I have shimmed from time to time, but I've found it's less of an issue the more I work on technique. I still have a tuck of rubbish blades that I snipped into shims should I ever need one.
do you 'shim' your blades in your razor?
- Thread starter saj
- Start date
thanks bud
The vintage Gillette Blue blade I have measures .0065"/0.165mm. The modest .002" difference can be felt screwing the handle on my Grande. Those old blades are stiff.
The thickest modern blades I've measured are these two;
0.00450” 0.114mm Gillette Nacet Stainless
0.00450” 0.114mm Shaverboy Super Stainless
I like it a little better than without shims but it's not a huge difference.
Ohhh yes....on my Gillette Red Tip and just on Sunday on the Gillette Super Adjustable at setting 9. I find both razors to be too mild and not so efficient but after adding a shim...wow! The Super Adjustable shave was very good and efficient! TBH, I hardly feel any difference...just very minor...in fact, I remove the shim during a pass to check the difference mid-shave...
Yes, I occasionally do it. The shim doesn't care if one tightens the razor's head by the twist of a knob, or by the twist of a handle.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I have been using razors for years with shims and there is nothing wrong with it at all IMO. All razor MFG will shim a experimental razor to see were the best gap is and then machine proto types to zero in for the razor's best gap setting foot print depending on curvature of top cap and base plate.
Of all the razors out there with shims are the 1932 Gem Micromatics & later Gem SE variants that sold millions of these razors. When the first TTO Micromatic open comb first came out 1930 they did not have razor bumps(simple shims) to mock a spine of a Gem blade
, then in 1932 Gem wanted to introduce their Double edge blades to market to compete with Gillette
the Gem MFG engineers created bumps to lift the razor blade at a angle instead of lying flat on the base plate to mock the Gem spine single edge blade. So the reason to shim a razor is change gap or to make blade more rigid or even mellow out the razor. So if a person wants to increase aggression he usually creates gap to allow more blade exposure, for a DE razor there is another interesting way of creating blade exposure or blade feel is using a wider blade than a standard Gillette blade and that is a Kai SS blade. Kai blade is wider than a standard blade by approx .009 thousands of a inch or .0045 per side of blade to give more blade exposure or feel. I think a wider blade(Kai SS) is better and less troublesome if a person wants to make a milder razor perform more aggressive and efficient than using shims, still experimental to the person who owns the razor that needs a little more boost IMO.
Of all the razors out there with shims are the 1932 Gem Micromatics & later Gem SE variants that sold millions of these razors. When the first TTO Micromatic open comb first came out 1930 they did not have razor bumps(simple shims) to mock a spine of a Gem blade
My Tech shave perfect each time, no need to shim.
- Thread starter
- #50
I don't use a shim except in the Rockwell.
I love the Rockwell on plate 6 but with a shim, I find I can use plate 5 and get a similar shave as plate 6 but with added efficiency.
I love the Rockwell on plate 6 but with a shim, I find I can use plate 5 and get a similar shave as plate 6 but with added efficiency.
So I was not sure where to put this. I think right here will do.
I have an old type that the blade sits RIGHT on the comb. Seems as if it would shave stripes. It does not seem to, but I swear it catches and pulls whiskers. I sat it aside as a razor I do not care for. Have tried 2 actually. Same result. Anyway, just out of the blue, having not even thought about the razor for months, I decided to put a shim under the blade. WOW! Went from one of my least favorites to one of my most favorites. Smooth, close, comfortable....I was impressed. Now I need to go back and try all my DE razors with a shim to see which ones benefit and which ones do not LOL
I have an old type that the blade sits RIGHT on the comb. Seems as if it would shave stripes. It does not seem to, but I swear it catches and pulls whiskers. I sat it aside as a razor I do not care for. Have tried 2 actually. Same result. Anyway, just out of the blue, having not even thought about the razor for months, I decided to put a shim under the blade. WOW! Went from one of my least favorites to one of my most favorites. Smooth, close, comfortable....I was impressed. Now I need to go back and try all my DE razors with a shim to see which ones benefit and which ones do not LOL
I will probably try shimming my Karve. The shave is very smooth but I feel like the C plate lacks efficiency. I have some Derby blades to kill off 
The razor blades from that time were quite thick and the cutting edge would be about where your shimmed blade is
Shimmed my Gillette New Long Comb this morning with two blunted DE blades.
I sometime shim a razor, but it's easier and more effective to use an adjustable razor on the correct setting.
I have never shimmed a razor yet. Not saying that I am never going to do it, but I have never had to do it yet.
Off late, I use one shim when using my Merkur 34C. I don't use a shim when using my Merkur Progress though.
Sent from my CPH1969 using Tapatalk
Sent from my CPH1969 using Tapatalk
- Thread starter
- #60
Yea I've never done it but think I might give it a go on my Gillette tech
Similar threads
