It is hard to show on pictures, but the notch on this John Shaw razor is uneven. I do not know if this is was the norm, fixable or something I have to live and deal.
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It is hard to show on pictures, but the notch on this John Shaw razor is uneven. I do not know if this is was the norm, fixable or something I have to live and deal.
It's pretty normal for the notches to run at an angle.
Since we don't know for sure what the notches were for, it's really difficult to say why they were ground at an angle.
It was suggested once that it might be as simple as the grinder being in a hurry, and the notches don't need to be perpindicular. That being the case, the angle would be determined by whether the grinder was right or left handed.
Who knows?
A couple more pics to better illustrate my point
Only a couple barber's notches I have seen where actually perpendicular. Most of them where at an angle. The angle shouldn't have any effect on the shaving ability of the razor.
It's not a defect.
I think they used the edge of a large grinding wheel to make these notches, if so it would be difficult to allign the blade perfectly in a mass production atmosphere.
Just my thoughts.
Eric
do you guys think the notch could be reground to make it look even without losing its temper?
As long as it doesn't impare the performance of the razor during shaving or honing I wouldn't worry too much about it.
I agree with Catrentshaving, you don't NEED to do anything to it. To answer your question, yes you can even it out without loosing the temper. You need to follow the rules with regards to heat management. I manage heat with the following paradigm ... If my finger can't stand the heat (I leave it on the back of where I am buffing) neither an the blade. I then cool the blade using water.Quote:
Originally Posted by rocarule
I went ahead and used an emery stone attachment on my knock off dremel and this is what I got
That is quite the notch you have there now!Quote:
Originally Posted by rocarule
Are you happy with the results?
That is all that matters since it is YOURS....
the notch wasn't small to begin with; as a matter of fact it is in between a barber's notch and a spanish point. i like the razor since i bought it, but i was not at ease with the uneveness of the notch.
Well, there you have it!
Glad you are happy with the result. I have often wondered why the notches are often 'off kilter', but never sought to correct them because I figured the maker knew more than me...so leave their work as is (as others have mentioned, we cannot all agree on the purpose of the notch, so I take a step further and ask, "how could I say it is crooked?")
No matter, it's yours, and if you are happier, you did the right thing in my opinion.
Maybe it's because of the way the blade lays on a table after it is ground ? Now you got me wondering when the notch is made and how. Today I would think you drill it in a blank before you cut it's shape (doing 2 at once). Or I picture it against the edge of a table and being filed with the toe high enough so the file clears the table top. Is the picture of this procedure as elusive as a Napoleon Duck ?
I still think the purpose is for opening a beer when your done shaving.