"Best before" on blades?

[Icecool]

Hi all. Some time ago a posted a thread about an asymmetric blade I found (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=96199). Well during the weekend I decided to try that blade and it was utterly and totally abysmal. The finish on the blade was beautiful. No rust to be seen. No nicks. But I swear that shaving with a broken glass would be an improvement in comparison. And the preparation is not to be blamed as I switched into a Feather and shave was smooth as usual.

The question is: do blades dull over time even if stored in a dry place? The blade mentioned is at least 30 years old. And it is hard to believe that the quality was so horrible when the blade was new. And if the blades actually do loose their sharpness, isn't it bad news for those afficionados owning hundreds of blades? Just wondering should I use my current blade collection before acquiring new ones.

Any opinions?

 

[Oldguy]

Even the tiniest amount of oxidation to the blade edge can create microscopic pits that give that terrible scratchy shave. You can minimize the pits by corking the blade but I doubt you will ever get an acceptable shave from it. These old blades are best left in the hands of a collector to look at and admire. If I had that blade I would probably want to start a collection. It looks quite unique.

Len

 

[amishmotorboat]

Did you have more than one of this type of blade?
Because the blade in the picture looks very rusty.

 

[Icecool]

Did you have more than one of this type of blade?
Because the blade in the picture looks very rusty.

Nope. Just that one blade. You made me feel stupid and I risked my fingers by opening my blade bank. But the blade had no rust. In the picture I posted earlier in the other thread it sure seems to have rust though. I may be that my manly thick testosterone rich beard has scraped the rust away

But I noticed now that the blade is much more flexible than the other blades in blade bank. It says on the package that the blade thickness is 0.06 mm = 2.36/1000 of an inch. Does anyone know of typical blade thicknesses nowadays?

 

[Stubblefield]

The question is: do blades dull over time even if stored in a dry place? The blade mentioned is at least 30 years old. And it is hard to believe that the quality was so horrible when the blade was new. And if the blades actually do loose their sharpness, isn't it bad news for those afficionados owning hundreds of blades? Just wondering should I use my current blade collection before acquiring new ones.

Any opinions?

I think there is an excellent chance that the old carbon steel blades do dull over time, as they were all uncoated. The newer (dating from the 60's) stainless steel blades seem to do much better, and the coated blades dating from the 60's and 70's hold up very well. There is no reason you could not shave with a blade from that era, providing the blade was not left out in the rain.

My daily blade is the Gillette Super Stainless, the majority of which were made between the late 60's and early 80's. If I can shave with a 40 year old blade, those new stainless steel and coated blades that you bought last year should also hold up quite well.