Skip Navigation

You're viewing part of a thread.

Show Context
37 comments

  • It looks to me as if it is cupped. In the first picture, the heel and toe are off the table and in the second the center is off. I've received razors with a similar amount of warp. By rolling the razor on the stone, you can generally get to the edge everywhere. You have to be diligent about it, though. If you use your vice, apply pressure very slowly and let the deformation you apply to the razor set in the vice for a few minutes before you remove pressure. I doubt that it would hurt to heat the blade up a bit but this is @djundjila's domain more than mine.

    • As to heating up, what temps are we talking about as to not interfere with the tempering?

      • I honestly don't know if it will make a difference. I would take a butane lighter and slowly heat the entire blade to the point where touching the edge with fingers is uncomfortable. This should be way below the temperature it would take to alter the temper.

        • But then what would be the benefit?

          • Perhaps making the razor hot might allow it to be more easily straightened when the blade is put in a vise.

            FWIW, I have tried this with knives that were dropped and bent. I've had zero luck. The amount of pressure to get the steel to retake its shape normally breaks the steel.

            • Perhaps making the razor hot might allow it to be more easily straightened when the blade is put in a vise.

              I doubt that it would do so in a meaningful way. If you google "yield strength vs temperature carbon steel" diagrams (or "reduction factor", or "tensile strength" they would be related) you'll see that regardless of steel type, not much changes between room temperature and, say, 300ºC and that's getting close to tempering territory. It makes sense that softening the steel happens at temperatures at which we lose the harder forged steel microstructures (=losing the temper)

              I've had zero luck. The amount of pressure to get the steel to retake its shape normally breaks the steel.

              😬 Yeah, that's the risk

37 comments