What's new

GEM PTFE Modification Instructions for OneBlade

Clamp the GEM against a used Feather with vice grips, then widen the half moon notches to match using a grind stone with a cheap rotary tool (dremel type). Makes a perfect fitting blade, just take your time, light pressure with the grinding stone. - I do half a dozen or so at a time, but have two boxes of 100 to work from. (You'll mess one up now and then, but as you get the process down, it becomes easier).

I tried a punch, and it broke/cracked off pieces of the blade or distorted the blade around the cut area, resulting in more destroyed/ruined blades than those that worked. Returned the punch, it just wasn't sharp enough, or at least the one I bought sure wasn't. - That's when I thought of using my little dremel, which is so much easier. I test fit in my Hybrid, to ensure they won't cut the stops off the Core. Just go easy, as you can always grind a bit more, but it's impossible to put material back, if you grind too much in the wrong direction.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Clamp the GEM against a used Feather with vice grips, then widen the half moon notches to match using a grind stone with a cheap rotary tool (dremel type). Makes a perfect fitting blade, just take your time, light pressure with the grinding stone. - I do half a dozen or so at a time, but have two boxes of 100 to work from. (You'll mess one up now and then, but as you get the process down, it becomes easier).

I tried a punch, and it broke/cracked off pieces of the blade or distorted the blade around the cut area, resulting in more destroyed/ruined blades than those that worked. Returned the punch, it just wasn't sharp enough, or at least the one I bought sure wasn't. - That's when I thought of using my little dremel, which is so much easier. I test fit in my Hybrid, to ensure they won't cut the stops off the Core. Just go easy, as you can always grind a bit more, but it's impossible to put material back, if you grind too much in the wrong direction.
That way should work if you have a Dremel IMO also, even if you go a little to much on the grinding you can also use a wedge to put some downward pressure on the blade from floating around. The wedge creates enough resistance during the shave to hold the blade secure from my recent experiences. Refer to post #38 for the magnetic wedge. One nice thing about the dremel you would get less distortion than using tin snipes but then you need to buy grinding stones.
Have some great shaves!
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
SOTD, Friday Feb 14th,2020- Still enjoying my Oneblade Core and still having some fun with it, today I experimented with a shim(.005 thousands of a inch thickness taped to the modified gem blade) it's a bit crude but effective. You can not get a closer shave with out potato peeling the skin. (excellent shave). The closer the shave the greater the chances of possible irritation as a rule of thumb IMO. I did notice a increase in blade feel because of larger blade gap with slight aggression & efficiency increase but nothing serious to worry about. But I enjoy just the regular shave with no adjustment to blade just as much. All my razors go through a gauntlet of testing & if I like the results it stays in rotation-(2 pass,3 pass,shim if possible,buffing,J-hooking & Gillette slide or Oneblade slide :yikes: .)

Razor : One blade Core 2nd version- MFG 2018>
Blade : Gem SS PTFE modified (8) with a .005 tapped shim piggy backed on lower half.
Soap : Razorock "What the Puck" orange citrus bergamot scent.
Brush: Razorock Plissoft.
Pre-shave: Brush wash the face with CeraVe hand bar soap + A dollop of clear Aloe Vera gel on beard area.
Prep: cold water rinse after each pass of 3.
Post shave: Razorock blue barber with witch hazel + Nivea Men balm.
Results: CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + no weepers = :a17:

SOTD Feb 14th 2020 (2).jpg

Have some great shaves!

I Still like to tinker with perfection, I have been testing some shims just for a little enjoyment and they will change the shave if that is what a person wants. As above in SOTD I describe some of the subtle changes with a .005 thousands shim. I like the Core the way it is but who knows if you find a even better sweet spot with a shim. The tape holds very well and is hard to remove from blade surface. Next trial is the .0025 thousands of a inch shim and it should be not very noticeable I'm thinking.
I only place the shim on one half of the blade to experiment with so you can still install and remove as a normal blade.
I have experimented with different razors so this is not very hard a task to try for myself (or anyone for that matters). I also made a thinner wedge because of the blade being raised a little more by .005 thousands of inch in the seat or base plate.
So guys who find the Core to mild you can crank it up marginally if that is what you wish. Shimming is taboo to some but not to me. There are a lot of razors from the vintage era that used shims or buttons to raise the angle of the blade like GEM, Everready, Star , Treet.......!
Oneblade Core shimming Experiments (2).jpg

Have some great shaves!
 
The shim is on the top of the blade?

