Thread: Tiny chip in the END of the spike tip. Is it a problem??

HI all,

Restoring this old w&B when I noticed this tiny chip out of the end. Is this a problem?

Will it crack here when I get it honed? What can be done for it? Anything required to be done with it??

Any advice, etc.. Thank you mates!

Sorry about the pics, they are huge resolution, but I don't think they will translate that way. Out of 18 pictures, these are the only ones that MIGHT show the chip. Dang camera just stinks for closeup stuff.

Really this is the only picture that actually shows the chip. It is tiny, but a major worry.. The crack is about 1/4" from the blade right on the end. In this crappy picture it looks like a change in light only. The rest you couldn't see it at all.

Sorry, but I cannot visualize it very well. Do you think it will hone out? A chip is unlikely to become a crack, but it would be nice to get a better look at it.

Thanks Ace,

It's not in a place were the hone ever hits. It's on the blunt end of the blade, thankfully not the edge.

It's just a tiny chip, but I'm afraid to get it honed now, I've had one crack while being honed, but near the heel, not the tip. So I just don't know what this might do. hmmmm..

It's already a square point (as opposed to a 90 degree spike point) so you can just round out the tip a little more and eliminate the chip. You can do this on the side of your coarsest hone and will be able to eliminate it quickly.

I wouldn't worry about it, but if you do, Utopian's advice is good.

It is really hard to see, and it seems people are unclear at the orientation and the placement of it, so I marked with red what I think you said - is this correct?

Hah! OK, ignore what I wrote before. Apparently I can't tell the difference between the spine and the edge, and I failed to notice you wrote "a quarter inch from the blade."

That is possibly of greater concern. I strongly suggest looking at it under a microscope of some sort. You need to see if there is any hint of a crack extending into the blade. I have seen rounded versions of such "chips" before. Some have arisen from coming out of a tumbler. These rounded chips are of no concern because they do not portend any sort of crack.

Originally Posted by str8fencer

It is really hard to see, and it seems people are unclear at the orientation and the placement of it, so I marked with red what I think you said - is this correct?

That is the chip, exactly str8... Great job. Thank you so very much!!

Originally Posted by Utopian

Hah! OK, ignore what I wrote before. Apparently I can't tell the difference between the spine and the edge, and I failed to notice you wrote "a quarter inch from the blade."

That is possibly of greater concern. I strongly suggest looking at it under a microscope of some sort. You need to see if there is any hint of a crack extending into the blade. I have seen rounded versions of such "chips" before. Some have arisen from coming out of a tumbler. These rounded chips are of no concern because they do not portend any sort of crack.

ok, I did take a good look at it with the strongest magnifier I have, which is a jewelers eye that is used for examining plants for fungus. It looked very round. Not jagged at all, and no crack. But again, under the pressure of honing this guy could still crack, right???

Thanks to all for the input and feedback!!

Mike

Could you live with a slightly shorter razor ? If it's only a short crack the end could be ground back.