What's new

The Great Rigid Blade Experiment

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
1. Should rigidity be measured?
2. Can rigidity be measured?
3. Is rigidity being measured?


If there is logical inconsistency between 1-3, how might this be resolved?

1. Yes.
2. Yes. Possibly @Rosseforp could devise a method or the BOSC way with @Dovo1695 and his sawed off syringe soap hardness tester... thing. :tongue_sm
3. No.

We would need a volunteer...

Oh, by the way. Great way to up your post count! 🤨
 
1. Yes.
2. Yes. Possibly @Rosseforp could devise a method or the BOSC way with @Dovo1695 and his sawed off syringe soap hardness tester... thing. :tongue_sm
3. No.

We would need a volunteer...

Oh, by the way. Great way to up your post count! 🤨

Lol. Definitely on my list of things to play around with one of these days. What with work and the kids back in sports again, I'm guessing it'll be a while before I start messing with it. I think it's very doable though.
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
1. Yes.
2. Yes. Possibly @Rosseforp could devise a method or the BOSC way with @Dovo1695 and his sawed off syringe soap hardness tester... thing. :tongue_sm
3. No.

We would need a volunteer...

Oh, by the way. Great way to up your post count! 🤨
No need to remake the wheel Mike. I have been thinking of using my Sonic Fiddlestick for just that purpose!

You see, way back in the 1980's when I was building and racing 1/24 scale slot cars, we needed a tool to measure the spring tension on the motor brushes.
20210506_105334[1].jpg
20210506_105438[1].jpg
20210506_105515[1].jpg

It takes 2 1/2 Fiddles to move the blade at the edge and 4 Fiddles to move the blade at the center on my R41.
WIN_20210506_11_34_37_Pro.jpg
WIN_20210506_11_35_44_Pro.jpg

Anything to help out King Gillette
 
Thats exactly why I used that analogy. If the blade can vibrate or flex it will, given enough resistance against it. Even with my Fatip Grande, which is a very rigid design but also has generous blade exposure. The thinness and flexibility of DE blades will allow the very edge to flex, dig in, lift and tug the hair then cut it under force of tension instead of cleanly slicing. The result of that over the swirls on my neck is, at best, irritation. At worst, weepers. If I shave slowly enough I can even hear a tiny 'ping' as the edge springs back into shape.

Because it is such a rigid design I can stop that with a shallow enough angle. This is why I use it extremely shallow, pushing the cap into my skin. The red line in the picture below being the level of my skin.

View attachment 925177

Used at that angle, the blade doesnt flex, it just cleanly cuts the hairs.

I realize the post I'm quoting is a bit old, but since the thread's still alive...

I haven't read all the content, but what I have read seems interesting.

If you're pushing the razor head into your skin, you show the red line as the level of your skin, but wouldn't your skin be flexing to conform to the head? This would change the angle of cut that you're suggesting and potentially throw off your theory, I think. My thought is that your skin would flex like the blue curve in the image below, making the cutting angle still quite close to the green line. Someone needs to do some slow motion macro videography of how the skin behaves: deforming, deflecting, bubbling, etc.!! :)

1620338161493.png
 
No need to remake the wheel Mike. I have been thinking of using my Sonic Fiddlestick for just that purpose!

View attachment 1262860

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Fiddlestick my foot. I know a dovometer when I see one! I'm going to have to call my patent attorney. 😋

I just googled it, and they still sell them for $13 a pop. I might have to order one of those puppies. I couldn't find any documentation for them though, any idea what unit the scale is in (e.g. newtons)
 
@Rosseforp

This is the setup I was thinking of using (exact same concept), but it's more expensive ($27) and it looks like the fiddlestick is good to go out of the box for $13.

proxy.php


I was thinking of sticking the razor in vice and using a dial indicator stand base to lower the durometer onto it. It's probably overkill given the application.

proxy.php


Here is a table of the different spring force's. I was thinking of going with the type D which is 44.64N. I'm not sure if that isn't too much though. Seems like the fiddlestick is just right as it is.

proxy.php
 
What is overkill?:confused1

The vise to hold the razor is overkill. I was thinking of a cross-sliding vice so that the razor is held firmly and it's possible to advance slowly towards the durometer held by the dial indicator. It's both overkill and underkill. Overkill because it's totally unnecessary, and underkill because acme thread isn't exactly ideal for micro adjustments. 🤪

Truth be told, I just really want to buy a cross sliding vice.

I tried measuring the force necessary for blade deflection using my dovometer a few months ago, but since it's just a pen with bits flipped around, it wasn't especially suited for the job. The pen tip is way too big for one thing. Something I noticed with that failed experiment is that it was hard for me to tell when the blade had first begun to deflect. I was holding the razor in one hand and my dovometer in the other. Not ideal. Hence the idea of something to hold both the durometer and a means to slowly sneak up on the blades with the durometer "needle" via some kind of screw mechanism. What I lack in mechanical aptitude, I make up for with clumsiness, ineptitude and enthusiasm. It's gotten me this far in life... 😋

Having said all that, I think the fiddlestick is probably the right tool for the job. As long as the razor is held firmly by something, a fiddlestick and a usb camera with some kind of zoom like you used to get a closeup view is probably the way to go. 👍


proxy.php
 
Last edited:
As far as completely unnecessary vises go, this one actually does micro-adjustments. A full revolution advances just 1mm. Each tic mark is .05mm. It'd let ya really sneak up on the blade. Again, not actually necessary, but pretty cool. It's only $83, but I can't imagine what else it would be useful for. At least the cross-sliding vise would be handy on a drill press for random woodworking stuff. $13 for a fiddlestick is a heck of a lot more practical and economical obviously.

proxy.php
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
Those cross sliding vises sure look nice in the pictures, not one bit overkill to me at all.

