It's very doable; I've cut out quite a few blades for my Segals and it is well worth the effort. As noted, you really only need to make sure the end notches on the blade slot remain intact; that will ensure accurate blade alignment. Don't worry about the size or shape of the center slot, just cut it out oversize so there is plenty of clearance to fit over the cap. Alignment is all in the end notches. As for scissors, I've had success with a pair of German made fingernail scissors with curved blades. The blade mod is a bit of a chore, but well worth it for the excellent shave provided by the Segal. If you could get blades off the shelf for the Segal, they would be selling for Fat Boy prices.
Making Segal Blades
- Thread starter Chan Eil Whiskers
- Start date
The best solution with those Segal razors is to get yourself a decent Gillette NEW.
It takes regular DE blade and shaves like a dream.
It takes regular DE blade and shaves like a dream.
But a NEW is not a Segal! No way.
- Thread starter
- #24
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I have several Gillette NEW razors, LC and SC. Decent enough razors. I sure wouldn't say they shave like a dream. In my hands, a much better Gillette is the Old Type.
Neither have anything to do with making blades for a Segal. Your "best solution" for me is for me to change to a razor you like? That's it, right?
I assume you've tried the Segal. If so, how did it shave? What did you do for blades?
Happy shaves,
Jim
Same here. I wonder if the vintage razor market is big enough to support a company making bespoke punches to modify modern blades for various vintage razors (e.g., Segal, Gibbs, Wardonia, etc.)?
Did I ever say LC or SC?
See you are not paying attention to what I post.
Or perhaps this is all you know - LC/SC?
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- Thread starter
- #29
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
My Revlon cuticle scissors arrived today. I'll give them a spin tomorrow as blade cutters. I also looked at several German fingernail scissors on Amazon and will look some more at the options for these scissors.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Happy shaves,
Jim
@Chan Eil Whiskers Please keep us posted
- Thread starter
- #32
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
From what I've read fingernail scissors are a step up from cuticle scissors in terms of ability to cut tough, hard, thick fingernails as opposed to soft, thin cuticles. It certainly makes sense that fingernail scissors would be better at cutting razor blades than cuticle scissors unless there's something I'm missing which is very possible.
After all, I sometimes fail as a mind reader, and have many other faults.
Thanks for sharing this excellent information. You clearly have experience with this blade modification method. As I've found already, the wrong tool is a pain. Nobody wants to be struggling with scissors trying to make them cut when they're reluctant, especially when sharp razor blades are at hand.
Thanks, too, for the mini review of the Segal shave. I have a gold Segal and also this Schaeffer (vendor's photo). Both are in great shape, but the Schaeffer may be in better shape by a whisker. I've not used either, but I'm hot to use the Schaeffer first if only because the handle looks cool and I love the wavy shape of the ends of the head.
To me, it's a very cool looking razor. It reminds me of others I've spotted with a similar look to the head and dissimilar prices. However, none of that means much unless the shaves are great.
I'm determined to make a useable blade in the morning before I shave.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Can you please make a video/photos of the proccess!
It will be interesting to see.
- Thread starter
- #34
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
There is already a good video. He uses several slightly different methods. Plus, the music it good to my ear, and appropriately ironic. Link. He's been practicing blade making; I'm sure it's a better video than mine would be. Plus, he's already made it.
His Segal razor looks, I think, exactly like my Schaeffer. Fancy that!
Happy shaves,
Jim
I'm surprised no one posted the template:
It is indeed a cool looking razor. The ingenious design and stellar build quality make it a classic, IMHO. If not for the proprietary blade, I'd submit that it it would be an expensive and desirable razor in today's vintage market.
But I concur that none of the cool factor matters unless the shave is there. For me, the Segal definitely delivers in that regard. It's in my sweet spot as far as the combination of comfort/efficiency goes, and I consistently get smooth, close and comfortable shaves from the Segal. Mine probably don't get as much time in the rotation as they deserve (due to the chore of the required blade modification) but when I do load one up, I'm reminded that it's worth the effort.
- Thread starter
- #37
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I see what you mean.
Today's shave with my Schaeffer was very nice indeed. I posted a bunch of other photos, too. Link.
The Revlon cuticle scissors surprised me by being much better at cutting the blades than my more expensive cuticle scissors were. Much, much better.
I've not mastered the art of Segal blade making but I've made a lot of progress.
