Double Arrow (China)

[Estariol]

Here it is again, to start a thread which i will update feo.out the progress when it happens.
An old ('70s) chinese Double Arrow 20mm (13/16?) half hollow, to practice stropping, and when the time comes, even honing. From what i managed to find out, it's carbon steel, and does not hold the edge for quite long, but it's also fairly easy to hone. It can happen to have geometry issues (like gold dollars), i haven't got the time yet to check that out thoroughly, probably next weekend, but my inexperienced eyes tell me that everything is in line. And now i have a reason to convince the Missuz to let me buy a Dremel style grinder...

 

[Estariol]

Well, i'm not as lucky as i thought. It has an uneven grind, but does catch into my wet thumb nail. And the shoulder needs grinding, it' stops the blade from sitting flat. That is what i'll address to first. Then i'll need advise to how to adress the possible bevel difference.

 

[Estariol]

Managed to grind down the shoulder on both sides with a slow rotating stone dipped in water. Now the blade can lay flat on the strop. Checked the bevels with a mini 60x microscope, seems equal on both sides and no corrosion or any other damage on it. Since it passes the thumb nail test, i think a pasted strop could give it a nice edge. Will report back when the paste arrives.

 

[Estariol]

Unfortunately i had to give up on this razor, i managed to fix one side to lay flat on the hone, bit not the other, no matter how much i sand the spine, the tip of the blade remains separated from the surface up to about 1/4-1/3 of it's length...

But, it was fun to learn on, it helped me to fix the Taylor Eye Witness 1000 and the Wicawa, which also didn’t lay flat, but the issue wasn't so visible like on the Double Arrow.

I will keep the razor though, i have an idea of cutting off the part that doesn't touch the surface and making it a shorty... One day in the future.

 

[R181]

You can do a lot without resorting to a Dremel tool and grinding. I have a DMT plate that I used for levelling hones and you can use it to reshape the heel of the blade, so the shoulder is not in the way.

Post #15 shows how to do that without grinding down the shoulder/shoulders. https://sharprazorpalace.com/honing/133825-razor-shoulder-catching-hone-2.html

With the use of a rolling X stroke, you should be able to hone a blade that does not sit flat on the hone.

Bob

 

[Estariol]

Thank you very much, Bob! Your advice is much appreciated, as i have another razor with a similar flaw.
I'll certainly try the rolling X, but i need to check how much i messed up the blade angle due to possibly extensive sanding... And i certainly will need to practice the rolling X stroke on something i won't regret ruining.

 

[R181]

Thank you very much, Bob! Your advice is much appreciated, as i have another razor with a similar flaw.
I'll certainly try the rolling X, but i need to check how much i messed up the blade angle due to possibly extensive sanding... And i certainly will need to practice the rolling X stroke on something i won't regret ruining.

You are most welcome. Keep in mind that, iirc, the correct blade angle is 17 degrees plus/minus 2 degrees. You can always add a layer or three to the spine to increase the thickness.

You may find this informative. http://coticule.be/wedges.html

The bevel angle calculator works well too. The proper bevel angle for straight razors is inclusive/sum of the angle of both bevels iirc.

Also consider that if you do not reshape the heel and thereby having the blade edge forward of and lower than the stabilizers you could wind up creating a heel hook.

Bob

 

[Estariol]

You are most welcome. Keep in mind that, iirc, the correct blade angle is 17 degrees plus/minus 2 degrees. You can always add a layer or three to the spine to increase the thickness.

You may find this informative. http://coticule.be/wedges.html

The bevel angle calculator works well too. The proper bevel angle for straight razors is inclusive/sum of the angle of both bevels iirc.

Also consider that if you do not reshape the heel and thereby having the blade edge forward of and lower than the stabilizers you could wind up creating a heel hook.

Bob

The problem is at the tip of the right side of the blade (the side without the logo), not the heel, the razor was NOS when acquired and had grinding issues from the start.

I'll do the measurements tomorrow and use the calculator, thanks a lot for that! I know the website and it was very informative for me, but i've missed this section about the angle somehow.