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Glasharp DE Blade Hone

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
I finally got the "Glasharp" DE blade hone that I have been looking for a long time. Since there are few related records in B&B, I will record the information here.

It and the famous Lillicrap's are both antique blade grinders made of uranium glass, so they fluoresce under 395nm UV light.
IMG_20230214_194704.jpg


Of course, the thinner modern DE blades may not be suitable for grinding to avoid damage to the plating, or some people think that the number of times must be increased to be effective; but in any case, DE blades are cheap enough now, and our time is better spent elsewhere good.

Therefore, compared with the semi-concave design of "Lillicrap's", the "Glasharp" with a complete cup shape has more advantages.
Even if I don't use the Glasharp for sharpening blades, it's good for storing handles/blades/soap samples...or soaking brushes.
IMG_20230214_194727.jpg


Happy to have a piece of shaving history with magical green light in my shave den.
I'm sure it's low enough radiation that the bald man wouldn't invite me to join his mutant school.
s-l400.jpg


Thank you gentlemen for your participation :)
 
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Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Of course, the thinner modern DE blades may not be suitable for grinding to avoid damage to the plating, or some people think that the number of times must be increased to be effective; but in any case, DE blades are cheap enough now, and our time is better spent elsewhere good.

True that! I'd add further that stainless blades are the very devil to hone like that; so much so that I wouldn't even bother to make the experiment. I can imagine investing a couple hundred dollars into honing a 15-cent blade, all in the name of science of course. But hey, there's a knife I'd like to have that'd set me back that much...

That's a sweet piece of history! I have to admit I'd probably wash it out and have a nice tot of rum in it. :)

I'm sure it's low enough radiation that the bald man wouldn't invite me to join his mutant school.

Harumph. I might, at that.

O.H.
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
True that! I'd add further that stainless blades are the very devil to hone like that; so much so that I wouldn't even bother to make the experiment. I can imagine investing a couple hundred dollars into honing a 15-cent blade, all in the name of science of course. But hey, there's a knife I'd like to have that'd set me back that much...

That's a sweet piece of history! I have to admit I'd probably wash it out and have a nice tot of rum in it. :)



Harumph. I might, at that.

O.H.
Never put food or drink in it, as the acidity may cause the uranium to be released, as a 1930s magnate has confirmed.
Doing that would really induce some superpowers that we couldn't pinpoint.

But I'm quite happy to engage in the time-wasting experiment of "grinding the blade" once or twice at least, it's pure curiosity; and it's hard to be sure that inflation is potentially serious.
 
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I tried honing a modern DE blade using a Lillicrap's hone I found in a junk shop. I spent quite a bit of time dioing it, but the blade seemed no sharper after the process, and might have been blunter. Still, the hone is an interesting thing to have.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I finally got the "Glasharp" DE blade hone that I have been looking for a long time. Since there are few related records in B&B, I will record the information here.

It and the famous Lillicrap's are both antique blade grinders made of uranium glass, so they fluoresce under 395nm UV light.
View attachment 1606008

Of course, the thinner modern DE blades may not be suitable for grinding to avoid damage to the plating, or some people think that the number of times must be increased to be effective; but in any case, DE blades are cheap enough now, and our time is better spent elsewhere good.

Therefore, compared with the semi-concave design of "Lillicrap's", the "Glasharp" with a complete cup shape has more advantages.
Even if I don't use the Glasharp for sharpening blades, it's good for storing handles/blades/soap samples...or soaking brushes.
View attachment 1606009

Happy to have a piece of shaving history with magical green light in my shave den.
I'm sure it's low enough radiation that the bald man wouldn't invite me to join his mutant school.
View attachment 1606011

Thank you gentlemen for your participation :)
Never seen one before quit like that one, thanks for sharing!
I found this glass blade hone in Central Alberta, Canada at a antique store from the dirty 1930's.
1676412175594.png
1676412219717.png

Have some great shaves!
 
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Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Never put food or drink in it, as the acidity may cause the uranium to be released

After spending some time on PubMed looking at government research, this turns out to be one of those "Yeah, but..." stories.

Mainly there are two categories of uranium-containing utensils. One is ceramic that has been glazed with a uranium-containing glaze. The other is glassware that has been made with uranium which is part of the glass. Much testing has been done on both categories and the very short answer is that yes, under some circumstances it is possible to leach uranium from them.