Now using a set of matched SPI V-Blocks to hold the razor and using an Interapid 312b-3 test indicator mounted on a Brown & Sharpe test indicator base on a laboratory grade surface plate to detect the slightest movement of the blade, that just might be called "the new normal".
20210506_173705[1].jpg

This is the cool vise I got to hold my razors and my USB camera setup.
20210506_203243[1].jpg

It is actually pretty easy to just hold the razor in my hand a watch the blade deflect with the fiddlestick, but what is the fun in that?
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
As far as completely unnecessary vises go, this one actually does micro-adjustments. A full revolution advances just 1mm. Each tic mark is .05mm. It'd let ya really sneak up on the blade. Again, not actually necessary, but pretty cool. It's only $83, but I can't imagine what else it would be useful for. At least the cross-sliding vise would be handy on a drill press for random woodworking stuff. $13 for a fiddlestick is a heck of a lot more practical and economical obviously.

proxy.php
I picked this Hardinge cross slide for $25 when my company put it up for auction a few years ago. It even has a graduated compound for setting angles. I suspect it is a little more accurate and rigid than the one for $83. LOL
20210506_213354[1].jpg

Overkill? :a53:
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
No need to remake the wheel Mike. I have been thinking of using my Sonic Fiddlestick for just that purpose!

You see, way back in the 1980's when I was building and racing 1/24 scale slot cars, we needed a tool to measure the spring tension on the motor brushes.
View attachment 1262860View attachment 1262861View attachment 1262862
It takes 2 1/2 Fiddles to move the blade at the edge and 4 Fiddles to move the blade at the center on my R41.
View attachment 1262864View attachment 1262865
Anything to help out King Gillette

I knew you'd know a way.

This is all I know about fiddles but, I'll take your word for it.

 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
If you're pushing the razor head into your skin, you show the red line as the level of your skin, but wouldn't your skin be flexing to conform to the head?

Welcome to the forum! Nice to see you're diving right into the deep end haha.

Yes, exactly. Applying pressure from the cap creates a wave of skin ahead of the edge that rises to meet the edge. My doing it is far easier than explaining it lol. Skin tension also plays a key role. I shave by feel, blade feel. As long as I can clearly and cleanly feel the blade edge and that edge is stable, assuming enough blade exposure, its actually quite easy for me to maintain the right amount of pressure and the correct angle.

GEM SE's have that angle built right into them. The caps are, mostly, flat and they're designed to be used with the cap flat against the skin, that's the angle take care of. However, if no pressure is applied the blades edge is well above the skin. Because the MMOC has so much blade exposure and is so efficient, with the wrong amount of pressure over less forgiving areas, such as my jawline, it can peel skin, believe me lol.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
@Dovo1695 @Rosseforp @ShavingByTheNumbers

The question then becomes, how much blade deflection is acceptable and at what force? Would different blade brands and tempering of the steel become a complication?

As I understand it, as well as Al, @AimlessWanderer the steel stock is held to ISO 9445 standards but I havent looked for any information on spring tensions or spring rates for said steel stock.

 
Welcome to the forum! Nice to see you're diving right into the deep end haha.

Yes, exactly. Applying pressure from the cap creates a wave of skin ahead of the edge that rises to meet the edge. My doing it is far easier than explaining it lol. Skin tension also plays a key role. I shave by feel, blade feel. As long as I can clearly and cleanly feel the blade edge and that edge is stable, assuming enough blade exposure, its actually quite easy for me to maintain the right amount of pressure and the correct angle.

GEM SE's have that angle built right into them. The caps are, mostly, flat and they're designed to be used with the cap flat against the skin, that's the angle take care of. However, if no pressure is applied the blades edge is well above the skin. Because the MMOC has so much blade exposure and is so efficient, with the wrong amount of pressure over less forgiving areas, such as my jawline, it can peel skin, believe me lol.

Thanks...it was one of the threads in the "New Posts" section and the title sounded intriguing. However, looking at some of the equipment coming out in the last few posts, I feel like I'm still quite safely in the shallow end!! ;) Just observing the people in the deep end! :biggrin1:
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
@Dovo1695 @Rosseforp @ShavingByTheNumbers

The question then becomes, how much blade deflection is acceptable and at what force?

There's two options:

A) Measure the amount of deflection using a predetermined force.
B) Measure the amount of force needed to deflect a predetermined distance.

If both are on dials, or linear scales, you don't really want to be doing it freehand, as things can change between glancing at the two scales. Tricky to hole everything steady enough freehand for an accurate reading of both scales.
 
Top Bottom