Thread: Spine Alignment question

Hi Guys,

I was wondering what the procedure is, if any, when you have a really old razor that has warped. Is it possible to re-align the spine/edge so it sits flush on a stone? And if so, how is it generally done?

Cheers,

Rob

Are you talking about an actual bend in the spine???? that is visible when holding the razor...

Or is this a simple uneven grind??? Can we see a straight down from the top spine pic?????

I have tried this three times with some junkers. The first was an American blade that I attempted very slow bending, it snapped right away, the second was Solingen that I tried with some metal forming tools my father had it shattered long before it was straight, the third was Sheffield and my father took it (got tired of flying metal shards) used a pneumatic hammer device that he placed a specific anvil on. He set the pressure quite low and worked it for about 10 minutes before handing it back to me. It wasn't absolutely perfect once set on the stones, but it was a lot better and I didn't have to perform a contortionist's act to hone it up.
I would have to say, in that limited experience, its not worth the trouble. I would rather work on forming new joints in my wrist than risk the blade that much.
One positive thing we found out though is that many of the bent monkey tails weren't hardened and we were able to straighten more than a couple since then. Of course I'm still nervous about it so I hand them to my father; as a plus side when I get them back he usually polishes them up a little.

Well... are you gonna post your father's number or what?

Originally Posted by Snake

Well... are you gonna post your father's number or what?

He was nice enough to give me new tires for my car. I don't think this would be an appropriate return gift.
Besides, he has to work three times as hard ever since his idiot business manager fired me.

I once talked with my heat treater about bending blades that warp. He has special jigs that allow him to correct warping that occurs during treatment. He said the most important part was to bend the during specific windows in the temper cycle. After treatment is complete, it is generally impossible to correct warp without risking destruction of the blade. You best bet is to grind the blade flat, or try to ignore the bend.