Thread: Tired of the spike point

The only razor I own is a spike point. I'm getting a little tired of it's surprises and I have enough man made lines in my face. I would like to dull the tip or do something to is that lessens that risk. Is that doable, and how would I go about it on my hones.

Take the point of the spike and lightly stroke it on the side or the back of the hone until the desired profile is achieved. Old time barbers used to do this not infrequently.

You can round the tip off slightly, but dont do it on your hones as it can leave grooves in the surface of the stone.

You can round the point off on the side of the hone though, as long as you dont mind the mark it will probably leave!

The way I'd do it is to take a piece of 1200 grit sandpaper, put it on a block of wood and just very gently round the very end of the the spike off on the sandpaper. Literally round off just the very tip though, thats all you need to do to take the lethality away..! You'll probably only need to do half a dozen strokes to sort this out, and it wont affect the look of the razor if you only remove a tiny amount.

Alternatively, you can get a round point to use until you are a little more comfortable with watching out for the end of the blade? Once you're happy you can start using the spike again?

The only reason I say that is that its easy to take steel off, but you can't put it back on again if you change you mind afterwards...!

Whatever you decide, good luck and keep us posted!

Why change the razor when you can buy a new one that has a different toe? Sounds like a perfect reason for a shopping spree...

Beyond what you've been told, keep in mind that the taming of the spike does not have to be done in a breadknifing manner with the blade perpendicular to the side of the hone. You can hold the blade at a low angle, say around thirty degrees and do small circles, occasionally alternating sides. That way you won't gouge your hone with the deep ruts I've seen on the sides of so many hones.

One more thing to consider before you soften the point, if you ever go to sell the razor the blunted point may detract from the price. Softened or not avoiding nicks is still a matter of technique.

Other than increasing my styptic pencil use I don't see a lot of value in a sharp spike point. I much prefer a square point.

Gentlemen:

A master of the straight razor once told me to use a fine nail file (the cardboard type) to gently mute the spike's bite. The method works for me.

Regards,
Obie

Originally Posted by Stubear

Alternatively, you can get a round point to use until you are a little more comfortable with watching out for the end of the blade? Once you're happy you can start using the spike again?

The only reason I say that is that its easy to take steel off, but you can't put it back on again if you change you mind afterwards...

+ 1 with Stu. Down the road you may decide, like me, that spikes have their place in a rotation and you may come to love them someday. I say retire that razor for a while and come back to it down the road.

I agree with Obie - you can dull the tip (or even a troublesome heel) without a radical change in the blade's profile.

Regards,
Neil