Seems relatively obvious, but I was wondering if there are any rules in terms of ratio between the blade and tang to ensure a good balance. Been reading up on blade geometry but they never seem to mention it.
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Seems relatively obvious, but I was wondering if there are any rules in terms of ratio between the blade and tang to ensure a good balance. Been reading up on blade geometry but they never seem to mention it.
Can't say I have seen dimensional rules or info on this either
The best advice I have seen is to measure as many blades as you can & work from there, as the old cutlers had it right & you will see most vintage str8s are very close
The most critical dimension I believe is the pivot to heal or thumb area,
as this governs the feel for stropping & shaving the most
But I am keen to see if this info exists also
From what I've seen, it varies wildly. Imo it also doesn't have a lot of influence on shaving.
The biggest deciding factor and something that will totally overide the tang blade ratio is grind has you would imagine an 7/8 wedge will not feel as balanced as a 7/8 full hollow.
but that is why we use heavy or light wedges & scale materials to balance it out
I do remember reading that if the pivot is to close to the heal it can hinder the dexterity & feel of the blade if there isn't enough thumb room
I would suggest that the heel to scale distance, in use, rather than heel to pivot can make for a comfortable or not grip of finger(s) on the tang. Some razors have room for two fingers there and other have room for only one. Monkey tail length from the scale at the pivot can make for differing quality of control. I see razors with almost no meat around the pivot and others with scales so wide there that holding for a shave would be a chore.
Just some of the design considerations.
~Richard