So here's the "Yeah, but..." part:

Uranium-containing ceramic glazes can leach the equivalent of a day's exposure to normal background radiation or more. That would be in addition to the ambient radiation you've soaked up. That's sufficiently concerning to justify a recommendation not to use uranium-glazed ceramic ware. Got a story about that, which I'll get to in a moment.

Uranium in glass is much, much less likely to leach uranium even under conditions of mechanical abrasion. The figure I saw from one NIH study was just 1% of normal average daily exposure. By comparison, a chest x-ray will give you 10 days' worth of radiation, while a mammogram (for either men or women; I've had two) will give you seven weeks' worth of radiation. That's not to say vaseline glass is 100 per cent safe, but its contribution to overall radiation exposure is minimal. Averaging exposure across 24 hours, one per cent is less than 15 minutes' worth.

Now you can assess your risk.

OK, story time. :) One of my friends is a "Nukie" or nuclear engineer. He spent quite a lot of years both afloat and ashore in naval nuclear installations. They used to occasionally exercise the contamination crews by walking past a detector carrying a uranium glazed coffee cup filled with hot water. He said it was always good to liven up a slow Wednesday. :)

We have several pieces of vaseline glass, as well as several kerosene lamps by Aladdin made in "Alacite" glass. The original Alacite (pre-1943) used yellowcake or uranium oxide as a colourant. There was a later version that used other ingredients and doesn't look quite the same. Aladdin also used yellowcake in their "Yellow Moonstone" glass, of which we have one piece.

O.H.
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
I tried honing a modern DE blade using a Lillicrap's hone I found in a junk shop. I spent quite a bit of time dioing it, but the blade seemed no sharper after the process, and might have been blunter. Still, the hone is an interesting thing to have.
I've only tested it a few times with a drinking glass at home, and indeed I haven't had a positive effect from the curved glass yet.

I've also seen an interesting experiment with another "STANFORD 5 SECOND SHARPENER", which states that this design actually polishes the edge of the stainless steel blade, not just strop it uselessly.
The Stanford 5 Second Sharpener - https://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/the-stanford-5-second-sharpener.29524/
According to my test, "STANFORD 5 SECOND SHARPENER" can indeed prolong the comfort of some blades and reduce pulling, but it is also difficult to restore the factory sharpness.

Never seen one before quit like that one, thanks for sharing!
I found this glass blade hone in Central Alberta, Canada at a antique store from the dirty 1930's.
View attachment 1606153 View attachment 1606154
Have some great shaves!
You've got a beautiful collection, packaged with manufacturing information and even beautifully printed illustrations in multi-colour.
I'd also like to know stories about the making of "Glasharp", etc., but I'm having trouble finding more information.

After spending some time on PubMed looking at government research, this turns out to be one of those "Yeah, but..." stories.

Mainly there are two categories of uranium-containing utensils. One is ceramic that has been glazed with a uranium-containing glaze. The other is glassware that has been made with uranium which is part of the glass. Much testing has been done on both categories and the very short answer is that yes, under some circumstances it is possible to leach uranium from them.

So here's the "Yeah, but..." part:

Uranium-containing ceramic glazes can leach the equivalent of a day's exposure to normal background radiation or more. That would be in addition to the ambient radiation you've soaked up. That's sufficiently concerning to justify a recommendation not to use uranium-glazed ceramic ware. Got a story about that, which I'll get to in a moment.

Uranium in glass is much, much less likely to leach uranium even under conditions of mechanical abrasion. The figure I saw from one NIH study was just 1% of normal average daily exposure. By comparison, a chest x-ray will give you 10 days' worth of radiation, while a mammogram (for either men or women; I've had two) will give you seven weeks' worth of radiation. That's not to say vaseline glass is 100 per cent safe, but its contribution to overall radiation exposure is minimal. Averaging exposure across 24 hours, one per cent is less than 15 minutes' worth.

Now you can assess your risk.

OK, story time. :) One of my friends is a "Nukie" or nuclear engineer. He spent quite a lot of years both afloat and ashore in naval nuclear installations. They used to occasionally exercise the contamination crews by walking past a detector carrying a uranium glazed coffee cup filled with hot water. He said it was always good to liven up a slow Wednesday. :)

We have several pieces of vaseline glass, as well as several kerosene lamps by Aladdin made in "Alacite" glass. The original Alacite (pre-1943) used yellowcake or uranium oxide as a colourant. There was a later version that used other ingredients and doesn't look quite the same. Aladdin also used yellowcake in their "Yellow Moonstone" glass, of which we have one piece.

