DE blade thickness: Then Vs Now

[shecky]

I've read that back in the day, DE blades were significantly thicker than they are now. Can anybody break out the micrometers and tell me how thick those old DE blades were compared with the average contemporary blade? When did this changeover occur? And for any specific.reasons?

 

[talibeard]

I don't know how thick the pre-WW-II blades were but all current blades that I have seen are 0.10mm and I have seen some post war blades of 0.08 and of 0.06mm. So actually thinner than what we use today. But I heard they were thicker too when DE started.

 

[shecky]

Ahh, interesting. I'm only going by what I read around here.

I presume that thinner stock is more economical to purchase, stamp, and grind. But I'm surpised that at lest in some cases, modern blades may be thicker than some of the not so recent past.

 

[mblakele]

Early blades were stamped from stock, but since 1930 or so blades have been honed as strips and then cut into blades. If I have it right, the Gillette "Thin Blade" was introduced in 1938, but I don't know exactly how thin it was. My guess is that too thin of a blade would tend to shimmy as it cuts, resulting in a poor shave.

 

[MrGuy]

I have a few three hole blades I am assuming came with, or were purchased not terribly long after, my 1905 double ring. I'll see if I can track down some way of a more exact measurement, but the old blades are just a bit thicker. They feel much more ridged, mostly due to the 3 hole design and not having such a large portion in the middle cut out.

 

[shecky]

I'd love to find out. Just for curiosity sake. I figure od school DE blades can't be as thick as a single edge blade, which at least these days, come in at a stiff .009", or a little more than twice as thick as the average modern DE.

 

[shecky]

Wow. So at least the Tilford blue blade is as thick as a modern SE. And sounds like it was not tempered, either!

 

[Mako72]

I have a couple of those old "Hollow Grind" blades(don't remember brand) in a blade bank that I got in a razor holder. I remember trying to flex them from the ends between my thumb and fore finger, they would not flex like a modern blade. I also have some Durexs from Late 40s or early 50s, though they seem thinner than modern ones. I will try to measure them tomorrow and post some numbers.

Jay

 

[Shavely Manden]

I have seen some post war blades of 0.08 and of 0.06mm.

Could that be due to wartime & post-war material shortages? I'd also imagine that the blade coatings they use these days could add a tiny bit over post-war blades.

 

[talibeard]

Could that be due to wartime & post-war material shortages? I'd also imagine that the blade coatings they use these days could add a tiny bit over post-war blades.

That is an interesting thought but I really don't know. Might also have to do with experimenting on what thickness would be ideal for a razor blade. Wars usually bring forward new materials as well and maybe they were trying out new steels that could be made so thin.

 

[Mako72]

Well some quick measurements...

.10 Dollar Store Dorco
.10 Gillette Super Blue
.09 Durex(40s-50sish)
.10 Vertical Derby
.10 US Personna
.15 Personna Hollow Ground(probably from the 20s-30s I'm guessing)

Thats all I have unwrapped but my others are new and most likely .10 as that seems consistent,

Jay

 

[CoolBurn]

Russian blades(Gillette's,Iridiums) seem to be quite a bit thicker than most.