I just bought a complete Auto Strop and got around to reconditioning the strop. I was going to test out stropping the FHS blade to see if I can get more shaves from it in my OneBlade razors. It seems that the Core really wants a FHS blade in it, but I do notice that a FHS blade lasts longer in the Core than the others.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
The shim is on the top of the blade?

I just bought a complete Auto Strop and got around to reconditioning the strop. I was going to test out stropping the FHS blade to see if I can get more shaves from it in my OneBlade razors. It seems that the Core really wants a FHS blade in it, but I do notice that a FHS blade lasts longer in the Core than the others.
I have had no luck stropping any blades that are stainless steel, stropping in theory should improve the edge from curling of the edge and recondition the edge to straightness. I have diamond slurry(.25 micron) and it made things worse it seems, I'm a amateur when it comes to honing and stropping a good edge. Good luck stropping.

You were asking "The shim is on the top of the blade? "

Shim goes to the bottom of the blade seat(base plate) of the razor taped on, both the Gem and the FHS-10 blades are the same thickness.(009 thousands of a inch) . I have had good success with the Gem SS PTFE blade for Longevity and have used Gem blades a lot longer than other SE blade systems and they are awesome IMO.
 
Last edited:

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
SOTD, Tue, Feb 18th- 2020

Razor : Oneblade core version 2-MFG 2018>
Blade: Gem SS PTFE Modified (8),also used the .0025 thousands of inch shim & I liked it because it does slightly raise the gap and gives a little better shave IMO. So there you have it from the first test drive with the .0025 shim and it works well. Done testing and just going to enjoy the razor.
Soap : Razorock Lavender
Brush : Yaqi rainbow 26mm brown whiskers.
Pre-shave: Brush wash my face with CeraVe hand bar soap + a dollop of clear Aloe Vera gel on beard area.
Prep: cold water rinse after each pass of 3.
Post shave : Razorock American barber with witch hazel + Nivea Men balm.
Results: CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + no weepers = :a17:

SOTD Tue, Feb 18th 2020 (2).jpg
Oneblade Core shimming Experiments (2).jpg


Have some great shaves!
 
Just to add to an old thread in case anyone is still trying to modify gems for the oneblade. I tried the Neiko Power Hole punch and found it pretty difficult to use and would actually shatter the blade as opposed to cutting, I then tried some Aviation Sheet Metal Snips but still wasnt working too well. I finally tried a Malco Hand Notcher and that has worked great and is super easy to use if anyone is still looking to modify Gems. Clean smooth cuts every time. https://www.amazon.com/Malco-N1R-MALCO-Notcher/dp/B0038N8TTA
 
I ve used both clippers and hole punchers for gems actually stopped with it and returned to using a feather

using a dremel and grindingstick looks like a better approach oh and on Ali they are cheap enough to do that
 
I just bought a nibbling tool so am curious to see how it goes. I have used despined GEMs in my v2 and they were fine, but want to compare to a clipped one. I tried using wire cutters but it bent the blade too much so it sat in the Genesis a little weird, but it did “click” in place. During the shave one side would move back a little bit.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I just bought a nibbling tool so am curious to see how it goes. I have used despined GEMs in my v2 and they were fine, but want to compare to a clipped one. I tried using wire cutters but it bent the blade too much so it sat in the Genesis a little weird, but it did “click” in place. During the shave one side would move back a little bit.
iNTERESTING , if you go to post #37 it might help you with your nippler. I just use tin snips and with electric tape to support the snipping. I will gently bend the distorted blade ear back to flatness if needed. I also use a magnetic business shim to wedge the blade down and it works IMO. I used my core this morning and received a great shave.
SOTD, March 26th 2020

Razor: Oneblade Core Version 2 - MFG 2018> great daily driver!
Blade : Gem SS PTFE modified(7)
Soap: Razorock XXX
Brush: Razorock Noir 400 synthetic- great brush.
Preshave: Brush wash the whole face with CeraVe hand bar soap + a dollop of clear Aloe vera gel on beard area.
Prep: Cold water rinse after each pass of 3.
Postshave : Razorock XXX aftershave :001_wub: witch Hazel + Nivea balm.
Results : CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + no weepers =:a17:great shave after 2 day growth.

SOTD, March 26th 2020 (2).jpg


Have some great shaves!
 
Used the nibbler and only messed up one GEM. Other clicked in both my Genesis and core. Nice shaves, however, I did not notice a massive difference to the feathers. Nice to change it up though
 
Cool thread. I'm ordering a core soon and will have to try this out. They should have just gone with a razor that takes GEM blades (or partnered with a manufacter to get desplined GEM blades) especially since everything I've read indicates the Feathers are expensive and don't really go past a shave or two. Of course money is everything in this world so.
 
