do you 'shim' your blades in your razor?

[saj]

What you got there is not a normal shim. It is a blade separator. The razor is supposed to be loaded like this:

The first blade is cut in pieces (to make it more narrow), then comes the blade separator, and then a full blade. That said, you could use it as a shim in other razors.

This razor is actually a good shaver and it works with one blade like this: Cap -> blade separator -> blade -> base plate -> handle. This is my favorite configuration of this razor. I have been buying many of them because I like the light handle and I use their handles for other razors.

Yea I find it to be a cracking razor, used it recently with to feather blades as a head shave, thoroughly enjoyed it tbh

 

[saj]

Yes, usually two DE blade shims in my Tech.

How do you find the shave?

 

[saj]

I will use one or two shims in my Tech pre-war razor. It widens the shaving angle a bit.

BTW, one benefit you may not see mentioned is one or more shims under the blade can improve support for the blade in some razors (less flexing).

Yea got point I think it's because some peeps say certain de blades are more flexible then others and some peeps prefer a stiff blade due to coarse beards, well that's the impression I get

 

[saj]

I don't usually shim a razor. However, at one time I did shim a Feather AS-D2 but found changing the angle and using a Feather blade worked better.

For an excellent explanation of shimming look here in an older thread on B&B.

Shimming Explained

This is a short report on my experience with shimming. I have been using DE razors for about 28 years. Originally, I started shaving with straights but they are just too much of a pain and I can get just as great shaves from DEs with much more comfort. This is my experience and opinion based...

www.badgerandblade.com

Was the feather would you say more aggressive or efficient or a bit of both?

Thanks for the link

 

[Atlantic59]

Yea got point I think it's because some peeps say certain de blades are more flexible then others and some peeps prefer a stiff blade due to coarse beards, well that's the impression I get

Some DE razors clamp the blade closer to the edge than others, making the blade more rigid. You will notice this more when going "against the grain" which will seem smoother with a rigid blade.

 

[saj]

Some DE razors clamp the blade closer to the edge than others, making the blade more rigid. You will notice this more when going "against the grain" which will seem smoother with a rigid blade.

Yea makes sense, from what I understand the injector razors seem to be quite rigid but never personally used one myself

 

[Esox]

Shimming improves blade rigidity, stability, and can offer a smoother shave while increasing blade gap and, to a lesser degree, blade exposure.

There are razors that support the blade fully making it very rigid, the 34C is not one of those razors. When you add a shim or more, you are stiffening up the cutting blade, especially if the shims are wide.

Prewar Tech + one Shim =...

If you cut one shim narrow and place it between the cap and blade, you will increase the blade gap making the razor more efficient.

My first use of a shim below:

So, NEW LC + 1 shim

Soap Stirling Executive Man
Omega boar
Polsilver SI, same blade flipped + 1 shim
48 hours since last shave.

Lather up and start the shave WTG. First stroke it felt better, smoother but slightly more aggressive. Finished the right side of my face and thought "Hmmm, not bad...". Finished the left side, rinsed and checked, decided to skip the XTG pass the same as I do with the Rocket. Lather up and shave ATG without even thinking about it the same as I do the Rocket and it felt good, very good. Nice and smooth. Rinse and check ATG on my neck, stubble. No problem I think to myself, paint lather, buff buff hmmm. Its definitely better but it will be BBS in a second. Paint again, buff buff, damnit! Paint again, grab the Rocket with the same Derby blade, untouched, buff buff and gone, BBS.

So while the shim did help, if I had to guess I'd say around a 50% improvement over the last shave. It seemed like the stubble left was about half of what it was last shave, but this razor still isnt cutting it for me ATG on my trouble spots.

I can see a shim helping many people that have issues shaving ATG, but for me to get BBS over my neck, it just isnt happening.

Theres much to read around the forum on blade rigidity and rigid designs.

 

[saj]

Shimming improves blade rigidity, stability, and can offer a smoother shave while increasing blade gap and, to a lesser degree, blade exposure.



My first use of a shim below:



Theres much to read around the forum on blade rigidity and rigid designs.

Can you share any links to these threads? Thanks saj

 

[Mitzie]

Rubbing and massaging a little face scrub into the stubble as part of a pre shave routine can be just as effective as adding a shim

 

[Esox]

Can you share any links to these threads? Thanks saj

A quick search of the word "rigid" returns 25 pages of results.

 

[saj]

A quick search of the word "rigid" returns 25 pages of results.

thanks bud

 

[saj]

Rubbing and massaging a little face scrub into the stubble as part of a pre shave routine can be just as effective as adding a shim

so to clarify youre saying use face scrub but leave it on whilst shaving right?

 

[Old Hippie]

I normally don't need to shim a DE, however I recently picked up the PAA El Fantasma, which is inspired by the Fasan Double Slant. In comparison to my Double Slant, the "ElF" is much milder. I put a shim between the blade and baseplate and it woke up the shave pretty well. I may try two shims, but I've worried about cracking the plastic razor trying to crank down on three blades' thickness. It's ABS so not as brittle as Bakelite, but still.

@ponykilr has, if my memory is correct, used a shim between the blade and the top cap to stiffen up the clamping on one of the Bakelite PAA razors, I think the PBOCS.

Considering that you'd make a shim out of a blade that was ready for the bin anyway, it's not going to take much to try it out and see what it does for you.

O.H.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

My vintage shim has thickness of 0.7mm compared to a standard modern DE blade which is about 0.1mm thick. I believe that vintage blades may have been considerably thicker than modern ones but nevertheless it suggests that it was the norm to shim by much more than the thickness of one or two modern blades.

 

[ponykilr]

I normally don't need to shim a DE, however I recently picked up the PAA El Fantasma, which is inspired by the Fasan Double Slant. In comparison to my Double Slant, the "ElF" is much milder. I put a shim between the blade and baseplate and it woke up the shave pretty well. I may try two shims, but I've worried about cracking the plastic razor trying to crank down on three blades' thickness. It's ABS so not as brittle as Bakelite, but still.

@ponykilr has, if my memory is correct, used a shim between the blade and the top cap to stiffen up the clamping on one of the Bakelite PAA razors, I think the PBOCS.

Considering that you'd make a shim out of a blade that was ready for the bin anyway, it's not going to take much to try it out and see what it does for you.

O.H.

Correct, on the PBOCS a shim between cap and blade stops all the chatter and smooths it up nicely.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Not yet. But I can’t discount that some day the insanity may reach that level...Yes Big Nurse, I have had my meds today.

 

[Mitzie]

so to clarify youre saying use face scrub but leave it on whilst shaving right?

Just use a little bit of face scrub on areas where you know you can't shave the stubble close, to break up the stubble (in my case the lower jaw). Rinse or lather on top.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Nope. Never shimmed. Something I refuse to do.
If a razor doesn’t work well for me without shimming, then it's not the razor for me.

 

[ackvil]

Was the feather would you say more aggressive or efficient or a bit of both?

Thanks for the link

In the AS-D2 razor it is efficient and smooth. Normally, I can get only two or three shaves with a Feather blade. However, in the AS-D2 I get more than 6.

 

[cryhavoc]

I have don't shim my blades, I've never seen a reason to do so. If a razor doesn't work for me then I don't use that razor.