O.H.
Thank you very much for providing further information on the safety of uranium glass. Especially the story part, I absolutely love it.
I live in Taiwan (we speak Chinese), and there are few relevant Chinese documents on uranium glass here, only a few of the same articles have been reproduced repeatedly. And almost no one collection uranium glass.

From the info you've provided, it looks like I can occasionally use my Glasharp more and worry less. Definitely good news.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
If you like to see what I did for experimenting years ago with this method of honing I will leave a link for you to enjoy!
Have some great shaves!
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
If you like to see what I did for experimenting years ago with this method of honing I will leave a link for you to enjoy!
Have some great shaves!
I absolutely love the series of experiments and conclusions you did.
And reading the article "Delusions About Shaving (Jan, 1933)" is a treat for us to pursue the mysterious history of shaving.

Perhaps the Treet Carbon blades might work better for sharpening?
There should be better results. After all, carbon steel was the mainstream material for blades in the 1930s, and related equipment also appeared based on carbon steel.
If it can have the thickness of the vintage blade, the grinding effect will be more consistent.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I absolutely love the series of experiments and conclusions you did.
And reading the article "Delusions About Shaving (Jan, 1933)" is a treat for us to pursue the mysterious history of shaving.
I thought you might enjoy that small experiment and I had some entertainment along the way also trying something into the unknown. It is amazing how many different gadgets where made in the pursuit of how to keep a sharp blade during those hard times in the 1930's.
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
The UV photo on the top is provided by the previous owner. Received my UV lamp today so took a new photo.

A Coca-Cola glass gifted by McDonald's was placed next to it as a comparison, showing the different reactions of ordinary glass and uranium glass under UV light.
Putting a blade in the front implies the use and size comparison of GLASHARP. I also think it's interesting that the blade reflects the purple glow.

I just shot it with my phone and the green glow that the eye actually sees is brighter and more even.
glasharp blade hone-01.jpg
 
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Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
The UV photo on the top is provided by the previous owner. Received my UV lamp today so took a new photo.

A Coca-Cola glass gifted by McDonald's was placed next to it as a comparison, showing the different reactions of ordinary glass and uranium glass under UV light.
Putting a blade in the front implies the use and size comparison of GLASHARP. I also think it's interesting that the blade reflects the purple glow.

I just shot it with my phone and the green glow that the eye actually sees is brighter and more even.
View attachment 1606843
WoW, with a regular glass beside it and the thicker areas of the uranium sure glow in the corners of the glass strop. You might need a guider counter to check the strength of it ?
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
WoW, with a regular glass beside it and the thicker areas of the uranium sure glow in the corners of the glass strop. You might need a guider counter to check the strength of it ?
It's a pity that I don't have a geiger counter. Fortunately, from the limited Glasharp photos on the Internet, its fluorescent effect should not be much different from Lillicrap's, and the radiation value may not have a huge different.

After i took this photo with slightly adjusted contrast to make the edges stand out. Not much has been changed, but hopefully it hasn't been overdone.
I'm guessing that might be why the colors look a bit exaggerated.
 
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ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
I was always thinking about getting one of those uranium glass things. Maybe an ashtray even though I'm not a smoker.
I also balked at buying uranium glass a few years ago because I've always been terrified of breaking any glass or ceramic; especially living in an earthquake-prone area, I try to avoid buying things that could be damaged by dropping them.

But now I think I should have one piece of uranium glass.
1. It's really cool.
2. If it can be related to our shaving hobby or other hobbies, even better.
3.The country next door keeps threatening to take over us. I need to buy something I like.

Hope you also find your destined uranium glass.
 
I found a uranium glass mug, which looks big enough to be used as a shaving mug. Would it be safe if I make lather in a uranium glass mug or bowl or it's not a good idea.
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
I found a uranium glass mug, which looks big enough to be used as a shaving mug. Would it be safe if I make lather in a uranium glass mug or bowl or it's not a good idea.
Using uranium glass for lather bowls or soaking brushes will not affect your health.
In the previous discussion, "Old Hippie" has already provided information to show that.
 
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