Shimming the Wolfman

[Hannah's Dad]

Good morning Dan,
So today I used two shims in my Timeless Ti Scalloped .95. I have to say that the first pass was much closer but it was the same comfortable feeling that I always get from the Timeless. The second pass , there wasn't much left to cut but still felt very comfortable with the two shims.
I like the post shave feel , the vintage Old Spice after Shave didn't burn anymore than usual .
So with two blade shims what does that push the .95 up to ?

Ugh ... math ... but I think you’ve got yourself the only 1.15mm Timeless out there. Nice!

 

[Hannah's Dad]

I didn’t have enough stubble this morning to attempt the Wolf 2.1mm shave. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[naughtilus]

Ha ha, definitely wait for 48h stubble when shimming. I speak from experience.

 

[Graydog]

That is what I am afraid of , I like to shave everyday and I will have to see how it goes tomorrow. The .95 is working perfectly for me and allowing me to shave everyday. So I really don't think I need to go up.
It's a bit of a fun experiment for me.

 

[Bill Wood]

I'm going to do this with my .68 timeless. Looks like awesome idea.

 

[dmshaver]

Excellent, David. I’ll be eager to hear of your thoughts and conclusions.

I used a steep angle on my Goodwill #160 this morning. Wow, it smoothed out the shave considerably! Something as simple as changing the angle... all the difference. Thanks for the pointer Dan!

 

[Steinmetzify]

Ok so this is cool. I’m gonna try this with my Blackbird if I can get time later in the week.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Well, I am pleased to report that I still have a face — after shaving this morning with the Wolf WR2 1.25 SB shimmed with a AAA credit card. My friend, Steve (@Graydog ) tells me that a credit card adds about .85mm, meaning that this shaver has a 2.1mm gap.

I used a fresh Polsilver SI blade, GD pre-shave and M&M Gael Laoch soap and AS, and my trusty cashmere Graydog brush with maple and Cocobolo wood.

I used a steep angle on the first pass (as I always do with the WR2), and was rewarded with an insanely close pass — with just a touch more blade feel as compared with the un-shimmed WR2 1.25. I rinsed off and decided to just stop there. Sure, I wasted a couple passes worth of soap, but why risk it when my face feels so smooth and comfortable?

So, it appears (for me) that regardless of the blade gap on the WR2, you’ll get a very smooth and comfortable shave. If you are a daily shaver (like I am) who likes a few passes as part of your morning or evening zen experience, stay far away from the higher gaps on the Wolfman. But if you shave every 4/5/6 days, then have at it. This Wolfman (2.1mm gap) will mow your beard down. My next shim experiment will be with a WR1 .86 OC, which is en route from a generous B&B’er.

 

[It's Hedley]

Well, I am pleased to report that I still have a face — after shaving this morning with the Wolf WR2 1.25 SB shimmed with a AAA credit card. My friend, Steve (@Graydog ) tells me that a credit card adds about .85mm, meaning that this shaver has a 2.1mm gap.

I used a fresh Polsilver SI blade, GD pre-shave and M&M Gael Laoch soap and AS, and my trusty cashmere Graydog brush with maple and Cocobolo wood.

I used a steep angle on the first pass (as I always do with the WR2), and was rewarded with an insanely close pass — with just a touch more blade feel as compared with the un-shimmed WR2 1.25. I rinsed off and decided to just stop there. Sure, I wasted a couple passes worth of soap, but why risk it when my face feels so smooth and comfortable?

So, it appears (for me) that regardless of the blade gap on the WR2, you’ll get a very smooth and comfortable shave. If you are a daily shaver (like I am) who likes a few passes as part of your morning or evening zen experience, stay far away from the higher gaps on the Wolfman. But if you shave every 4/5/6 days, then have at it. This Wolfman (2.1mm gap) will mow your beard down. My next shim experiment will be with a WR1 .86 OC, which is en route from a generous B&B’er.

View attachment 1021421

That one pass shave is what is referred to as "saving face". That has to be the highest blade gap shave ever. Looking forward to your WR1 feedback, Dan.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

That one pass shave is what is referred to as "saving face". That has to be the highest blade gap shave ever. Looking forward to your WR1 feedback, Dan.

 

[Esox]

Although it could be the photo angle.

It is the angle. The view through the camera needs to be straight down the edge of the blade in relation to the edge of the cap and SB/OC.

I havent seen picture of a Wolfman taken with the proper angle, but I suspect the blade exposure is neutral to slightly positive. Much the same as the NEW SC that has .023" blade gap.

1.25mm gap equates to .049". Adding three shims would increase that by around .012" giving a total of .061" blade gap.

I dont have a proper set of feeler gauges but I do have a dime. A Canadian dime is .049" thick and fits tightly under the blade edge of my Slim on 9. From that I'd guess a Slim on 9 is equal in blade gap to the Wolfman 1.25mm but with barely neutral blade exposure.

Increasing blade gap also increases blade exposure so I would assume a Wolfman with .061" gap to have positive blade exposure.

