naked eye.Quote:
Originally Posted by spazola
You may be a redneck if you save with a razor containing JB weld, Duck Tape, coat hanger welds and spray paint.