Blade alignment question (TTO's)

[apino]

I bought an Aristocrat Junior, my only TTO so far, which has given me great shaves. But...

When I tighten the doors, the other end of the blade (meaning the side, not the shaving edge) starts to stick out more. I can only get it to align in the middle if I hold the blade by the ends with my thumb and index finger while tightening. Surely this is not a typical "feature" of TTOs?

It also seems blade exposure (on the shaving edges) varies somewhat from time to time - sometimes it seems perfectly symmetrical, at other times you can see a discrepancy if you look closely (and I do look, I've become quite obsessive as usual ).

Once again, I don't know if that's normal in a TTO; to me it seems even the position in which you're holding the razor when tightening the doors can affect the blade exposure/alignment ever so slightly.

 

[toyotakurtis]

Blade alignment is important when you are loading a new blade. There is a little bit of wiggle room side to side and front to back that you just have to slit the difference.

I am having a problem with my Gillette Slim. When you look at the blade edge there is a larger gap on the left side of the bar compared to the right side. Same issue on the opposite side except reversed. I think that the razor had a very hard lift prior to it coming to me.

I have not figured out fix the blade gap various problems, but this is the main reason that B&B is so useful. Does anyone have a fix out there for apino and I???

Thanks,
Kurtis

 

[apino]

One thing I've learnt: I won't buy anything on eBay without proper pictures anymore.

I just fiddled with my Aristocrat once more. When the blade sets in right with a little help, the blade exposure is symmetrical to the eye and similar on both sides. My logic says that should be quite enough for consistent shaves. But I probably can't let it be until I've measured the gaps digitally or something.

Being the perfectionist that I am (wouldn't have guessed a month back it could happen with razors!), I'll probably have to buy near mint stuff from now on just for the peace of mind.

 

[BBrad]

Blade alignment is important when you are loading a new blade. There is a little bit of wiggle room side to side and front to back that you just have to slit the difference.

I am having a problem with my Gillette Slim. When you look at the blade edge there is a larger gap on the left side of the bar compared to the right side. Same issue on the opposite side except reversed. I think that the razor had a very hard lift prior to it coming to me.

I have not figured out fix the blade gap various problems, but this is the main reason that B&B is so useful. Does anyone have a fix out there for apino and I???

Thanks,
Kurtis

Sounds like you have a bent razor . . . probably dropped a few times!

Uneven gaps cause one side to be more aggressive, and I'll bet the razor is prone to biting hard . . .

Gently bending the base plate and/or adjuster lift plate as needed to bring the head geometry back to "square" will cure it, assuming it isn't too far out of whack!

 

[apino]

Gently bending the base plate and/or adjuster lift plate as needed to bring the head geometry back to "square" will cure it, assuming it isn't too far out of whack!

So many questions... so I numbered them for simplicity's sake:

1) How and what should this be done with - bend the guard upwards/downwards with rubber coated pliers?

2) Regarding blade gap, should you also measure the distance from edge of blade to outer edge of guard?

3) Does the distance from edge of door to edge of blade affect the shave in any significant way?

4) What kind of "tolerances" are acceptable regarding blade gaps - I assume measuring quickly by eye is sufficient? I'm asking because I spend way too much time looking at the gaps trying to figure if one side is exposed more than the other.

My technical logic is stuck somewhere on a 5 year old's level so I apologize if the questions sound stupid.

 

[BBrad]

So many questions... so I numbered them for simplicity's sake:

1) How and what should this be done with - bend the guard upwards/downwards with rubber coated pliers?

2) Regarding blade gap, should you also measure the distance from edge of blade to outer edge of guard?

3) Does the distance from edge of door to edge of blade affect the shave in any significant way?

4) What kind of "tolerances" are acceptable regarding blade gaps - I assume measuring quickly by eye is sufficient? I'm asking because I spend way too much time looking at the gaps trying to figure if one side is exposed more than the other.

My technical logic is stuck somewhere on a 5 year old's level so I apologize if the questions sound stupid.

Questions are questions and do not have the ability to be smart or stupid! One of the (many) great things about B&B is the ability to ask the members and have your questions answered accurately and respectfully!!

So, here goes!!

1. I have used needle-nosed pliers, small screwdriver, adjustable wrench, and bench vise (w/brass jaw inserts) in the past. What needs to be bent and how far depends on the damage. The razor head needs to be square in relation to the handle. Sometimes only the safety bar is bent, and not the entire head. I try not to bend all at once, but rather in little "nibbles", giving the metal a chance to "rest" between "bites".

2. The blade gap is measured between the blade edge and safety bar with blade tightly mounted in the razor. The gap is the distance between the two planes (bar and blade) and determines how much "bite" the blade is allowed to have. The distance between blade edge and safety bar edge has nothing to do with the aggressiveness of the razor, but could be further indication of a bent razor.

3. Edge of door to edge of blade measurements should be even, to ensure consistent flexing of the blade and consistency in the blade angle. Uneven measurements would be the result of misalignment.

4. On a Gillette Adjustable, each "click" of the adjuster changes the gap by about .003" . . . so I use .002 as a max tolerance. Click here for a chart from the Wiki that gives blade gap information by razor. I use my eyeball when aligning the razor, and follow with feeler gauges to ensure that the gaps are even (within .002 tolerance) with each other.

Hope this helps! Go easy, be gentle, and good luck!!

 

[apino]

Thanks a lot for the answers, BBrad!

As I said, I can align the blade correctly with the help of my thumb and index finger. It's very difficult to tell by looking what could be bent. So I think the only option is to leave it like that and align the blade manually.

I was just wondering if all unbent TTO's get the blade alignment right everytime? So far I have nothing to compare to.