Got lucky today and found a spare blade for my Rolls razor in it's chrome case at a local antiques store.That got me thinking about honing it. Has anyone here reset/honed a Rolls Razor blade? If so, how did you do it? Thanks
Bob
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Got lucky today and found a spare blade for my Rolls razor in it's chrome case at a local antiques store.That got me thinking about honing it. Has anyone here reset/honed a Rolls Razor blade? If so, how did you do it? Thanks
Bob
Barbers hone or coti or synthetic stone progression should be fine
I take off the guard first, then a layer of tape. Try not to push down on the blade durring the stroke. Keep your finger on the spine and good luck!
Thanks for the reply. I kind of thought that but was more curious if you honed with the handle attached or blade only.
Bob
I have a Rolls that I've tried to hone twice, and while it's sharp enough to shave with, I'm not particularly fond of using it. I don't know if it's Sheffield steel or if I'm just having trouble actually getting it sharp, but I've given up on the endeavor.
I don't know I have used mine once and did not mind it but everyone is different. As for Sheffield steel, the straights I have made in Sheffield seem to take an edge easy enough. I can see it being a PITA to hone a Rolls blade on regular hones and not the one that works with the razor's container.
Bob
Once you get a Rolls honed on the stones, you can KEEP it sharp on the built in stone. But if its in need of a bevel set, the rolls hone will probably never get it there. Then can be a pain, but get them right, and they shave fairly smooth.
+1 to that
Take a Loupe and check the edge. I cant tell you how many of these i have run into where the blade looks fantastic but shaves like sh!t due to micro chipping on the edge. The problem is that people who have them and use the hone tend to slap the blade down on hone when using the mechanisim causing tiny chips along the blades edge. You really have to be gentle on these or you will be spending quite some time on a 1k....
Ah yes, the sound of one blade slapping. Sorry couldn't resist. I can see that happening though, so I'll check for that too.
Bob
I did one Rolls. Just kept thinking:
. . . This is just a short section of a straight razor.
One layer of tape, 8K Norton --> barber hone --> CrOxide.
The owner was happy.
charles
PS -- this assumes that you can hone a straight razor. If not, I wouldn't start with a Rolls.
I've honed several of them. Just take the guard off and do pretty much what you'd do with a straight.
They're actually pretty easy to hone. I've never seen one with bad geometry that needs to be compensated for.
I have got a couple of Rolls razors; one dating to 1952 and the other with two blades dating back to 1939. The steel is very good, I just hone the blades and use a Naniwa progression setting the bevel at 1K and taking it next to the 5k,8K and 10K. I also tape the spine, it does help. HOG
For you guys that are using tape - be sure to check the blade geometry... It's possible that after honing with tape, the built-in rolls hone won't actually be touching the edge when you use it.
I don't know how many laps it will take on that barber hone before it comes back, but it's something to watch out for...
I own a number of Rolls Razor's and they are great shavers for me any way.
The last blade I honed I use NO tape and did Norton 4k/8k, Crox and 50 laps both sides on new paper, which did make for a smoother shave IMHO!!
YMMV tinkersd
I have an Imperial Rolls but have never tried to use it. Maybe I should hone it up and try a shave with it.
I have always admired the workmanship and the general mechanics of the Rolls shave kit.
Thanks for bringing the subject up.
Thanks for all the interesting info. on honing the RR's! I've got one I honed up and (awkwardly) stropped. They shave great when you get them right!
I have quite few of them and have honed all of them in the case, it takes time but the results are BBS shavers. Thats what the hone is for and it will work just great if you take the time and use it.
While you CAN tape the spine for honing, it will change the angle so it may not strop and certainly will not hone in the actual Rolls mechanism.
I did a complete work up on the Rolls here...
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ure-heavy.html
In the past, I tried honing in the case, but last week, I took in account someone's experience on the shave den and honed on the Rolls hone outside of the case.
I honed the blade on the dry hone with circles, clockwise and counter-clockwise and back and forth and then standard lapping. The blade took an edge much more quickly than in the case on the honing handle.
I just got ahold of an extra Rolls Razor blade at a good price, 'cause the bl*+dy thing did have some rust and I was wiling to buff it up and hone it to spec's. But after I got it and the buffing up was done, I went to my 1k Norton stone but just could not get it to pop arm hairs!! It looked great under magnification, with a B+L 5X loupe and a 60X lighted magnifier.
So after some thinking I just progressed up from the 1k to my 4K, still not poping arm hairs[very strange considering how clean and well met the 2 side of the bevel was but when I got to the 8K Norton after polishing all the previous marks off, it pop arm hairs without any problem at all and in fact look great under my loupe.
I"ll shave test it in a couple of days but has any one ever had the same situation with a Rolls blade???
When I've done Rolls blades in the past this sort of thing never happened.
I did a very good job on the 1K hone so I don't think micro-chipping was the problem, but what was????
It's what makes honing just a strange hobby, you don't get everything working the same way with all different types of razors.
Yours truly, the tinkersd
PS I removed the gard before all the previous machinations were done to that poor blade, removed very very carefuly!!
Yea, removing the guard to hone those blades is a thrill a minute and not my favourite things to be doing.
Bob
Well this evening I shaved with my Rolls and the blade I honed yesterday, it was a good shave but not outstanding, and I do expect better from a decently honed Rolls Blade. to I will go back to the stones and spend some serious time on my 12K PHIG Chinese special, maybe 100 to 150 laps, yes it is a very slow cutting stone for those of you who don't know that yet, very slow!!
experimentation it king!!!
I have a question. How do you get the guard off?
Geek
I think you can just pop them off, but when I honed my Rolls blades, I did not take the guard off.
Yea, they do pop off if you pry one end out first, bit of a PITA.
Bob
I have honed my Rolls Razor while it was in it's case. I just cut up some lapping film so that it was the same size as the hone in the mechanism (pic here).
I then just use my normal progression of film I use for my straight razors. The strops in both of my Rolls cases are in poor condition so I do have to strop outside the case.
Honing outside the case is probably the best way to go though.
Once the guard is off, I don't put it back to shave. Can't get close with the angle the guard mandates. I've honed several Rolls and they never have gotten as sharp as a straight. Also, the edge seems to deteriorate quickly. May just be my technique.
Hello Everyone!
I am looking for a replacement stone to my Rolls Razor. Does anyone have one or know someone who does?
Unfortunately your best bet may be to buy another RR kit with a good hone in it. They are common enough that the occasional bargain does show up.
I've heard of people replacing the stone with hardwood of the proper thickness and 1um lapping film.
I think the hone side of the Rolls is for refreshing. If the blade is dull or chippy, it will never work.
My plan is to drill and tap the non-ball side hole to affix a handle so it can be run on the hones easier.
Attachment 202400
Tom,
Have you succeeded? or is that pic a mock up? I'm pretty sure the back of the blade is as hard as the rest of it, so I thought tapping would be a nightmare. I would go with a shorter handle, as you will probably have a tendency to lift the blade and hone unevenly. I should just make new stones already. (at least I THINK I know how)
Yeah, I went out and tried it just now. Too hard! :rofl2:.
I suppose the 'finger push' is the only way! I have an Everite Safety which has a threaded hole on the side as well.
Surely is nice to be able to hone and strop it with a handle on it.