You can have generous positive blade exposure and still experience a very smooth shave with little to no feeling of the blade. The more the blade is supported, the less blade you feel because its more stable. This is the difference between your R41 and Fatip. Both have close to the exact same blade exposure, but the Fatip feels far smoother and safer in use because the blade is more stable.

Increase the gap on a Fatip OC, which has only a tiny amount of blade gap but decidedly positive blade exposure,

and you'll also increase exposure and effectiveness even more. A byproduct of that would be compromising stability of the edge. You'd need to adjust your technique to get the same feel.

Increasing blade gap increases the angle the edge is presented to the skin. The larger the blade gap the steeper the angle of edge to skin as the skin fills and flows through that gap. Gap in a razors design essentially adds a mechanical advantage.

Some really appreciate gap in a razors design. I understand and also appreciate it, it works. My skin however wont tolerate much blade gap. If I need more than 3 passes with my NEW SC and it's modest gap I'll have light irritation. If I use my Slim on 9, where I prefer to use it, after 3 full passes I'll have moderate irritation. As gap increases so does the speed my irritation grows along with the level of irritation I get because, in essence, with blade gap the skin is forced or pinched into filling that gap and in turn, forced against the blades edge.

 

[Graydog]

Dan I am glad you survived
Did you feel anxious at the moment of Truth ?
How does it feel hours later ?
Will you be able to shave tomorrow ?
The next day After my Shave with 1.15 Timeless I had stubble and I was able , I realize
that you are almost double the gap so I am just curious.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Dan I am glad you survived
Did you feel anxious at the moment of Truth ?
How does it feel hours later ?
Will you be able to shave tomorrow ?
The next day After my Shave with 1.15 Timeless I had stubble and I was able , I realize
that you are almost double the gap so I am just curious.

Still BBS, Steve. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to shave tomorrow.

 

[loot]

Today I made a shim from a reward card/grocery store reward. The blank was actually one of the two key chain cards. It worked perfectly, with a .66mm thickness. Loaded into a Ti 1.55mm gap, if I understand correctly, shoulda yielded a 2.21mm gap? The WR2 head remained buttery smooth and it certainly cut closer than the native 1.55. I'm intrigued enough to buy myself a good set of feeler gauges so I can measure gaps myself.

Shimming also increased blade feel slightly. Not something I think I'd want to do a lot of with the WR1 86OC. I'm tuned in for the reports tho.

Thanks again to whoever first proposed plastic. That revelation flipped my thinking. This seems like a easy way to turn a WR2 into an adjustable. Now, I'll be on the lookout for good plastic specimens to simulate blade shims in multiples of 2...up to at least 8.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Today I made a shim from a reward card/grocery store reward. The blank was actually one of the two key chain cards. It worked perfectly, with a .66mm thickness. Loaded into a Ti 1.55mm gap, if I understand correctly, shoulda yielded a 2.21mm gap? The WR2 head remained buttery smooth and it certainly cut closer than the native 1.55. I'm intrigued enough to buy myself a good set of feeler gauges so I can measure gaps myself.

Shimming also increased blade feel slightly. Not something I think I'd want to do a lot of with the WR1 86OC. I'm tuned in for the reports tho.

Thanks again to whoever first proposed plastic. That revelation flipped my thinking. This seems like a easy way to turn a WR2 into an adjustable. Now, I'll be on the lookout for good plastic specimens to simulate blade shims in multiples of 2...up to at least 8.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

James, you’re the Chuck Yeager of wet-shaving — always pushing the outside of that Wolfman gap envelope. Go for Mach 3!!

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Dan I am glad you survived
Did you feel anxious at the moment of Truth ?
How does it feel hours later ?
Will you be able to shave tomorrow ?
The next day After my Shave with 1.15 Timeless I had stubble and I was able , I realize
that you are almost double the gap so I am just curious.

Steve ... no need to shave this morning (bummer). Still DFS.

 

[Graydog]

Steve ... no need to shave this morning (bummer). Still DFS.

Good morning Dan,

I didn't think that you would be able to
When I used the 1.25 Wolf it was really
close for me not being able to shave everyday, probably most would have called it not necessary . So for me .95 to 1.15 is my limit. I just enjoy the everyday experience far to much .
Are you going to try it with another Razor or two ?

 

[loot]

James, you’re the Chuck Yeager of wet-shaving — always pushing the outside of that Wolfman gap envelope. Go for Mach 3!!

Ha! Obviously I did it wrong. I could have gotten by, it seems, with a 115, a 155, and a credit card shim. Sure would have saved me some time and money. No fun it that tho.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Good morning Dan,

I didn't think that you would be able to
When I used the 1.25 Wolf it was really
close for me not being able to shave everyday, probably most would have called it not necessary . So for me .95 to 1.15 is my limit. I just enjoy the everyday experience far to much .
Are you going to try it with another Razor or two ?

Sure, I’ll experiment a little more.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Ha! Obviously I did it wrong. I could have gotten by, it seems, with a 115, a 155, and a credit card shim. Sure would have saved me some time and money. No fun it that tho.