Actually, I could see those "burrs" as beneficial. Mine is 2019. They might help put more even pressure at high number/lower bend numbers. I have heard this referred to as a frown in the Segus so they probably thought why not.
"Degree of blade waviness" a huge factor in smoothness?
- Thread starter kingfisher
- Start date
Those are all good ones, right?
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Yes it makes some sense, people who drop their razors on a tile floor could bent something and DE blades are so thin it will conform to the bend causing shave to be harsh possibly IMO. The only other thing that could also cause grief would be a bad grind or poorly applied sputtering blade coating on the edge which is rare but fellows have come across reject blades that slipped pass QC (rarity IMO).
Some Slant razors are designed to torque the blades so I would not visually look for the shiny edge while in the slant razor because it will change naturally. I do use the shining light of the blade edge procedure if I drop a blade in the sink and want to know if the edge is damaged(A Loupe or magnification of some sort helps with these tired old eyes).
There is merit in this procedure if in doubt about a blade IMO.
Some Slant razors are designed to torque the blades so I would not visually look for the shiny edge while in the slant razor because it will change naturally. I do use the shining light of the blade edge procedure if I drop a blade in the sink and want to know if the edge is damaged(A Loupe or magnification of some sort helps with these tired old eyes).
There is merit in this procedure if in doubt about a blade IMO.
- Thread starter
- #24
Lefonque
Even more clueless than you
Never given it any thought. Interesting.
"Degree of blade waviness" a huge factor in smoothness?
...no.
Obviously this hasn't been a real issue for the past 150 years, therefore it's rather not a huge factor.
There might be some issues when the QC of the metal work is sloppy.
If the surfaces clamping the blade aren't straight, this will affect the shape of the edge of the clamped blade.
With the majority of razors used by fellow members here on B&B this is not a problem.
YMMV
...no.
Obviously this hasn't been a real issue for the past 150 years, therefore it's rather not a huge factor.
There might be some issues when the QC of the metal work is sloppy.
If the surfaces clamping the blade aren't straight, this will affect the shape of the edge of the clamped blade.
With the majority of razors used by fellow members here on B&B this is not a problem.
YMMV
I agree that a wavy edge provided a rougher shave for me with one of my razors.
My 1st Fatip Piccolo had a wavy edge issue. When I inspected the underside of the top cap, there were "dings" along the edge of the top cap. These defects were present before plating as each ding was plated over. These dings definitely caused the edges of the blade to be wavy. The razor was much smoother to use after I leveled off the defects.
IMHO, YMMV, and all that...
My 1st Fatip Piccolo had a wavy edge issue. When I inspected the underside of the top cap, there were "dings" along the edge of the top cap. These defects were present before plating as each ding was plated over. These dings definitely caused the edges of the blade to be wavy. The razor was much smoother to use after I leveled off the defects.
IMHO, YMMV, and all that...
I was just going to bring up your VB. Yours had waves that the same model VBs in my batch didn’t have. It’s hard to see in pictures but I saw it with your razor in my hand. In the VB case, it appeared to me that when the brass silo doors were stamped down during manufacturing, the creases in the corners were not sharp at 90 degrees which created nubs that pressed down at the top of the blade ends. The nubs kind of “squished” the blade at the ends.
I never thought it was a mold issue, I think the manufacturer had equipment that was either misaligned or was nearing the end of its life.
After removing the nubs on your VB, I thought about an Old Type that I had that was not nearly as smooth as my other Old Types. Sure enough, the edges of the top cap weren’t flush like the others, maybe from an old fall. I did some light sanding and that smoothed it out completely.
I think blade waviness is a real thing because of these experiences and the culprit is most likely top caps/silo doors. If anyone has these issues with your favorite razor, I recommend foam sanding blocks at the hardware stores versus just the paper. The blocks keep everything flush without the risk of going too far. Very light sanding is all that is needed with brass. Probably more of a job with stainless, don’t bother with zamack for obvious reasons.
Here is the VB fix I did for kingfisher.
VB Emperor Adjustable - Turn That Frown Upside Down
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I’m a big VB adjustable fan, just look at my Emperor reviews but no, I don’t think the frown after my batch was intentional either. I haven’t bought any VBs or any other razors for a while for that matter, but I suspect any subsequent VB batches don’t have the frown anymore. It was never seen with any of their other TTO razors that I am aware of either.
What you say does make sense. I have looked at my razors a few years ago, but at that time, I was looking mostly for frowning blade/smiling blade issues. My Feather Popular has a mild frowning blade, but my vintages do not. The most pronounced effect is in 'click' type razors.
Interestingly, using a shim in any of my razors gets rid of any waviness of the blade.
I'll take another look for waviness rather than frowning/smiling blades.
Interestingly, using a shim in any of my razors gets rid of any waviness of the blade.
I'll take another look for waviness rather than frowning/smiling blades.
My Rex had a banana shaped top cap. I got a replacement, which was a little better. I had to grind down the high spots to get it flush. This really made a difference.
The clamping tolerances between my r41 twist and my stainless r41 also makes the r41 gs a little smoother, i think. It also clamps the blade a little more rigid, giving a little more control over the blade. Small changes and small improvements, but for me important differences.
The clamping tolerances between my r41 twist and my stainless r41 also makes the r41 gs a little smoother, i think. It also clamps the blade a little more rigid, giving a little more control over the blade. Small changes and small improvements, but for me important differences.
When it comes to Feather Popular I think that they all do cause the plastic plate and the safety bar slightly bows when you thighten silo doors. That was the case with mine which was brand new anyway so I assume it`s a design flaw. I have an obsession with perfect blade alignment lol so thats why I sold a bunch of my vintage Gillette Adjustables and keep only those perfect ones.
I suspect it's deliberate on Feather's part, because a frowning blade is acceptable, but a smiling blade could nick you from it's corners. So when doors are tightened, razor makers would prefer that the blade tends to frown rather than smile.
