Thread: Another rookie mistake

Yesterday I posted a thread about chipping one of my favorite razors. Well I must be on a roll because today I ruined yet another razor.

I’m an amateur (read: crappy newbie) razor restorer and I got careless this morning at the buffing wheel and accidently ground away a good portion of the blade (see picture).



I don’t think the razor can be fixed without spending an eternity on the hones, right? Let that be a lesson for those thinking of trying to restore razors: the greaseless compound (even the 600 grit) will grind off more metal than you might think! Be especially careful when working around the delicate edge.

I try to grind perpendicular to the edge (i.e. from spine to edge) but I might try grinding lengthwise (i.e. from heel to toe or vice versa) to minimize such mishaps until my proficiency improves. The only razors I’ve tried buffing with greaseless compound in the past were wedges, whose thicker stock is apparently more forgiving of rookie mistakes (lesson #2 for newbies: maybe trying a wedge in the beginning is best??)

Given life’s demands, the only time I get to “play” with my razors is early in the morning before anyone else in the house gets up. Perhaps the caffeine hadn’t fully hit my system yet causing me to lose focus. Let that be lesson #3: don’t play with power tools and sharp objects in the wee hours of the morning!

The good news is that the razor I was working on was a cheap POS flea market find that I purchased to practice on – so no major loss.

PS: Hats off to you professional restorers – restoring razors is far far harder (and time consuming too) than all the YouTube videos seem to make it out to be.

Actually the worry with fixing that isn't the time on the hones, there are ways to get around that time. The biggest issues are of geometry, shortening that much will change the blade angle quite a bit and it will run the edge into the stabilizers.
If you wanted you could spend the time on grinding down the stabilizers, create a smile and possibly regrind the spine. Of course that gets into some serious work.

Hey diyguy,

I read your last post as will as this one, and I can see you have a fond love for your razors. Might I suggest, and hear me out, some time away from trying to fix them. I know its all a learning process, but when you start being hard on yourself, and when you start making big mistakes, I think its time to step away. Maybe just a week or so. Enjoy doing something else. You'll thank yourself for stepping away from the problem, and when you come back to it you will feel renewed and ready to tackle it head on again.

Just my 2cents good luck.

Hint number 101 about using buffers

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...-question.html

Read through that thread it is going to help

Originally Posted by HigherFasterNow

Hey diyguy,

I read your last post as will as this one, and I can see you have a fond love for your razors. Might I suggest, and hear me out, some time away from trying to fix them. I know its all a learning process, but when you start being hard on yourself, and when you start making big mistakes, I think its time to step away. Maybe just a week or so. Enjoy doing something else. You'll thank yourself for stepping away from the problem, and when you come back to it you will feel renewed and ready to tackle it head on again.

Just my 2cents good luck.

Did my wife put you up to this post? :-) you're probably right - stepping away for a spell is a good idea. Have to run anyways - rest of the weekend is booked.

My sympathies!! I can relate man...

M

Originally Posted by diyguy

Did my wife put you up to this post? :-) you're probably right - stepping away for a spell is a good idea. Have to run anyways - rest of the weekend is booked.

LOL, she did not, though if shes giving you the same advice, she has your best interests at heart. I just know from past experiences. My best attempts at things happen when I take time away from problems. Have a good weekend.

Ay caramba! Throw some salt over you left shoulder