- The goal is, I think, to make the blades without drawing on or marking the blade. Just freehand. It isn't that hard once you see what's going on.
- To begin with, it is useful to outline with a sharpie on the new blade the hole from the Segal blade just like it's done in the video. Cut outside of the line, not on the line.
- Having a Segal blade helps greatly. Without one, cut out and use a template. You've gotta be able to see how the Segal blade fits over the raised area in the middle of the baseplate.
- The blade should not touch the raised area. Better a tad too large a hole than a hole not quite large enough. The blade needs to easily, without being forced at all, seat properly.
- The video I linked to above is worth watching. Notice how he holds the blade.
- Expect to sacrifice at least ten or twenty or so blades learning to do this. Maybe practice some on blades you don't like and have a lot of.
- It is not easy in the beginning.
- With bad scissors forget it. Quit and get good scissors.
- It gets better.
I expect to be a pro after making five or six more blades. I'm rewrapping them, and putting them in a labeled, hard sided plastic (old Derby or Feather) tuck box. It takes some time and failures to begin to see what you're doing wrong when the blades don't quite fit. You want to make really good blades here. They need to have the hole be big enough.
Not perfect is fine, and they aren't going to be perfect like the Segal blades (too bad, so sad), but the blades really do need to be pretty darn good or they aren't going to work right.
Part of the reason to make the blade's central hole a tiny bit larger (just like the actual Segal blade) is so the blade slips on and off without scratching anything, and so that it can be flipped after every use.
If you attempt this, and work at it, and have good scissors, it's kinda satisfying once you get it. But, it's a pain to begin with and you have to accept the failures and throw those away. In my experience, if the attempt doesn't result in a blade which fits easily over the raised area it's a good idea to discard that blade. Examine it to see what you did wrong but trying fix the improperly modified blade isn't worth it. The repair cuts are difficult and, I think, dangerous. You'll see what I mean if you try it.
Blades are cheap. Cuts suck.
The razor's shave makes this PIA learning process worth it.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Well done Jim, excellent info.
@Chan Eil Whiskers Thanks for sharing. You've motivated me to "get with it" and get the ball rolling. Gonna get some proper scissors at get some cut out. Got pics or part number of ones you used ??
- Thread starter
- #40
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
These are the scissors I used. Link. Probably German fingernail scissors are better. I may end up getting some, but these worked. However, see below.
I made about seven good enough Segal Blade clones. Keepers.
I threw away some that were maybe good enough before I realized perfection ain't possible.
That's the back of an old style plastic Derby tuck box. Feather makes a similar box.
That's the front of the box. Notice that the top blade has a label on its red paper wrapper. It contains the actual Segal Blade which I don't want to use and also don't want to discard.
The rest of the clone blades are Polsilver blades to begin with and wrapped in white Polsilver wrappers.
Making this second set of today's blades I learned through careful study of my modern blades vs the original vintage Segal blades that it is not possible for me given my skills and the tools I have available to exactly modify modern blades to be just what I want them to.
There is, at the distal ends of the Segal blade a fundamental difference. Segal blades at the distal ends of the hole in the middle are slightly different from modern blades in a way which makes it, I think, impossible to modify modern blades to be perfect clones. It is, I believe impossible for anyone.
Before I go further I want to say that it doesn't make much difference.
A blade modified to be a Segal clone is going to fit the Segal in a manner not quite as great as a Segal Blade. Flipping the modern blade is going to be a little more difficult than flipping a Segal Blade. The modern blade will be too tight in spots, and also too loose in others.
But, it won't matter enough to worry about.
Yes, the blade should be cut as well as possible. It also seems to me that someone very skilled and with tools better than mine could possible modify the modern blade to not be too tight in the spots mine are. However, it is impossible for a modern blade to be modified to be tight on the Segal in the way a Segal Blade is because the modern blade is missing a bit of metal the Segal has.
Not me. The blades I made are good enough. They work. They can be flipped with a few small seconds of extra work. The Segal Blades are clearly a better design for the Segal than I can produce from modern blades using the scissors I have. I believe I'm doing it as well as most anyone is likely to do it unless they've been seriously into the juice.
Even with vastly better scissors making better clones would be seriously difficult. You'll see what I mean if you try.
Even so, I don't think a modern blade can become a perfect Segal clone, and I don't think it matters.
I'm sure somebody can make clones prettier than mine. Big deal. The shave won't care and few people will ever examine the contents of my blade bank.
Happy shaves,
Jim
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