Cool thread. I'm ordering a core soon and will have to try this out. They should have just gone with a razor that takes GEM blades (or partnered with a manufacter to get desplined GEM blades) especially since everything I've read indicates the Feathers are expensive and don't really go past a shave or two. Of course money is everything in this world so.

Well, I can say shave now already more than 1 month with the modified GEM blades and always I have 8 comfortable shaves! So 100 pack GEM gives me 2-year shaving for 13€ ;) I use them in my HYBRID & Genesis v2
 
If you flip the blade every couple of shaves, a Feather can go 6 shaves....the 7th is really iffy, and only gets close if you use Barbasol or something similar, too slick. The 7th is a perhaps a bit less than smooth as well, having had the 7th this morning.

I'll use Barbasol out of a hot-lather machine on mornings, I'm up earlier and need to be in a meeting or something early. (Zoom meetings the past couple of months).

The GEMs can go 9-10 shaves, depending on the soap/cream, and number of passes on each shave.
 
Even with flipping the blade I can’t get more then 3 shaves with the original feathers this is my conclusion after using and testing 100 feathers :) if you have a coarse beard forget it to get 3 comfortable shave m8
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Even with flipping the blade I can’t get more then 3 shaves with the original feathers this is my conclusion after using and testing 100 feathers :) if you have a coarse beard forget it to get 3 comfortable shave m8
Some of the fellows have almost full grown beards so not much area for the razor blade(FHS-10) to cover so they could receive greater amount of shaves is what I'm thinking. Myself I get 2 good shaves(fhs-10 blade) on a medium growth beard(I have a small mustache) and after that it is not as a enjoyable experience than with a good blade. Gem Personna SS PTFE I get close to 10 good shaves and I just toss regardless at 10 because I go by averages.
 
I'm clean shaven, pretty much daily, occasionally skipping a day or two on the weekends. And as I've aged, now just a couple from 60, the growth has become a rather coarse, dense, stiff, and gray. - I only wish there was that much hair on my head, gray or not. (Unfortunately, that's mostly gray these days too).

Now the original Core razor, I struggled to get one truly good shave shave, that was actually close enough, where I didn't feel the need to grab another razor and perform another pass to make it reasonably close. Getting a truly good 2nd shave from a blade with Core 1.0 & 1.1, was a pretty much futile experience.

Not looking to make the Feather a great blade, a modified GEM shaves smoother, is less edgy on the first shave, and keeps it's edge longer than the Feathers do. (Feather DE blades also seem to drop off quickly as well, going from ultra-sharp and nick prone in some razors, to becoming too dull to shave with by around the 5th-6th shave). I also have 90 or so Feather FHS blades, which I alternate using, with the GEMs. I absolutely prefer the modified GEM over a Feather in my Genesis hands down.

I do feel they should have machined the OneBlade to be compatible with the GEM blades, but then they'd loose their 'subscription' revenue, much like Gillette did, once everybody began producing DE blades.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Another method and simpler way of just using 2 gem blades to make your Oneblade work.
SE SOTD, Wed, Jan 26th, 2022

Razor: Oneblade core- Mfg 2017> excellent mild razor, great design, Feather FHS-10 blades it uses have no longevity so I use 2 de-splined Gem blades. I just grind 1 spent one on the cutting edge and stack the new Gem blade on top and place together in the core and works well. There is enough resistance to hold the blade and makes the shave a touch better for efficentcy IMO.
Great razor to use shaving the back of my neck after each hair cut clipping.

Blade: excellent blade, very sharp, great longevity, smooths out nicely + predictable. Best cost per/shave for SE blades IMO.
Soap: Ogallala Bayrum with Sandal wood, great soap, great lather qualities. I Enjoy the scent of Bayrum with sandalwood.
Brush: Yaqi 24mm Mysterious galaxy silvertip badger, excellent lather generator, heavenly pillow like soft tips, great scrub + excellent lather painter.
Pre shave: Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser + a dollop of Aloe Vera gel on the cleaned beard area.
Prep: Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups.
Post shave: Witch hazel cleanse + Ogallala Bayrum with sandalwood (some clove) + dollop of CeraVe moisturizing lotion.
Results: CCS, DFS,BBS + no irritation + no weepers = :a17:excellent shave with my Oneblade Core with a de-splined Gem.
SOTD Jan 26, 2022.jpg

Have some great shaves!
 
Top Bottom